01/12/2026
Twenty Years Before and After — A Poem,
A Life, A Liberation
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Some poems exist—
not just to be read,
but to quietly knock on an invisible door of life.
Rafique Azad’s “Twenty Years Before and After” is exactly such a poem.
Why this poem is so dear to me, I still cannot fully explain.
Perhaps hidden within it is a memory
that has silently accumulated inside all of us.
“You talk when you cease to be
at peace with your thoughts.”
— Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet
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A powerful poet of the 1960s, Rafique Azad—
who made language rebellious,
and love restrained yet intense.
At the age of 75, he departed for a land of no return,
but left behind poems
that still speak within us.
This poem holds the mispronunciations of adolescence,
carelessness with language,
the innocence of a shy girl—
and from that innocence
is born a silent love.
Twenty years later, that love is no longer simple.
Time changes people.
Language matures.
And standing face to face with memory,
we suddenly realize—
love is not only emotion, but also understanding.
Hearing that woman’s firm, flawless voice
on women’s freedom,
a silent stone lodged within the poet finally moves.
The poem then ceases to be only about love—
it becomes a poem of self-liberation.
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Why is poetry necessary?
Poetry teaches us—
how to say what was never said
how to touch time with words
how memory, even through pain, can grant freedom
Where prose comes to a halt,
poetry begins.
“Man and poetry are inseparable.
If there are people, poetry exists;
if poetry exists, people exist.”
— Humayun Azad
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Why is poetry recitation important?
Poetry is written for the eyes,
but recitation is heard by the heart.
Recitation brings poetry back to life—
words begin to breathe,
and silence finds a language.
—
🎥 Mahbub Ahmed Official
YouTube Channel
Why am I reciting poetry?
I do these creative works for my own joy,
to remain immersed in creation itself.
That is why, by my own wish,
I have started a poetry recitation series
on my new YouTube channel.
And this poem is where it begins.
If you like it,
I will find inspiration.
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Please click the link 🔗
https://lnkd.in/gbPvMS6S
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