On 26 December 1994, Shakir's car collided with a truck while she was on her way to work in Islamabad. The accident resulted in her death.
Style of poetry The two main styles she wrote in were
ghazal and
āzād nazm (
free verse) where she utilized several literary techniques and examined delicate topics to create a full image of the female experience.
Ghazliat Shakir's
ghazliāt are considered "a combination of classical tradition with modern sensitivity", and mainly deal with the feminine perspective on love and romance, and associated themes such as beauty, intimacy, separation, break-ups, distances, distrust, infidelity and disloyalty. Most of Shakir's
ghazliāt contain five to ten couplets, often interrelated. Sometimes, two consecutive couplets may differ greatly in meaning and context, an example of this can be noted in the following couplets: The
ghazliāt rely heavily on metaphors and similes, which are repeatedly and thought-provokingly used to bring force and lyricism in her works. A fine example of this is seen in one of her most famous couplets: Here, Shakir relates fragrance to an unfaithful lover, air to the unfaithful person's secret loves, and flower to the person being cheated. Other metaphors Shakir commonly uses are
titlī (butterfly) for a Romeo,
bādal (cloud) for one's love,
bārish (rain) for affection,
āṅdhī (storm) for difficulties and
chāṅd (moon) for loneliness. An example with the central theme of loneliness using the moon as a metaphor is: Some of her
ghazliāt have gained iconic status in
Urdu literature. Another notable couplet that is often quoted to comment on the often surprising knowledge and awareness of the younger generation is:
Free verse Compared to her
ghazliāt, Shakir's free verse is much bolder and explores social issues and taboos, including gender inequality, discrimination, patriotism, deceit, prostitution, the human psyche, and current affairs. It is written in a way which was and is still considered modern in Pakistan. Other than topics of femininity and female sexuality, Shakir also used free verse to write about topics related to economic disparities and the tendency of society to exploit the weak and poor. Several of her poems lament the harsh reality that many low-income laborers around the world face. For example, her poem "Steel Mills Worker" speaks about the deplorable conditions and long hours workers find themselves doing every day. The poem also describes how these workers are taken for granted and used as a means to an end by those who employ them. Another one of her poems, "We Are All Dr Faustus", delves deeper into this subject and directly addresses the prevalence of corruption in wealthy and powerful circles of people. She claimed that the rich achieve their goals but at a grave price, and used these arguments to critique economic systems such as
capitalism. The length of Shakir's free verse poems can range from a few to many lines. Most are written with a central theme while some are written in the mode of
stream of consciousness. Parveen Shakir is known for her use of pop culture references and English words and phrases – a practice that is generally considered inappropriate and is criticised in Urdu poetry. An example is the poem
Departmental Store Mein (In a Departmental Store), which is named thus despite the fact that the title could have been substituted with its Urdu equivalent. She also used words like "natural pink", "hand lotion", "shade", "scent" and "pack", and made references to cosmetics brands like Pearl,
Revlon,
Elizabeth Arden and Tulip in the poem. Other examples are her poems
Ecstasy,
Nun,
Duty,
Flower show, and
Picnic. Shakir's free verse also contains a few credited works and poems that are translations of, or inspired by, other authors. Examples are "Wasteland", a poem inspired by
Eliot's poem of the same name, "
Benasab Wirsay Ka Bojh" (The Burden of Illegitimate Inheritance), a translation of
Yeats' "Leda and the Swan", and "
Banafshay Ka Phool" (A Violet), inspired by
Wordsworth's "A Violet under a hidden rock". ==Poetic themes==