Poetry Volume 1: Reflections

Noor Elven

Daastan Publishing

First Published in Pakistan by Daastan PVT LTD

House # A-41, Madni Street, Lala Rukh, Wah Cantt, Punjab 47040

www.daastan.com

www.meraqissa.com

Text copyrights © Syed Husain Momin Zaidi 

Book Design copyright © Syed Husain Momin Zaidi and Anum Ameer

Edited by: Mariam Rizvi  

The moral rights of the writer, illustrator and editor have been asserted.

All rights reserved

This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or distributed in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

These are the poems by Syed Husain Momin Zaidi as found on DeviantArt website under pen name Noor Elven at the following profile link:

https://www.deviantart.com/noorelven

This particular book is dedicated to my family: my father, my mother, my wife, my children and my sister. And my aunt who felt the brunt of the raw writing. And my grandfather. But most specially my children.

Acknowledgements

The sheer number of people who need to be acknowledge for this effort that has come from years of work is so huge that to list them all would need a complete book of lists on its own.

However, the main persons who have been the driving force behind all my works have been closest family and friends. Most notable are my aunt Sajeda Zaidi an author herself who guided me with the use of English language as a form of expression. My wife and my sister-in-law for bearing with me while I explained the reasoning behind certain punctuations and capitals and other divergent errors from conventional language as they proof read my works time and again. My senior school class teacher Mrs. Humera Ibrahim, my English language teacher Ms. Sabiha Baakza and my high school class teacher Mr. Aslam Khan, for patiently reading my initial attempts and at times providing encouragement to not stop writing.

Whether he knew it or not, my father was a driving force and a force of nature. Much of my poetry stemmed at least initially from my teen angst when he would scold me for my mistakes. My mother for quietly never throwing away any scrap of paper that I may have scribbled on. Over the years one of my younger cousins Asad Zaidi got involved in my poetry and ended up writing his own and in the process opened even more horizons for me. But the most important person who has probably beta read and proof read most of my written work is my cousin, Esam Sohail. Mobeen Rehman another cousin who through his music, art, comics and general awesomeness keeps me striving to do more. Among friends the one who has stood with me from the very beginning despite our differences and distances is Anoushe Hussain who has not only read my works but has on occasion helped me learn ways to improve them. 

Lest I forget, my class fellows from school who have read some version of these over the years and for whom I wrote personalized pieces each as a parting gift (which maybe a short collection for another time). Most prominent among those would be Sanoj Thaha and Muzammil Khambati for providing the feedback that they did when they did. But at a later stage and from university days it was Thomas Bridger who critiqued my work to smithereens and showed me different interpretations of my work so that I could align it even further to read better.

Mentioned first but also last, the community on DeviantArt who make it a point to encourage writers and regularly host NaPoWriMo (inter-national poetry writing month) every year in April. Looking forward to more years and longer streaks with you all!

It would be amiss to not thank the team and person who helped this book make it to existence. So I am grateful to Mariam Rizvi as the editor and the fantastic team at Daastan and Mera Qissa for making this happen and converting it from a vision to reality. 

Quick-scribble

Quick-scribbles are pieces that were written usually in less than 5 minutes.

1. BILLI

Published 1 April 2012 as Noor Elven

Clever and smart she was,

Always looking the best,

Ever ready for action she was,

Quite unlike the rest!

She would come and mother me,

Keep an eye on my health too,

If I lapsed, she'd bother me,

Her abilities were beyond you!

Like beloved Cheshire she was,

Only better than he could ever be,

From a different time, she was,

Her time came and of her bereft I’ll be!

2. QUESTIONING VAN HELSING

Published 5 April 2012 as Noor Elven

Van Helsing, you are strong,

But your foolish motives weak!

Their accusations are wrong,

Ignorant lies they speak!

Asleep I was in the Underground,

When my precious child was raped!

With jeers and leers, her did they surround,

When with her life the pavement was draped!

You and I born in blood together,

Yet our losses cannot compare,

To them we are the Unholy other,

Still for them, why do you so care?

3. VAMPIRESS

Published 6 April 2012 as Noor Elven

She rose and walked away,

From Afterlife she was but declined!

Over the mighty Death she held sway,

And towards mortal life her hunger inclined!

Deadened corpse she was yet adored,

By those who claimed her a petty god!

Among mean she seeded dark discord,

Conquered the world with Unholy Rod*!

