POETIC NOESIS- A Personal Poetry Blog by Dr Javed Alam
  • About
  • Poems

-​Poetic Noesis-
A Poetry Blog
-Dr Javed Alam-

The portrait- a poem by Dr Javed Alam

6/5/2022

 
The portrait 

A maiden, a muslimah, 
In a silver dress, silver dupatta.

The pearls embroidered 
On her sleeves, like the stars, 

Sigh for her whisper, 
Long for this silver moon's gaze. 

Her partly covered 
Brunette hair: a flower bed 

For a clan of butterflies.
The smile in her hazel eyes: an ignition

For the imagination

Of the poets. 

I look for dreams
In her eyes. I find 

Her prayers, her playfulness,
Her invitation.

Let us believe, dear people,
In the beauty

Of the snowflakes, in the moon
Dressed in shalwar kameez.

Let us believe in love.


(06/05/22)
©https://www.poeticnoesis.com/

Eden rose- a poem by Dr Javed Alam

3/5/2022

 
Eden rose

Ah, Eden rose, you have filled my life

with the colours of your petals,
with the fragrance of your breath, 

with the ache of a confusing joy.

You have slowly climbed your way,
over the walls 

of my heart, into my heart.

Ah, Eden rose, I will add a bead of your name 
to the rosary of my prayer beads.

I will run after the wafts of your fragrance.

I will drink every drop of the evening dew 
spread on your petals.

When I am caught in the riddles 

of my mind, I will seek refuge 
in my Almighty and your embrace.

In the dense forest of my wishes

I will seek you, and you only, like a thirsty man
seeks only water.

I will use metaphors and similes

to describe your beauty and grace.
Ah, my Eden rose, every poet needs a muse.

(03/05/22)
©drjal02, ©https://www.poeticnoesis.com/

New liking- a poem by Dr Javed Alam

22/4/2022

 
New liking

Eden roses.

Blooming cherry blossom trees.
The confusing joy.

Stylish hijabs.
Hesitations of a woman.

The pleasure of believing.
The works of Rumi.


A distant muse,
A solitary moon

Over the Arabian Sea,
A pining heart.


The days I spend, 
Chasing a dream.

The nights I lose, 
Following a silhouette.

©drjal02, © https://www.poeticnoesis.com/

Mango people- a poem by Dr Javed Alam

21/4/2022

 
Mango people 

She said: we are mango people,
We don't read or write poetry;

We don't create, or knead 
A better universe for others;

We don't weave the peace
With our acts, words or tweets.

He said: the comparison
Is an insult, a denigrating

Act, against the mangoes;

Our magical fruit

Pleases our senses,
Never schemes

Using serpentine thoughts,

Never spews the venom.

©drjal02, © https://www.poeticnoesis.com/

An Attic Hand- a poem by Dr Javed Alam

16/4/2022

 
An Attic Hand

There is a steed
of life, within all of us.
 
It is tall, muscular,
hyperventilating with the air
 
of our desires.
We all mount it, gaily,
 
carrying an armour
of reason, a sword
 
of free will.
We all make our steed
 
neigh, trot, and gallop
at our own will;
 
until an Attic Hand
grabs its reins.

(Poet's Espresso Review- USA)
©️drjal02

Proem- a poem by Dr Javed Alam

15/4/2022

 
Proem

I believe in reason, 
In free will, 
In science,
In human stupidity, 

And in the magic of love.
I believe we are slaves 
Of our habits,
Our desires, our biases. 

I believe our decisions
Are mostly automatic, 
Bypassing reason.
I know science casts doubts

About free will,  
And flirts with Determinism, 
But that negates
Our individual responsibility.

I have doubts about Fatalism, 
About pre-determined destiny,
As they contradict
The concept
of divine justice. 

I believe we can change things 
If we have a burning desire 
To change, remain persistent, 
And are willing to face failures. 

One needs thousand pages book, 
An encyclopaedia, to explain 
Such complex beliefs.
This is my Proem. 
(14/04/22)
©drjal02, © https://www.poeticnoesis.com/

Social media - a poem by Dr Javed Alam

14/4/2022

 
Social media 

Like an irresistible intrusive impulse 
I keep checking my social media accounts, 
More than I initially thought I would.
Everyone here carries a tongue 

Of Martin Luther King, a heart of Rumi,
A soul of Mandela, a mind of Socrates;
Everyone here uses Likes and Shares,
A new currency of altruism and activism.

