Being A Self-taught Artist With No Formal Training Is Having Done Art Seriously Since You Were A Young

"Oh learn to read what silent love hath writ,

To hear with eyes belongs to love's fine wit"

-William Shakespeare, Sonnet-23

Armaan bhare baithe dil mein

Par kon utthe, ye pucho toh;

Jannat ki tamanna hai sabko

Par kon mare, ye pucho toh...!

ਲੋਹੇ ਨੂੰ ਹਥਿਆਰ ਬਣਾ ਕੇ

Lohe nu hathiyar bana ke

They forge weapons of iron

ਬੰਦੇ ਭੁੱਖ ਪਿਆਸ ਮਿਟਾ ਕੇ

Bande, bhukh, pyaas mita ke

They forget thirst, hunger and people

ਆਪੇ ਘੜੀਆਂ ਮੂਰਤੀਆਂ ਤੋਂ

Aape ghadiyan murtiyan to

They go confront the statues of God, sculpted by the same hands

ਰੋ-ਰੋ ਮਾਫੀ ਮੰਗ ਰਹੇ ਸਨ

Ro-Ro maafi mang rahe san

They cry for their sins and beg for forgiveness.

-ਸੁਰਜੀਤ ਪਾਤਰ

-Surjit Paatar

not evil anymore i want to be loved now

We don't want to be loved. That's a huge misconception. We want to love. All of us would rather pick a person that we love, than a person that loves us with all their heart. We don't want to be worshipped. We want to worship. We'd all rather be murdered at the shrine of a person we love dearly, than be prayed for.

Maybe it's because we think little of ourselves, maybe it's because we think we don't deserve to be loved, maybe we think loving others gives us some form of atonement for our sins, who knows?

But the point is, when you say you want love in your life, don't lie and say that you wish someone would love you.

Chand sharmayega yun na chandni raat mein zulfein savaara kijiye

The moon will blush looking at you, don't play with your hair in this moonlit night.

mere chand ko dekhkar chand bhi sharma gaya

even the moon got shy after looking at my moon

chand mera dil chandni ho tum

moon is my heart and you are it's moonlight

chand se parda kijiye kahin chura na le chehre ka noor

veil from the moon what if it steals the glow of your face

chand si mehbooba ho meri kab aisa maine socha tha

when did i ever thought that my beloved will be like the moon

chanda bhi deewana hai tera

even the moon is crazy about you

nahīñ visāl mayassar to aarzū hī sahī

I wish I could write you a song,

So you’ll fall in love with me

I wish I was Orpheus or Pyramus or mirza

I wish I was Mahiwal and you were my Sohni

I hear these stories and you’re the one I think of,

I’m not supposed to, I know, but I’ve got no control.

I want to write down your name,

On a blank piece of paper,

And recite it all day, all night and again.

Like an echo in a cave,

I chant incessantly,

To me it is all the same

Heaven, God, Death and your name.

I wouldn’t turn my head,

I’d trust that you’re with me,

I wouldn’t stop and rest

Until we’d outran the peril

I would build you a boat,

You wouldn’t need a pitcher

I’d slay a lioness, or 108 suitors,

Who threatens you, my rage shall consume.

I wish to fight a war for a cause

Win or lose come home to you

What more do you want?

You’ve got an atheist wishing for you

To a God he doesn’t believe in

For a thing that he can’t get.