* Rod refers to fangs, sorry had to rhyme it with God.

4. VICTIM'S PROMISE

Published 6 April 2012 as Noor Elven

Even your teeth are sharpened fangs,

No longer a girl yet still wear bangs,

You seduce me to do your bidding,

To appease me? you must be kidding!

Even under this horrendous spell,

My mind is my own I can tell!

But my body possessed hears only you,

And moves to the rhythm set by you!

Manic fear and grudging respect,

You have come to only expect!

But overcome your sorcery I will,

And I won’t even have to kill!

5. VALHALLAN CRIME QUEEN

Published 6 April 2012 as Noor Elven

From the Halls of Valhalla to the end of time,

She rose from the ground forever mine,

Took to life like the queen of crime,

Uninvited and unable to cross the threshold line!

6. MIDGARD

Published 8 April 2012 as Noor Elven

From the glorious Halls,

Exiled for the crime of truth,

Banished to the middle falls,

Just to protect the Two!

Drained down to Midgard,

A place more slippery than Hell!

Return blocked by the Guard,

Till deeds of redemption Tell!

Valhalla, I promise my return!

For this Ragnarok, you will burn!

7. MJOLNIR

Published 8 April 2012 as Noor Elven

Fourteen lives all told,

Consumed by the fiery forge!

Souls that were brave and bold,

Did the Hammer's hunger gorge!

Never again an artefact will bear,

The majesty that had become Mjolnir!

Though the apparent imperfection,

Mjolnir is held only with affection!

8. YGGDRASIL

Published 9 April 2012 as Noor Elven

You

Guy and

Girl

Dream

Repeatedly

About

Sensually

Intimate

Liaisons!

9. ALREADY BEEN DONE

Published 14 May 2012 as Noor Elven

If its already been done, undo it!

If its only a memory, re-live it!

If its only an emotion, suppress it!

If its only an urge, indulge it!

But when you scream in misery,

Share that darkness with me!

And the light will come to thee,

And lift you high to be free!

10. EUPHEMISM OF TIME

Published 14 May 2012 as Noor Elven

Entomb this embalmed shackle of mine,

Moulded in this freedom by the divine.

To bleed is the only living crime.

Existence is the euphemism of time!

11. FULL CYCLE ORDER

Published 14 May 2012 as Noor Elven

Come a full Cycle in this Exile.

Break the Monotony with the Line.

Remain in Presence a longer while,

Lashing the Chaos into line!

12. FAMILIAR MEMORY

Published 14 May 2012 as Noor Elven

When your memory keeps returning,

Even when there is nothing familiar!

Length of the journey keeps us running,

Even when the distance is familiar!

13. BETTER RIDE

Published 14 May 2012 as Noor Elven

Evicting all the shards of glass from the skin,

Only to embrace the thorns that are in the side!

Why won’t there ever be, in life a better ride,

One to make us leap out of our binding skin?

14. NOTE TO CIRCUMSPECT

Published 14 May 2012 as Noor Elven

Embedded in the mind,

Burned on the retina,

Not a clue left to find,

For the circumspect retina!

15. HER

Published 14 May 2012

Her, I wait for her every time,

Even if it’s for a single line!

She makes my world rhyme!

Keeps me better than fine!

Exasperated by Her presence I seek!

Without Her my world is too bleak!

Anything to catch Her calming voice.

She is my only drug of choice!

Think of Her with every single breath,

Amongst the endorphins colluding,

Or in the moment of life and death!

Her presence still out there eluding!

16. SLOW THE STORM

Published 14 May 2012 as Noor Elven

My gift to you is to make you watch me fall ...

Take the darkness from the inside to cover it all ...

Only to be replaced by the light that you are ...

To slow the storm before it reaches that far ...

17. HELLION

Published 14 May 2012 as Noor Elven

Close to the precipice of unity,

Powerless to guide the product of union!

Attempt and end in futility,

Blame none but Id for this communion!

Forged in the depths of passion,

This bond of insanity,

Forbid this transgression,

To entomb the sanity!

Against the odds pitted,

Unleashing an unnatural rebellion

In depths that was fitted!

A scarlet badge of shamed Hellion!

18. GRATITUDE

Published 14 May 2012 as Noor Elven

Refraining myself from thanking you,

But still these words of deep gratitude,

Escape my soul in search of you,

Hoping that you'll embrace them too!

19. LACUNA BOND

Published 20 May 2012 as Noor Elven