Everyone here sends love emojis 
Across the oceans, yet ignoring
Their families, their friends, across the tables, 
Their neighbours down the streets.

People discover their inner activist, 
Inner philosopher, inner poet, 
Inner prejudice and bigotry here.
People behave like celebrities here.

My News-feed is colourful like a rainbow. 
Sadness has evaporated from our perfect 
Timelines, yet sharp icicles of loneliness 
Hang from the grey ceilings of our minds.

©drjal02, © https://www.poeticnoesis.com/

Forgotten orphans- a poem by Dr  Javed Alam

12/4/2022

 
Forgotten orphans

The face of an orphan boy, sitting 
In a lawn of an orphanage, is imprinted 
On the canvas of my mind. 

Like an autumn leaf that has fallen 
From the tree of life, during the spring, he sat 
Among the scattered autumn leaves. 

A veil of misery covered his face. 
An emptiness in his heart overflowed 
Through his sorrowful eyes. 

He sat, wearing the raiment 
Of sadness, orphaned 
By the arrows of a conflict. 

His haunting eyes, tattered garments, revealed 
His sail, a ship without a rudder, 
On the turbulent waters of life.

He lived in a local orphanage like a bird 
With broken wings, with a childhood 
Crowned by poverty.
 
His childhood is stolen,
With insecurity
Sowed in his heart,

With a crown of thorns 
Placed on his head.
His bruised heart whispers 

Into the ears of my soul: 
The cries of orphans, like him, fall on the walls of 
His political masters- a legion of pygmies, 

His priests- a band of empty tin pots, 
His people- a multitude numbed by a turmoil.
With no helping hand 

To rescue them from the claws 
Of poverty and despair, they beseech 
The heavens to relieve their sufferings.

They whisper with the lips of their hearts
Into the ears of the divinity.
They invoke the all-seeing eyes 

Of the Providence: to induce an awakening, 
To plant the seeds of compassion,
In the hearts of their indifferent countrymen.
©drjal02, © https://www.poeticnoesis.com/

The dinner- a poem by Dr Javed Alam

11/4/2022

 
The dinner

This is our first dinner: we sit
in a restaurant, you are 
in an olive green dress, carrying 

a Louis Vuitton handbag, I am aware
of my heartbeat; 
                             the paisley rug, 

the crewel embroidery curtains, 
                             the engraved copper
samovar, kahwa, remind of home;

                             the evening is dewy,
food rich. I am caught in the finesse
of your eyes, lips; weaving the net

of my new dreams.


©drjal02, © https://www.poeticnoesis.com/ 

Like a poem- a poem by Dr Javed Alam

10/4/2022

 
Like a poem

Sitting in a cafe
Of a hotel lobby,
I read her patiently
Like a poem.


Her every feature, well aligned,
Stimulates an imagery,
Evokes desires,
Infuses longing.

Her smiles, dimples,
Playful eyes, 
The vanilla scent
Of her skin,


The dexterity
Of hands, and lips,

The colour of her Hijab,
The curl of her back,

All crafted together 
Like the stanzas of a poem.
Her every glance,
Every laughter,

And the sound 
Of every syllable, like a metaphor,
Enough to ignite

The fire of imagination.
©drjal02, ©https://www.poeticnoesis.com/

I carry you with me- a poem by Dr Javed Alam

8/4/2022

 
I carry you with me 

Your deep sea eyes
Where hearts drown 
Like wrecked ships;
Your fragrant hair

Where butterflies hide 
Like in flowerbeds; 
Your soothing words 
Where serenity flows

Like in snow flakes.
I carry you with me, 
Your inviting glances
That ignite new desires;

The veil of your shyness
That cloaks little secrets;
The curl of your back
Where you hide the treasures;

The chink of the little hearts
That hang from your bracelet.
I know you are far far away.
But no distance can fade

Your voice from my house, 
Your scent from my dreams,
Your silhouette from my mind,
Your colours from my sky. 

@drjal02

How I imagine you in Ramadan- a poem by Dr Javed Alam

5/4/2022

 
How I imagine you in Ramadan

Fasting, wrapped in a black hijab.
On a prayer mat,
Facing towards the Mecca, reading
Holy Quran, bowing

In a long Sujud
To whisper prayers 
In the ears 
Of the divinity.

How I imagine you 
Perform night, tahajjud, prayers;
Wake up for Sehri, a morning
Meal before the sunrise; count


The names of Allah 
With the rosary 
Of Turkish prayer beads; upload
Hadith on Instagram;

Visiting bustling bazaars
To buy dates, basil 
Seeds and Falooda
For breaking the fast.

