Kaifi Azmi was a twentieth century poet from India. Most of my Indian friends would probably recognize him as the dad of the Bollywood actress Shabana Azmi. The following couplets are from one of his early poems starting “Tum itna kyon muskra rahe ho” – made memorable in Jagjit Singh’s voice.

“Jin zakhmon ko waqt bhar chala hai
Tum kyon unhe chhede ja rahe ho?
Rekhaon ka khel hai muqaddar
Rekhaon se maat kha rahe ho”

Roughly translated….

Those scabs of wounds that time has started healing
Why do you keep picking on them?
This is a game against your lines*
And you are losing against those lines

* lines refer to the lines on your palm meaning “fate”