Ik Tera Sahara & Naghma E Dil: Reflections of The Soul

I have always sought everlasting peace in the world, and this is evident in my writing. I began writing poetry for peace when I was eight years old. It was 1965, and Pakistan and India were at war. I would take my younger brother to the roof of our house, and we would collect warm machine gun shells from the dogfights between the pilots trying to kill each other in the Lahore sky above. My mother muffled the sound of these planes' screaming downstairs. We witnessed war for 17 days, but then left for the desert as a precaution. A lot of good men lost their lives in the war. This was when I wrote my first line of poetry. As the thunderous songs of cannons say, we shall meet my friend tomorrow. I began writing consistently as inspiration was found everywhere. Unfortunately, many of my words were lost because saving them was not a priority in my youth. Years later, when I was in the US, another war in Iraq inspired me to write again. I raised my voice against the injustices children face. I raised my voice against the injustices faced by blue-collar workers. I raised my voice against the injustices women face. I raised my voice against the incessant violence faced by my people and the bombs that were killing us. I draw inspiration from the unpleasantness that surrounds us in the hope that the world can change for the better.