The Language of Longing

[2/10, 4:29 PM] Muhammad Haroon Khan 🥰🥰🥰: Flavor for lips,

Color for eyes,

[2/10, 4:29 PM] Muhammad Haroon Khan 🥰🥰🥰: Smell for the nose,

Of narcissus and clove.

Hope for the heart,

Spirit and longing;

Sarod for the ear,

Jingle and strum.

For me élan,

Life and light;

A few voices

Of life’s colors.

Crack-a-crackle of fire,

Pitter-patter of rain,

Ach, ach of yearning,

Oh, oh of longing,

Shish, shish of passion,

Ooh, ooh of loving,

The eternal no, no

And yes, yes of a darling.

Giggle-gaggle of laughter,

Crack-a-cackle of cheer,

Tin-tinkle of anklets,

Babble-bubble of a rill,

Swash n’ gobble of water,

Whispering whistle of wind,

‘Stop, stop,’ of a sweetheart,

Froth n’ foam of the foe,

Swish, swish of lashes,

Whiz, whiz of bullets,

Crack-a-crackle of chillum,

A butterfly’s flitter,

Boom-boom of the drum,

Twang-twang of the rabab,

Gurgle-gargle of the cup,

Sizzle, sizzle of the kebab,

Slurp, slurp of the mouth,

Sigh! Sigh! of the beloved,

Chuck-a-chuckle of a chukar,

Coo-coo of a pigeon,

‘Stop, stop!’ of the lover,

‘Fie, fie,’ she goes on;

Squeak, squeak of the pen

On and on, this dicourse.