Here I see you, a poem, becoming
A morning breeze, a prayer, 
An Iftar sherbet,
For my restless heart.


©drjal02, © https://www.poeticnoesis.com/

Desires of my mad heart- a poem by Dr Javed Alam

3/4/2022

 
Desires of my mad heart 

In the silence 
of a peninsula, 
my mad mad heart whispers 
in the ears of a cold night:

I want to look into her 
secret filled inviting eyes, 
and whisper the tales of love 
into her ears; 

I want to find the sweetness
in her mouth, and feel the silk
of her company;
I want to tie the Eden rose 

to her fragrant hair, 
and set a fire 
in the forest
of her desires;

I want to sip the wine
of her valleys,  and dance 
in the alleyways 
of her dreams;

I want to give wings 
to her bubbling dreams, 
and find the remedy 
for my sorrows. 

As I watch the tempest, 
the whirlwind, 
of my unbridled desires, 
I order my heart to be patient. 

@drjal02

How to be happy- a poem by Dr Javed Alam

2/4/2022

 
How to be happy 

"Never", say philosophers, 
chase happiness.
More you chase it,
more elusive happiness becomes.

If you can learn to invest in your family, 
friends, community, and work, 
and not move like an unhinged asteroid;
If you can find a purpose, 
beyond yourself, to live,
and not get caught in your vanities;
If you can find an activity, a hobby, 
where you forget the daily drudgery,
and live in the present moment;
If you can remember 
everyone gets his share of problems,
and learn to carry a hope

despite life's tribulations;
If you can use gratitude 
to tame your unbridled desires, 
and learn to interpret 

life experiences more positively; 
And if you can stop, throwing seeds 
on sand, chasing happiness, 
THEN you will discover the truth:

"happiness is a side effect
of leading a good, meaningful, life".

(Poet's Espresso Review- USA)

©️drjal02

I know a girl- a poem by Dr Javed Alam

27/3/2022

 
I know a girl 

I know  a girl
with arched eyebrows, 
deep eyes, an anklet,
smooth hair 

that falls on her shoulders. 

She counts her every step, 
every calorie, 
every inch, to refine
her valleys, 
her waist.

She can't find the magic
in lush green meadows, 
in swirling snowflakes, 
on the face of a lake. 

One day lost in her thoughts,
a clan of butterflies 
whispered in her ears:
be careful with the tricks of mind,
maybe you are a violin, in search 
of right fingers, 
waiting to create a perfect symphony.

Then a solitary butterfly whispered to her soul:
be careful with the crowd.
Maybe you are a solitary rose
that needs delicate pruning, 
daily watering with fresh dew. 

Then another one whispered 
to her longing heart:
be careful with the snares, 
maybe you are a bird
waiting for a flight.

Here I tell a fleeting breeze:
say hello to her
when she is looking into a mirror, 
kiss her eyes,
bring back a waft 
of her inner scent.

Here I close my eyes:
I find us in a seafront 
cafe, on a peninsula, 
whispering our dreams

to a lustrous moon. 

@drjal02

O dreams- a poem by Dr Javed Alam

14/3/2022

 
​O dreams 

O dreams, you give wings
to our lives.
You encourage slaves, born 
in the cradle of misery, to aspire 
freedom from their masters.
Your fire emboldens a nation 
to rise against the tyranny.


O dreams, you sweeten the pain 
of a pauper. Riding the chariot 
of hope, he carries the dreams 
of possessing the riches.
Your saccharine consolations
help a prisoner to fight
the pangs of loneliness.

O dreams, seeds buried under the blanket
of snow, in your warm company, 
sprout during the spring.
You squeeze out the sap
of stagnation
from our hearts, from our minds.
You inspire us to know the secrets 
hidden in the heavens.
 
O dreams, in your pleasing company, 

we navigate around the boulders
of daily difficulties, carrying
the earthly, and the celestial dreams, 

in our hearts.
 
I say: hold fast to your dreams,
for they manure the roots
of hope, for they illuminate
the precincts of our hearts,
for they sustain us
between the alp of life 
and the precipice of death.

(Gushing Fountain- A Collection of Poems)


@drjal02

Once again- a poem by Dr Javed Alam

11/3/2022

 
Once again

Just when I thought I had doused my fires, 
I saw an amorous spring changing things again;

Just when I saw snowdrops, hellebore, 
Dancing tulips, and the sunshine, 

I saw my dreams murmuring again; 
Just when I saw the fluttering 

Butterflies, and the singing birds, 
I saw an old flame flickering again.

