Our Heads Bowed In Prayer

Our Heads Bowed In Prayer, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

is the only time
in a drop
of a moment
our humanity
we share
an allegiance
a pledge
to remain
peaceful
we bare
we dont fight
we dont curse
we dont swear
mankind
a broken fence
different pieces
of wood
we must try
to repair
aligning
our souls
with love
brotherhood
holistically
bound
in gods prayer
for an onward
journey
as we
prepare
next to the
poor man
saying
allah ho akbar
the rich
millionaire
namaz the light
out of despair
namaz steps
take you
upstairs

Teri Bargah Main Sar Jhukate Hain

Teri Bargah Main Sar Jhukate Hain, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

hum shia hum sunni
sar jhukate hain
ek bar phir
teri bargah
main musalman
ban jate hain

Searching For Hope On The Streets

Searching For Hope On The Streets, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

135,534 items / 1,032,276 views

people pass him by
without giving him a glance
non committal is their stance
after all who has time
each one busy in their world
of commerce and finance
the lens captures lilting
moments of poverty's dance
street the soul of romance
through pictures
the pathos the poetry
of life
we enhance

In an eye of a Storm

In an eye of a Storm, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

created
by a human
just god
photographing
the soul
of humanity
in the eye
of a storm
trying to
go back
hurriedly
in oxymoron
haste
the world
i came from
depth and form
ringing bells
of alarm
in a man made
animal farm
souls
of the living dead
embalmed
cauterized
but yet
causing
more harm
peace
raped
sodomized
no more
the lucky charm
war chaos calamity
destruction hate
the only life form
man killing man
will never reform
in the name
of god mankind
slaughtered
decimated
butchered
the only
norm

The Silhouette Of A Hijab

The Silhouette Of A Hijab, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

135,524 items / 1,031,571 views

the hijab
gloriously
on the move
identifying her faith
quite aloof
but to its detractors
a spark
that catches fire
hits the roof
holistically healing
the soul
of our womanhood
as Islamic proof

The Silhouette Of A Hijab

The Silhouette Of A Hijab, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

135,524 items / 1,031,571 views

the holistic
healing
power of the hijab
i emphasize
enhancing
the modesty
of the muslim
woman
hope in disguise
adding to her grace
her dignity
everything nice
but if everyman
wore a hijab
in his eyes
respected
womanhood
motherhood
now dont tell
me where
the fault lies
the soul
quivers in pain
shivers and cries
on the wings of angels
the hijab flies
from mother earth
to the father
in the skies


to aleem my dear friend

The Beggar Eyes of Hope

The Beggar Eyes of Hope, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

135,534 items / 1,032,052 views

i met her during
the namaz
at bandra station
road
a beggars haunt
her abode
her life
her hope
time can
only decode
waiting
in the wings
the hungry
monster called man
lustfully
watches her
his lust
to offload
such
is the stark
reality
on the streets
not my pessimism
out in the cold
from a picture
a poem unfolds
once upon a time
in mumbai
a story
untold
cinema
has no time for
such denizens
searching
for pots of gold

Marziya and Me

Marziya and Me, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

135,524 items / 1,031,571 views


blood related
a sons gift
to me
through
her eyes
i re learn
the art
of photography
i unlearn
as a juggler
a conjurer
words that
my mind holds
in captivity
for the sake
of the birth
of a poem
let words free
rhythmic
resonating
reflectively
words
come
when they
have
to come
words
are in
no hurry
reviving
resurrecting
the right moment
a moment our soul
in the corridors of our
mind had buried

The Portrait of an Artist at Rest

The Portrait of an Artist at Rest, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

I introduced Marziya to the pencil the paint brush crayons coloring pencil before she could talk.

Before she could chew she learnt to eat chalk


Marziya never crawled when she was young with the help of the walker she began to walk.


Marziya a plant a stem a good stalk.


Marziya before she could ever hold a camera or understand aperture F stops the magic of photography
with my Nikon D80 began to unlock .

Marziya is a Pucca Mumbaikar but her soul her divinity in Karbala Iraq.

Marziya on Flickr Facebook Twitter Word Press available round the clock.

Marziya belongs to all you is not jut sweet talk .


Marziya is a sweet tear from the soul of a rock.

A Poem is Born

A Poem is Born, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

135,534 items / 1,031,919 views


some poems
you feel
before you read
it in words
or just
let it pass
devastating
humanity
en masse
a woman's human
soul is as vulnerable
as glass
poverty
bad luck
bad times
covered
in the silhouette
of the hijab alas
what is pain
on the other side
of the fence
is not green grass
she is as she is
as her mother
her grandmother was
before
she came
to take
their place
on the footpath
ramzan idd
bakra idd
shabbarat
they were
destined
to beg
seek alms
no we have
no time
for them
not yet
a few coins
we throw
on their
doomed
destiny
as alms
her tears flow
within the hijab
may your family
prosper
may you children
get ideal partners
may you do well
is her blessings
on you
for the few coins
you gave her
bhaisahab*

bhaisahab means respected brother


Poems dont happen because you are a poet a magician with words or a conjurer with emotions poems happen because somebody inspires you , with a comment on a picture and last evening as my net was down I worked on my sons comp, and posted the link of a poem on Facebook.. Benn Bell my old friend from Buzznet commented on that poem and the humility of this image came to mind...and from the burning cauldron of my head this poem was born.

This is a poem I have actually given birth as the image was there .. only the words came now..

The Silhouette of the Hijab

The Silhouette of the Hijab, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

the silhouette
of the hijab
as a poem
on the defense
of a garb
of modesty
poetically
posted
on the net
the muslim
womans
sacrifice
her traditions
you cant forget
its only those that
hate the hijab
cant digest
attacking it
racially
profiling it
without rest
the hijab
a sign
of peace and spirituality
god blessed

The Silhouette of the Hijab

The Silhouette of the Hijab, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

womanhood
in the silhouette
of the hijab
wordlessly
poetically
as it froze
a thought
of its spirtual
supremacy
as sartorial
garment
a path she chose
as a model
of tradition
as a model
of our womanhood
a thought
imposed
identifying the sanctity
of motherhood
the hijab up close

The Silhouette of the Hijab

The Silhouette of the Hijab, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

the muslim woman's
dress of modesty
the hijab
a peak of
eloquence
speaks
volumes
of her
dress sense
unfortunately
it makes
others tense
minds that were
already dense
womanhood in
the silhouette
of the hijab
as it was
reflected
on my lens
to wear it
or not to wear
if for those
sitting
confused
on the fence
adding
to its
sartorial
suspense