When You Said Nothing, But I Heard It All

The best things in life don’t make a lot of noise.

Like the Big Bang that birthed the Universe.
Like the life that takes shape in the womb of a mother.
Like the pearl that’s made from a grain of sand.
Like our love that sprouted when you clasped my hand.

In that moment, nothing was spoken,
Yet a bond was formed that couldn’t be broken.
In that moment, I heard everything –
Your promises of a love everlasting.

It was more than you just being there with me,
More than just a physical touch that I was feeling.
At that moment, I saw my life in a panoramic view.
My past, present, and future were with you.

I could never reveal what I saw and felt,
But in that moment, when our eyes met,
Something in the way you gazed back at me
Told me that you, too, had the same feeling.

Once Upon a Grey Day

The day was grey.
Grey, it was in every way.
The grey clouds cast a pall of gloom
Like the sky was mourning some doom.
Even the air that flowed around was grey
Carrying a chill for all who inhaled.
The grey street just blankly stared
As folks tred on with hearts greyed.
And that was how I turned grey, too
As I sat on a grey park bench and rued.

Suddenly, you floated into view.
You smiled and asked, “How are you?”
With your lilting and happy voice
That instantly made me rejoice.

In that moment, the greys peeled away
To reveal a bright, technicolor day.
The clouds were cottony puffs of white,
And a rainbow glittered in the blue sky.
The air, with perfume, was fragrant
And warm like on a summer evening.
The street was decked with gay festoons
As if a carnival would approach soon.
And, each person skipped by
Humming a song with twinkling eyes.

And oh! That was when I saw myself
Blazing like the sunset with happiness!

A Love That Lasts

We fought.
Like the skies during a thunderstorm.
A spark lit, and like lightning, I lashed out.
You roared like the gunmetal grey clouds.
We howled at each other like the winds,
And like raindrops, flew the accusations.
It seemed as though the end had neared –
The end of our love, our world, our Universe.

And then, with the dawn, tiptoed a light
Spreading warmth and color on all sides.
We both couldn’t help but stop and stare
At the resplendent beauty everywhere.
Just as it seemed the damage had been done,
And the crack in our relationship couldn’t be undone,
The golden light of love brought forth a horizon
And we were united once again as one.

As we looked back at the fight,
We couldn’t reminisce who was wrong or right.
But, of one thing, we did become certain –
Our love would outlast everything.

I Will Never Forget You

There are people,
And there are memories.
And then, there’s you, infused in all my memories.

There’s hardly anywhere I can go,
Or anything I can do
Without thinking of you.

There’s hardly any object I own,
Or any that I don’t
That doesn’t remind me of your love.

The other day, I was in the subway
When someone handed me a pamphlet.
It was of a store announcing a sale,
One of no remarkable interest,
And yet, I saved it till this day
Because its red shade
Reminded me of the roses you gifted
Me on the day we had first met.

Then, there were the tear drop earrings
Made of imitation rhinestones
Twinkling in the afternoon sun,
As, in the shop display window, they hung,
Very much like the light in your eyes
Whenever you looked at me and smiled.

You knew I loved birds.
The scarf with printed peacock feathers
That you bought for me is a reminder
Of the times we spent together.

I love you – that’s quite plain to see!
And I really like to think –
These knick knacks that bring forth memories
Are actually just you – always professing your love for me.

The Moment

‘Twas a moment wrapped in silky mist and silvery dew
As we strolled together on the wooded mountain trail.
The patches of sky visible through the trees were blue
And the breeze caressed each leaf to waltz and sway.

It was as if the forest, mountains, and Universe already knew
The emotions hidden inside me that sought an escape.
You walked on, talking, laughing, as always, being beautiful
Awakening within me all the thousand shades of sunset.

Then, you pointed towards a flower that in the moss, grew,
And asked me what I thought, but I was admiring your face.
At that moment, everything converged, and I said, “I love you.”
Never in my life can I forget the awkward silence that prefaced…

The smile that lit up your eyes as you said, “I love you, too.”
All my inhibitions suddenly vanished without any trace,
As, in your eyes, I could see the promise of a love so true –
A love that all the moments of our lives would forever grace.

A Love Story

Theirs was a match made in Heaven
… And on Earth.
Her effervescence
Perfectly complemented his calmness.

Love was but natural,
As deep as the still waters of a lake in the morning.
It was more than just physical.
It existed in everything.

She loved flowers.
He loved watching her braid them in her hair.
He loved his morning coffee and newspaper.
She loved hearing his views on making the world better.

She’d laugh like a gurgling river.
He loved it when she did.
He’d hum songs from the yesteryears.
She loved it when he did.

Even their moments of disagreement
Deepened their affection,
Like a special condiment
That added a flavor to their connection.

They were the kind of lovers
Who actually lived their wedding vows.
Each year saw them together.
Each year saw their love grow.

