The Prophet and the Devil

Introduction

A haunting narrative poem exploring the eternal struggle between light and darkness within the human soul. This introspective piece delves into themes of moral duality, spiritual conflict, and the coexistence of prophet and devil in one person. Through vivid imagery of pain, redemption, and self-reflection, the poem examines how opposing forces of kindness and temptation shape our existence. Perfect for readers seeking deep philosophical poetry about human nature, internal battles, and the complex relationship between good and evil that defines the human experience.


Constantly walking down a dark alley of pain,

a cold path, leading to no loss and no real gain

He walks alone; he has always been walking alone,

each step is an agony, but he doesn’t groan or moan


He stops for a moment to take a tired breath;

thinking of his sad existence and a pitiful death

He sees a man sitting and leaning forward,

he doesn’t move, his posture so awkward


Brains blown out, there is silence in the hall,

no commotion, just blood splashed on the wall

His dead eyes, motionless, clouded and sallow,

that man is him, a life so deep and a death so shallow


Who were you really? He asks the dead man,

What did you really want? What was your clan?

Pulls onto his own hair matted with blood and brain,

he sees himself smile, though in actual he is slain


I was the product of imagination, the darkest of them all,

pain, sorrow, and suffering, an amalgamation of them all

Slowly cooked and roasted upon the fire of circumstances,

I took every risk and I availed all the chances


I hung myself all through my life, on the cross of desire,

my guilt and my regrets, lighting a damn big fire

My body laughed so hard, while my soul slowly bled,

the nails of remorse drawing blood, dark and red


I wore the crown of pleasure, dancing the dance of senses,

each conquest was glory, no qualms, no mending fences

But it was a crown of thorns, my soul writhed in pain,

and on the cross of desire, my character was finally slain


I was a prophet, I was the devil, the contrast burnt so bright,

the devil on the left always, and the prophet on the right

Kindness was the prophet’s domain; he ruled it so well,

sensuality was the devil’s game; he played it in hell


The prophet held hands and fanned the flames of life,

the devil played his flute and sharpened his sinful knife

The prophet bowed in humility, acknowledging his bounds,

the devil laughed in shadows and made his daily rounds


They were opposite in nature, but they shared a core,

crying over a broken heart, weeping for a whore

But when tired of crying, they both walked the earth,

in search of some joy, in search of some mirth


The devil broke some hearts, the prophet mended souls,

the devil stole some dreams, the prophet filled some holes

The devil caused some chaos, the prophet preached some order,

but the prophet stayed behind, while the devil crossed the border


Then they both sat together and wept and cried some more,

the prophet on his throne and the devil on the floor

The prophet told the devil that they had different fates,

the devil smiled and offered, ‘No, we are soul mates’


The dead fell silent and chose to speak no more,

he only thought in silence, shaken to the core

There was a dichotomy, though he always knew,

that it was no stark, he had no clue


He was two, not one, that was the only fact,

the prophet and the devil, it was a strange pact

He looked ahead and started to walk again,

the prophet and the devil, in the dark alley of pain

Self-flagellation: The Last Highway out of Hell

flagellation_by_mariapetrova_dd11d3u-fullview

This is not redemption—it is penance without absolution.

________________________

He whips himself, he whips himself very hard,

his silent screams, hiding behind an ugly grimace

The cat-o’-nine-tails screams like a mad banshee,

the knots striking in a frenzy, a blood thirsty race

Each lash is a tribute, a homage to a specific memory,

a black hole in the whole black and vast space of life

Each stroke exposes a white pulsating nerve,

a silver snake writhing under a very sharp knife

________________________

He hurts himself, he hurts himself so real bad,

drawing crimson patterns across his naked back

The skin breaks, and ruby drops appear one by one,

thickening, congealing, stinking, and turning black

The flow of blood sometimes turns into a rivulet,

drops transforming into streams, streams into creeks

Crimson spatters his bent shoulders and the spine,

tracing the paths of pain and the punishment it seeks

________________________

He makes himself suffer; he suffers for very long,

feeling the whip slither within the stinking, thick slush

The skin is no more, his back is all but raw flesh,

but his overpowering regret, the whip fails to crush

‘Oh! Why do you punish, why do you hurt yourself?’

the Devil asks him with a mockingly soft sympathy

And God, He just turns his face away in disgust,

there is no place for him in His great hall of empathy

________________________

‘I walk the path of pain, I have chosen it for myself,’

he answers and grips the whip firmly and caresses it

‘I penalize myself, I pass each judgment harshly,

I condemn myself; the fire of misery is always lit

Self-flagellation is my penance for sins so many or few,

it is a dark journey, and I have been travelling ever since

Self-flagellation is the last highway out of my own hell,

while my soul burns in agony, I remain the exiled prince’

The Inevitability of Sorrow (Previosuly, Seeds of Happiness and Fruits of Sorrow)

What if happiness is only the beginning of sorrow?

