Kahaan gayi woh kachi pagdandiyan...
Shehar se kisi saanp ki tarah rengte-rengte,
Kaali sadken ab mere gaaon tak pahunch chuki hain...

Taash khelte... ciggarette phoonkte
dikhte hain naujawaan,
Har do gaz par hai bheed bhari paan ki ek dukaan...
Kahaan gayi woh nukkad pe thi jo chaay ki gumtiyan...
Kahaan gayi woh baithak,
 jahaan waqt guzaarti thi puraani peediyan...

Bus se utartaa hoon to sabki neegahen taakti hain,
"lo videsi aaye hain"
koi kahtaa hai
"arey yeh to madraasi aaye hain"
Apnaa koi nahi miltaa...
jo kahe "mere sahpaathi aaye hain..."

Kahin agar lage bhi,
Kuchh jaane pehchaane se chehre agar dikhen bhi
To ghoorti si nazaren khud hat jaati hain...

School ki imaaratein dhal rahi hain,
kuch deewaren puri toot chuki hain,
aur jo bachi hain oonme bhi daraaren pad rahi hain...

Sarkaari pathshalaaon par taala hai,
Suna hai aaj-kal sab door private schoolon ka bolbaala hai...
Angreji padhenge, nawaab to hum banenge,
Sawaal koi na kare jawaab to hum zaroor denge...

Ganeemat hai
ganeemat hai navraatri ke nau dinon ki
jo raam-mandir ke peeche,
durga ki jhaanki ab bhi lagti hai, puja-archanaa ab bhi hoti hai...
Warnaa baarah mahinon me
Pataa nahi kitnee bhed bakriyan,
Mandir ke oonche dwaare par chad-chad kar soti hain...

Kabhie Dhanush baan thaame, kabhie baansuri bajaaye,
Apne bhoot-bhavishy ki chintaon me,
Tu bhi hamaari tarah fanstaa to hoga...
Kabhi hum pe,
Kabhie inn bhed bakriyon pe,
Ya apni hi likhaayi pe,
Kabhie tu bhi hanstaa to hoga...

Kahaan gayi woh sunaayi deti thi
raat ke teesre pahar raamaayan ki panktiyan...
"Mangal bhawan amangal haari...
Sone do hume na neend bigaado hamaari...."

Koi kelewalaa chillata tha,
Galiyon se guzarta hua do bartan ke badle ek darjan fal de jaata thaa...
Woh behrupiya,
Hanuman bankar punch hilaata tha,
To kabhie shankar bankar apni jataa se,
gangaa ki dhaar bahaata tha...

Ghar tak pahunchta hoon,
To beech me na roop badalnewale hain,
Na kele bechnewale...
Sab door hai shehari andaaz me log dehaati wale...

Sab badlaa-badlaa sa hai,
ghar ke puichhwaade ka peepal
jahaan jhule jhulaa karte the,
ab sukhne ko hai...
Nahi rahi woh amiya ki daalen,
na hi koi koyal ab yahaan kookne ko hai...

Dheere dheere yeh chhoti chooti cheejen,
waqt ke saath jaane kahaan goom ho chuki hain...
Shehar se kisi saanp ki tarah rengte-rengte,
Kaali sadken ab mere gaaon tak pahunch chuki hain...

Aate jaate main dhoondtaa hoon...
Kahaan gayi woh kachi pagdandiyan...