But, then, there came a wretched phase
When an ill wind did blow.
It took her away in its grasp
Leaving him pining and alone.

Now, in the autumn of his life,
He yearns to be by her side.
At times, a tear rolls down his eyes
As he searches for her footprints in the void.

The Language of Love

Golden sunflowers
Turn toward the skies at dawn.
If this isn’t love, what is?

Raindrops from clouds
Kiss the earth as they fall down.
If this isn’t love, what is?

White-crested oceans
Embrace rivers with open arms.
If this isn’t love, what is?

Silent Summer zephyrs
Carry with them sweet birdsongs.
If this isn’t love, what is?

Leaves in Autumn
Relinquish their space to new ones.
If this isn’t love, what is?

Silvery moonbeams
Shine their light on everything.
If this isn’t love, what is?

It would seem that love
Converses not in sentences or words.

It is the language of the heart and soul,
And to be fluent, one only needs to love in return.

The Field of Fireflies

Being with you is like
Running through a field of fireflies
Under the purple skies of twilight.

Tiny flashes, in the air, rise
Creating a show of sparkly designs
Like the stars shining in your eyes.

Glows pulse through the night
Relaying messages in a code divine
As you hold my hand and smile.

That moment etches in my mind,
And in that moment, I realize
I’m the night and you, my firefly.

Forever together, our fates entwine
As we make memories of love and light
In the shimmering field of fireflies.

The Bridge

Once upon a long time ago,
There lived a maiden fair
In her warm and cozy abode
Near the edge of a deep river.

Far across on the other bank,
There lived a handsome lad,
The bravest in all the land,
In his castle near the sands.

Every so often, the fair maiden
Would come down to the river.
With lilting notes, she would sing
Songs that floated in the zephyr.

One day, the princely lad heard
Her voice carried by the breeze,
And he sang in reply to her
In the purple twilight of one eve.

And with the songs, their love grew.
They longed to meet each other.
But their wishes were tossed askew
By the raging and abysmal river.

Never to give up, the young lad
Set out to seek the maiden fair.
On his steed, he rode far and wide
Till he found a bridge to cross over.

O! They were the happiest lovers,
And soon, they wed at the altar.
Singing their love songs together,
They lived joyfully ever after.

And if you don’t believe this tale
Of the fair maiden and her true lover,
Ask the witness who lived to tell –
It is the bridge across the river.

Perchance

She was ninety-six; he was sixteen.
Her days were ending: his were beginning.
She was a dreamer; he was called a geek-
Poles so apart they could never meet.

All that changed the day before the party.
Rumors were that he madly adored Betty,
A pretty girl who lived on the same street.
But scared, he was, to confess his feelings.

And so his ninety-six year old granny
Found him sighing, sulking, and lonely.
“It’s a girl, isn’t it?” She asked wisely.
“Yeah!” He said and told her his story.

“Well”, She said. “When will you do it?
Ask her if she’ll go with you. Why wait?”
Mortified he was as he exclaimed loudly,
“What if I do, and she doesn’t agree?”

His granny sat near him and said softly,
“What if you ask her, and she agrees?
Of that, there’s an equal possibility.
You should ask her, if you ask me!”

And she spoke something of regretting,
In the end, the missed opportunity.
But he had heard all that was needed.
And all the way to Betty’s house ran he.

He asked, and she agreed promptly.
And off to the dance, they went happily.
So my friends, truth be told truthfully,
A chance not taken is one lost, definitely!

The Lovers

The Earth and the Sky –
Bound together
By an invisible force
Named Gravity,
But could I call it –
Love?

The Earth and the Sky –
Meet each other
In the distance, yonder,
On the horizon,
But could I call it –
The Kiss?

The Earth and the Sky –
Merge with each other
With lightning and rain
During a thunderstorm,
But could I call it –
Passion?

The Earth and the Sky –
Give themselves
To each other
Creating seasons,
But could I call it –
Sacrifice?

The Earth and the Sky
Lovers by destiny?
Lovers by choice?
Lovers by force?
Lovers by chance?
Lovers…mysterious!

The Roses

That night,
As you walked out of the door and my life,
All that you left behind
Was a note in which you apologized,
And a bunch of roses – my favorite kind.

The roses.
They reminded me of our relationship –
Full of deep, passionate intimacy,
Yet so ephemeral and impermanent
Like the petals, now wilted.

The roses.
They exuded a musky fragrance.
Like the special something we had,
Or so, I used to think, but I was wrong.
For now, that fragrance was long gone.

The roses.
You often compared me with them.
You said I was more alluring,
And they less, but those were all lies,
Like that faded bouquet you left behind.

The roses.
I will never grow to hate them.
I don’t know how, but I will move on,
And the only thing that will remind me
Of you … and us will be their thorns.