Up in the old dusty attic,
Locked in a wooden chest
Lay a pale faded envelope
With some odd trinkets.

Among them, a postcard
With a voice long-forgotten,
And a picture of a boulevard
Like treasure from the ocean.

“To Paris!” The year – 1970!
The cogwheels of my mind
Were churning up memories
Of a time I had left behind.

We were young and in love.
Together in the city of lights.
I remembered the Eiffel tower,
The kisses, poetry and wine.

A time that was so romantic,
Yet it was never meant to be.
Frozen in a postcard in the attic
Now just a remembrance, sweet.

Ah! How time keeps moving on!
I pick up the broom and duster
The postcard lies where it belongs
As a song sets my heart aflutter!

One beautiful rainy day,
A mischievous demigod
Threw a love potion in the air
And it mixed with the clouds.

So, the love-raindrops fell
On all who walked around,
And everyone who got wet
Forgot hate and fell in love.

The potion worked differently
For each person the rain fell on,
Changing hearts and relationships
And the way that people thought.

And so the miserly moneylender
Smiled at those who owed loans,
And the sullen vegetable seller
Did not fight over the tomatoes.

The differences were forgotten
Of races, colors and religions.
Everyone looked at each other
With a feeling of acceptance.

And, in the evening after sunset
The people of the little town
Lit a large bonfire in the square
And around it they danced.

No one cried or complained.
They laughed and sang together.
And, all this lasted for one day.
The next day it was all over.

Then, all the Gods in the Heavens
Saw the scenes and were shocked.
They couldn’t reach an agreement
On the actions of the demigod.

The people, on the other hand,
Woke up later on the next day
With memories of the experience,
And their hearts had now changed.

We all need some magical rain
Laced with this love potion
To see beyond all prejudices
And end hateful emotions.

But is a demigod who we need
For this change to come about?
Or can we each bring this effect
With the magic of our own love?

Roses, red roses
For my valentine.
A single, red rose
For my love at first sight.

Two roses, red roses
Profess that I love you.
Three roses, red roses
Say I can’t live without you.

Four roses, red roses
As we’re meant to be together.
Five roses, red roses
Mean you’re my special lover.

O roses, red roses, go forth
And speak this language of love.
You can make passions flow,
In humans and the Gods above.

O roses, red roses, use all your powers
To make romance blossom and flower
In the heart of my beautiful lover
And keep this feeling alive forever.

I walk into the flower shop seeking
The perfect little gift for my lover.
The shelves are all a riot of colors
Of smiling buds that await picking.

The blushing rose is indeed pretty,
But so clichéd with its velvet petals.
My eyes then look away and settle
On some big, blossoming white lilies.

Their freshness appeals in an instant
But I want them to mean a lot more.
And, soon my gaze passes over
To a group of nodding carnations.

They’re beautiful with shades aplenty
But for my one love, they surely fail.
And so I move on, a little restless
To a bunch of dew-laden red tulips.

With petals not just a sight to see,
They speak what my heart stores –
My deep and unconditional love –
A love so true for a lover so lovely.

I walk out of the shop so happily
With the red blooms in a bouquet.
I see the delight on my lover’s face
When the tulips speak so eloquently.

Meet me tonight in the meadow of my dreams
under the moonlit sky and the cool silky breeze.
Let me hear the strong beating of your heart
as you hold me so close in your loving arms.

Let the sleepy poppies awaken as they overhear
you whisper sweet little nothings in my ears.
Let the curious white daisies blush as I describe
the glow from the fireflies in your blue eyes.

Let the fragrance of the lilies spread in the air
as you weave them, with your hands, in my hair.
Let me sing to you songs that profess my love
as you say you love me as infinitely as the stars above.

Let the scent of our bodies mingle with that of the grass
as our love grows past seconds, minutes, and hours.
O! Meet me every night with the meadow as the witness
to the neverending spring of our love and our trysts.

Memories of the past surround me.
Sometimes, I’m sad; sometimes, elated.
The paths of Fate are indeed cruel.
They meet only to be separated.
When I saw you first,
my world became anew.
I had never guessed
my heart was going askew.
Shy as you were
like a beautiful deer,
You were always close to me
and so very, very dear.
When you laughed,
the strings of the sitar rang.
When you talked,
the notes of the flute sang.
When you would cry and shed a tear,
the music of the veena filled the air.
So simple you were.
Unaffected by modernity,
and yet complete in every way.
You were an ocean of beauty.
Your eyes were like unfathomable lakes
At the bottom of which shone bright stars.
You were my true inspiration.
I was a lock, and you – my key.
Your unending love always besieged me.
I loved you, and you loved me.
Your face is engraved in my dreams.
Your memories, in my heartbeat.
My mind will always search for you
when cruel loneliness surrounds me.

O golden Sun!
Why do you blush
as you say goodbye
in the evening skies?
Are you in love?

O silver satellite!
Why do you smile
as you shine bright
in the nighttime?
Are you in love?

O blue ocean!
Why do your waves
rush to embrace
the shores of sand?
Are you in love?

O crimson rose!
Why do you bloom
unabashedly bold
in the winter’s cold?
Are you in love?

As I wonder
about the answers,
one thing becomes crystal clear –
Myriad are the colors of love.
You only need the eyes of a lover.

Love is in the air.
It makes me see you everywhere.
And even though you’re far away,
This is what you will hear me say –
My darling, I love you.

Love is in the air.
With you, this love I want to share.
Let not this moment go to waste.
Feel my heart beating as you say –
My darling, I love you.

Love is in the air.
A love that’s timeless and so rare,
that even diamonds and roses pale
when we kiss slowly and we say –
My darling, I love you.

Love is in the air.
We are the ones who put it there.
And we won’t ever let it fade away.
With every breath we take, we’ll say –
My darling, I love you.

Let me gift you today
my love in a bouquet.

No flowers do I bring.
They wither in a blink.

No soft satin ribbons.
As they end up fraying.

For you, I have moments
etched in togetherness.

Kisses, hugs, and smiles
for your entire lifetime.

I will listen to you speak
about all of your dreams.

I bring to you my heart.
I accept all that you are.

And I know you feel, too,
this love I have for you.

For you only, is my bouquet,
and it will never fade away.

Sorrow lays seige on my mind
like an army outside a fortress.
Darkness descends like the night.
Into corners recedes happiness.

Tears try their best to negotiate,
but all they can do is flow away.
No reasoning can cure the ache.
Words and wails – they both fail.

And then comes an arrow of light
striking the dark with all its might,
like the sunrays in the dawn sky –
A look of love that ends the fight.

If we ever meet again,
I’d hold your hand and never let go
be it blustering winds, hail or snow.

If we ever meet again,
I’d walk with you on the sandy beach
and listen to you tell me your dreams.

If we ever meet again,
I’d capture your picture with my eyes –
the way you laugh and the way you smile.

If we ever meet again,
I’d spend all of my moments with you –
forget the past, make memories new.

If we ever meet again,
I’d tell you my secrets – my heart’s truths.
And waste no time to say – I love you.

PS: This poem has nine syllables in the second and third lines of each stanza.