Echoes of a Madman
By: Mahfooz Ahmad Bakshi
What are you searching?
I’m looking for a living corpse that escaped from a cage,
Loner, awkward, and introvert by profession, sadness is his only wage.
There is no doubt that the man was in love;
I could hear his whispers; the madman sounded like a dove.
What did he murmur, what were his words?
She said, “Nobody dies for somebody; I can live without you.
I can find someone better than you,
Not just one, but more than the imaginations of you.”
I didn’t die without her, but tell me, am I even living?
Trying to meet her in dreams—poor me, not even sleeping.
I have no blessings; she robbed me of me.
Someone took her far away; I can’t even see.
I heard that she is making fun of all the efforts I made to keep us together
With someone who isn’t afraid of losing, not even thankful for having her.
She is a queen; there is a grand palace for her in my heart,
Yet she chose the streets; I guess being hurt by street dogs is also her art.
The silence is very loud; my ears can’t resist.
Leave me alone, please, I insist.
I never had nightmares; do you know why?
Life itself is a nightmare; she isn’t with me, that’s why.
She said nobody dies for somebody.
Tell me, is there a day when I feel alive?
Tell me, am I even living?
This is what the madman spoke!
Nobody dies for somebody; yes, Mabster was a nobody!
