Mothers.

A prerequisite.
Hey, it’s New York after all.
Cheers, drink it quickly.

Park.

Tucked behind her ears -
On top of parking structures,
Profess and proclaim.

Wobble.

Arpeggio runs,
Over synchopated beats,
And low pass filters.

Cedars.

It ends in Beirut.
Denominating commons.
It starts in Beirut.

Pony.

We’re all complicit,
For decisions we don’t make.
I defer to you.

Tell.

…Then I took her home.
She works for the CIA.
I got her real drunk.

Shiny Side Left.

Just short of good length,
Pitched right outside of off-stump,
Swinging to the slips.

Spices Fail.

I hate to say Shan,
But you do a real shit job,
Of being my mom.

Detroit.

Urban graffiti,
Described by street signs of names.
Steamed gravel floats high.

Twice.

Pulsating patterns,
Of flickering fluorescent
Light bulbs on Food Street.

Menu.

Eyes move left to right.
When you peer at the menu,
I’m looking at you.

Leaves.

Autumn trees concede.
Elliptical Equinox.
Leaves blush with orange.

Make.

New York staircases.
Handshakes and heartbreaks await,
Downstairs in the dive.

Light.

All of the angels,
Convene in an empty room.
Conspire in darkness.

Spies.

Purge the party ranks.
Tear down the flags and statues.
Proceed with caution.

Long Lines.

Polaroid drunk smiles.
Twirling glasses and spilled drinks.
Dancing with a strobe.

Late Summer.

A glass of our friend,
Lazy as my accomplice -
Sit still as the air.

Flange.

From start to finish.
When will I know if it’s here?
Send our regards, cold.

Pre-Lunch.

A bowl of haleem,
Microwaved to perfection.
Eaten with a spoon.

A Thought.

An idea formed.
Materialization.
Escaped, forgotten.

Constantinople.

Istanbul hillsides.
Beyond the Bosphorus Strait,
Are blue minarets.

Reject, Deny.

Mob mentality.
A collective denial.
We let ourselves down.

On One.

No, I disagree.
I really don’t give a fuck.
I am cold, mindless.

Bargain.

Haan jhi, kitna hei?
Acha, bhai aik baat sunno –
Dimaakh khirab hei?!

Lost.

My mind is elsewhere.
I am neither here nor there.
Where the fuck am I?

APOC.

Oil diggers in masks.
In the cover of sand storms,
They arrive at dawn.

A Discussion.

On questions of love,
Politics and religion,
We take to the pipe.

Snow Day?

The patient blizzard,
Will wait till you fall asleep,
To unleash itself.

Elephant’s Entrance.

Big gray processions.
Accessorized elephants,
Descend a staircase.

What Would Your Mother Say?

Soldier, step aside!
A process is in motion,
For revolution.

Mourn.

They cry for his head!
A head drops onto the floor.
Head between her knees.

Closed.

Self induced mind trips.
Close the door, close the lights, HEY!
Subtle vibrations.

Rote.

Feather tip to scroll,
Dramatic variances,
Of words in Naskhi.

Ears.

There exists a love.
It can be touched in one tongue;
Slow, whispered Urdu.

Ball.

Chaccha lets us in,
And the gym illuminates,
For street basketball.

Qurbani.

Intestines plop down,
In a pool of blood and flesh.
Yeah, I think I’ll pass.

Goat.

A shawl wraps the chest,
Of a vagabond shepherd,
In valleys of dust.

Paksicle.

Frozen orange juice,
On a stick dipped with pepper,
Melting on our tongues.

Dilithium.

Denard Robinson,
From shotgun he takes the snap,
Steps back and throws…Hail!

Bombay.

Tomatoes, ginger,
Garlic, onions, yogurt,
Cilantro, mint, murgh.

You Will Fail.

Fall in Ann Arbor,
Cannot be replicated.
Do not argue this.

Ace in Fall.

Crunchy autumn leaves,
Falling down from naked trees,
Flattened by my feet.

Beirut.

Ugly gorillas.
Legitimate resistance.
Unconventional.

Where Did You Park?

Dark parking structures,
But a few faint orange lights.
Elevator rides.

TJ Maxx.

Made in India.
My dad says not to buy it.
Patriotic fail.

Hameed.

On certain drives home,
My driver is my best friend.
Kya, is that so bad?

Donate.

Floods erase people.
Pakistan just needs some luck.
For now, please donate.

Entitlement.

Bilawal Bhutto:
Arrogant and out of touch.
Like father, like son.

Two.

Slow and obvious.
I don’t know how to respond,
When the music plays.

Spies Respond.

Disguised vagabonds,
Slowly moving through dirt roads.
Onwards to Tashkent!