Once again, caught in the talons 
Of leman, my heart is carried helplessly 

Over a new terrain.
Once again, my days are filled 

With the ecstasy, and strain.

@drjal02

It is not every day- a poem by Dr Javed Alam

19/2/2022

 
It is not every day I feel my heartbeat,
I hear it bouncing, like a ball on a ping pong,
Its cusps flapping like sails of a ship.
It is not every day
I get a tide of dopamine,
I feel dreamy, open, vulnerable,
And dangling over a cliff edge.
It is not every day I enjoy the sunshine,
I clear my Deadwood,
I notice daffodils, the purple lilies,
And the colour of butterflies.
It is not everyday, streams sound like flutes,
Roses sprout in battlefields,
Doves rest on canons,
Dawn rides on the wings of butterflies,
Rain rejuvenates the garden
Of memories.

It is not every day we feel a Spring,
When life crawls back to the Life, when heart breaks
Its icicles and flutters in an ecstasy.

@drjal02


Time has embroidered your face - a poem by Dr Javed Alam

14/2/2022

 
Time has embroidered your face

Everyday, helplessly, I stare
At your silhouette, standing 
In the courtyard 
Of my dreams.

Everyday I hear the echoes
Of your voice,
Reverberating, 
In the attic of my mind.

Every night I weave the net 
Of my dreams,
And cast it widely 
In the sea of your eyes.

Every night you watch, like
A white solitary moon, at the forest
Of my solitude,
At the cave of my soul.

Every night your fingers, like 
A violinist, vibrate the strings 
Of my soul, create a music 
Out of my chaos.

Time has embroidered, your face, 
On the canvas of my mind, 
With the exquisite threads 
Of my memories.

Take my heart
And break it like a mirror,
And you will see your face
In every shard.

Carrying a light basket 
Of my dreams, in the forest 
Of my poverties, 

I nurture hope.

@drjal02

I no longer talk about- a poem by Javed Alam

6/1/2022

 
I no longer talk about

How life stops gazing

at tomorrow,
how life freezes dreams
in our daily drudgery.

I no longer talk about
an endless road,
                         the ruins

of a pining nation,
                           the silence
of our song.

I whisper my poverties
in the ears of my solitude.

I illuminate my cave
with the light of my dreams.


(The Galway Review-- Ireland)
@drjal02


I remember wearing a Pheran- a poem by Dr Javed Alam

3/12/2021

 
I remember wearing a Pheran

I remember wearing a Pheran, 
In winter, when days felt shorter,
Frigid, and darker, 
And work felt like torture.

When the administration napped
Under a thick fleece of snow.
When our houses, bereft 
Of electricity, warmth and glow, 

Got stuffed with a Chillai Kalan,
Kangris, pickles, icicles, and beans,
With sacks of dried fish, 
Aubergine,  and leafy greens.

When we sucked the breasts
Of our warm dreams,
Under the hanging rosaries 
Of dried turnips, and moon gleams.

When grandfathers, sitting around 
The samovars, wrapped in layers,
Narrated stories about Sheikh-ul-Alam,
The Partition, and the invaders.

(The Galway Review-Ireland)
@drjal02


Note- 
1.  Pheran is a traditional Kashmiri warm dress for a winter , 
2. Chillai Kalan is a traditional Kashmiri name for 40 days of harsh winter starting every 21st December
3. Kangri- a traditional fire pot used in Kashmir during the winter months
4. Sheikh-ul-Alam, also known as Nund Rishi & Alamdar-e-Kashmir( 1377-1438 AD), was a Kashmiri Sufi saint, mystic, poet and Islamic scholar.
5. Partition means division of British India into India and Pakistan in 1947. 

A patient note- a poem by Javed Alam

4/11/2021

 
A patient note 
 
I am in a hospital: reclining 
in a bed, measuring 
my precious stones. Aware 
 
of an irritating catheter; my urine
drains, pink, into a bag; 
                                           the city skyline
 
illuminates my room window;
                                            I scroll down the pictures,
the people, in my phone;

                                            the ghost of absence 
fills my room. I pine
for simple things, like pissing, 
 
in privacy, with dignity.

