So in the process of figuring out music to play when doing my nightly number crunching, I found this Pakistani singer, Rafaqat Ali Khan via his album Nishaan. And the man, in keeping with his "Ali Khan" name, has a delish voice. Go listen to "Maawan" ("Mother" in Punjabi) to see what I mean.

The song below, "Maula Maula", which he sang for a Bollywood movie isn't bad either:

[1] I don't love, I think, Even myself, on evenings like this When the moon rises, half in shadow.

[2] At the dawn-lit waterfront:

Lovers desiring everything Suck on each others' bitten mouths While I pass chewing on a pitted seed.

[3] Even "I", the thorny wrinkled thing forgotten by rain, sometimes seeks To be doused by "I love you"s.

[4] Days pass without speaking a single word. The mouth, however, goes through its motions Sometimes even eliciting nods and smiles.

by the Bay Bridge, and on the right seeing the Golden Gate Bridge, wreathed in fog, hanging over the bay like strange red-white dragon tongue, while on the left tug boats ferry a massive container ship - perhaps from China bearing junk I am in the business of making folks buy more and more of - I am reminded how beautiful this city by the sea is, and how I must live here for a span of seasons, and write my version of the California novel. My models would be Seth and Steinbeck.