____________________________

All those who cultivate seeds of happiness,

will one day surely, eat the bitter fruit of sorrow

It’s your destiny, and your legacy, my dear child,

just follow your past, don’t seek a new tomorrow

____________________________

All those who know how to love and how to care,

will one day surely meet a sad and lonely end

It’s bound to happen, oh please don’t weep or cry,

it’s not something broken that you can readily mend

____________________________

All those who dance, and who laugh clear and loud,

will one day surely shed the bitter tears of loss

It’s the rule, my friend, you can’t run and fight,

you always pay the price, you always bear the cross

_________________________

All those who forgive and carry no black grudge,

will one day mourn the loss of their own hearts

You can’t keep on giving, giving more and some more,

there’re always expectations, even when hope departs

____________________________

Those who plan and cater for all possible regrets,

will certainly be the most regretful of all in the end

Regrets are the fires that keep the memories warm,

without regrets, there’s only coldness, you can’t tend

درد کا آخری شہر

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درد کا آخری شہر

ہر امید، ہر خوشی سے

لاتعلق اور بےخبر

آس کی فضاء میں

لامکاں اور بےخطر

ساکت اور معلق ہے


Read more: درد کا آخری شہر

درد کا آخری شہر

زندگی کے امتحان

آزمائشوں کے درمیان

پچھتاووں تلے دبے

خواہشوں کے گورستان

تڑپتا اور سسکتا

کراہتا کھنڈر ہوتا

لا حاصل تمنا اور 

ناممکن تعبیر کے درمیان

درد کا آخری شہر

اک دور اندھیری وادی میں

ساکت اور معلق ہے


درد کا آخری شہر

جانے انجانے میں

بہت سوں کی پہچان ہے

کچھ درد کے محبوب ہیں

کچھ درد سے انجان ہیں

کچھ آگہی کے آگے

مجبور اور بےکس

کچھ مایوس اور نادان ہیں

کچھ قسمت کے ہاتھوں

لاچار اور بےبس

کچھ ڈرتے اور پریشان ہیں

کچھ کی درد ہی پہچان ہے


درد کا آخری شہر

اس کے سب دروازوں کے

سب کیواڑ مقفل ہیں

اس کے سب مکانوں کے

سب مکین مردہ ہیں

زندہ ہیں، سانس لیتے ہیں

لیکن مردہ ہیں

حسرتوں کے جنازے

قطار اندر قطار

تکمیل کے کندھوں کے

بے سود انتظار میں

پڑے سڑتے ہیں


درد کا آخری شہر

بس خاموش رہتا ہے

اس کے ہر مکین کی

تڑختی شریانوں کے

لامحدود جالوں میں

کرب کا دریا بہتا ہے

سیاہ گاڑھا خون

کالے پارے کی مانند

رینگتا اور الجھتا ہے

تاریک کناروں کے

سرد پتھروں پر سرسراتا ہے

لیکن خاموش رہتا ہے


درد کا آخری شہر

بہت دور صحیح لیکن

مل جاتا ہے

کوئی اونچی فصیل نہیں

کوئی واضح حد بھی نہیں

مگر پھر بھی

جب ڈھونڈا جائے

مل جاتا ہے

نظروں سے اوجھل ہے

لیکن دلوں کو مل جاتا ہے

ہر کارواں کو، ہر مسافر کو

مل جاتا ہے


درد کا آخری شہر

اس کی مہیب تاریکی میں

اک اکیلی روشنی

ٹمٹماتی ہے

جگمگاتی ہے، مسکراتی ہے

ہمدردی کا دیا جلتا ہے

غم گساری کی لو بھڑکتی ہے

ہر مکین کا دل ہے

دوجے کیلئے دھڑکتا ہے

درد کا آخری شہر اور

اس شہر کے سب باسیوں میں

درد مشترک ہے


#Urdu #poetry #poem #life #desires #regret #pain #frustration #darkness #death #disappointment #desperation #hope #empathy #sensitivity #sharing


Nostalgia: Scratching the Healing Sores

autumn_nostalgia_by_kotenko

What if nostalgia isn’t healing—but a wound we keep reopening?

__________________________________________

I am addicted to the pain, the sweet throbbing pain

I am fond of the pleasure, the long steady rain

I am addicted to nostalgia, which comes at my leisure,

the memories and regrets, my great and humble treasure

__________________________________________

I am addicted to scratching my old healing sores

I am fond of the pain, it lives in all my pores

I scratch them and peel them, the dry, brittle crust

I nick them and skin them, the gold-brown rust

__________________________________________

I am addicted to scrubbing the old, clouded mirror

I am fond of reflecting, my past growing clearer

I see them and smell them, the sepias and the musk

I recall it all vividly, the dawn and the dusk

__________________________________________

I am addicted to being lured in by its deadly charm

I am fond of its false promises, all sincerity, and no harm

I see it as the raindrops caught in a great spider’s web,

seducing me, entrancing me, the dance and the ebb

__________________________________________

I am addicted to all the waves, the ups, and the downs

I am fond of the onslaught, the smells, and the sounds

I perceive it as a storm, all chaos and destruction,

my mind is the stage, it’s a theatrical production

__________________________________________

I am addicted to my past, a slowly burning pyre

I am fond of my journey on the path of desire

I am addicted to nostalgia, my friend, till my death,

I am fond of its company, till my very last breath