(Setu Literary Magazine- USA)
@drjal02

I love dreaming- a poem by Dr Javed Alam

1/10/2021

 
I love dreaming

I love dreaming
About a place, Pahalgam,
Where I
whispered with a friendly breeze, 
Where I discovered the face of peace, 

Observed the fluttering wings 
Of colourful butterflies. 
I still hear the soulful music 
Of its river, the symphony 

Of our tolerance.
I remember, a forest, collecting 
Pine cones as souvenirs, galloping 
A white horse in a meadow,

Sitting
on river boulders, 
Dipping my feet in the river, when no one 
Chained our steps. 
Here, across the oceans, I recall 

Everything: the sweet delights 
Of student life, camping 
Along the musical river, shuffling cards 
Of happiness, the comradeship, 

A neighing horse calling 
"I am here, where are you?".
One day we shall return 
To that magical place, 

The gateway to the cave 
Of a deity, when no wailing 
Echoes from its valleys,
When no grief plays on its flute. 

One day we shall sit, again, 
Along the Liddar, breathing 
An air of safety, 
Under a white moon.

Until then, we shall continue 
To carry the sack,
Of our dreams, 
On our shoulders.

(Scarlet Leaf Review-Canada)
@
https://www.poeticnoesis.com/

As I sit in a room thinking- a poem by  Javed Alam

28/9/2021

 
As I sit in a room thinking

As I sit in a room 
Thinking
About the phantoms 

Of the past, 
The uncertainties of future; 
I imagine my mind, like a room, 
With two doors.
First I see a tide of fears, a fog

Of gloom, entering my mind
Through one door; 
Then without letting them
To take roots in the soil
Of my mind, 

I watch my thoughts leave slowly 
Through the second door.

(Setu- Literary Magazine- USA)
©️drjal02

Srinagar- a poem by Dr Javed Alam

6/8/2021

 
Srinagar

A city of Dal Lake, houseboats,
And Mughal gardens.

Where I was born.
Where I schooled and grew up.
Where I walked, and ran, in joy, in terror.

Not your addiction to easy money,
Not your preoccupation with land prices,
Nor your mercurial will, 
Nor your ecclesiastical sermons; 

It is the mystic tranquility
In your gardens,
Under your chinars, near your lakes; 
It is your Himalayan resilience; 
That I admire most. 

(17th July 2016)
©️https://www.poeticnoesis.com/

<<Previous
    Picture

    Poems

    These poems have been previously published in various literary  journals, magazines, books and anthologies around the globe including the UK, the USA, India, Ireland and Canada.

    Archives

    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018

    List of Poems

    All
    A Dream - A Poem
    An Attic Hand- A Poem
    A Paint Shop- A Poem
    A Patient Note- A Poem
    As I Sit In A Room Thinking- A Poem
    COVID-19: A POEM
    Desires Of My Mad Heart- A Poem
    Despite All The Grandiosity- A Poem
    Eden Rose- A Poem
    Everyday Her Dawn Arrives- A Poem
    Facts And Values- A Poem
    Forgotten Orphans- A Poem
    Grandfather- A Poem
    How I Imagine You In Ramadan- A Poem
    How To Be Happy- A Poem
    I Carry You With Me- A Poem
    I Create A Royal Road To My Misery- A Poem
    I Know A Girl- A Poem
    I Know A Place- A Poem
    I Love Dreaming- A Poem
    I No Longer Talk About- A Poem
    I Order My Heart To Be Patient- A Poem
    I Remember Wearing A Pheran-a Poem
    I See A New Face Of Kashmir- A Poem
    I Sing A Song For Those- A Poem
    It Is Not Every Day- A Poem
    Like A Poem- A Poem
    Mango People- A Poem
    New Liking- A Poem
    O Democracy- A Poem
    O Dreams- A Poem
    Of Man- A Poem
    Of Wind- A Poem
    Of Women- A Poem
    O Life- A Poem
    O My Soul- A Poem
    O My Unruly Mind- A Poem
    Once Again- A Poem
    Perhaps-it-is-not-your-famed-beauty-a-poem
    Proem- A Poem
    River Jhelum- A Poem
    Shikara Ride- A Poem
    Silence- Apoem
    Social Media - A Poem
    Solitude- A Poem
    Sorrows- A Poem
    Srinagar- A Poem
    The Dinner- A Poem
    Time Has Embroidered Your Face- A Poem
    Time Is Going To Come- A Poem
    We Are Often Lost- A Poem
    We Often Forget- A Poem
    Who Am I- A Poem
    You Are Always With Me- A Poem

    RSS Feed

© Poetic Noesis 2017- 2022
©drjal02

  • About
  • Poems