By Harleen Kaur
The trees are alive with birdsong and winds.
Dandelion seeds floating like angel wings.
The sweet scent of cherry blossoms perfumes the air.
The sky above is an endless fairy-tale blue, calm and clear.
I saw him sitting that day
All poised manners and grace.
Looking larger than life
I was hostage from the first sight.
Eyes the color of deepest ocean blue
A sharp contrast to my warm hazel hues.
The man was alluring and addictive
Like fine wine.
Sending sensual shivers of lava
Down my spine.
He was sitting with his friends
His laughter rang like holy bells.
I was lurking nearby, overworked in a fuss
Running late or stressed, I guess.
The reason for my presence is forgotten
Like smoke lost in a cloud of sweet cotton.
"What remains etched in the memory?",
"This meeting", another of fate's cupid mysteries
I walk, no, I strut towards the enigmatic man
Or perhaps glide, floating on magical sand.
Our eyes lock, and electric sizzles, blaze
Suspended in a time lapse, everything else fades.
"Hello to you", the flustered man stutters
"Hi yourself", I murmur, as my heart races.
He gets up in an awkward tumble of limbs
Running a hand through his tousled hair, he grins.
The surroundings blurry and blush
His adoring gaze makes me flush.
My small hand engulfed in his
Deliciously calloused and sun kissed.
" What can I call you, gorgeous? "
"For starters, how about Goddess?"
"And your first name, goddess dear"
"I'm Olivia, known for my dramatic flair"
Chuckles and laughs, gasps and dares
Blooming pink glitter in the tinkling air.
"And who would you be handsome? "
" Guess? “, And the girl hums.
" James Lockwood, at your service, my lady! "
He gives a theatrical bow, winking charmingly.
" Oh, what a charmer you are Mr. Lockwood"
She pretends to mock, as they talk late into the night.
From dance and music, to movies and culture.
Ugly pasts and picturesque presents, enrapture.
Souls dig each other down to the marrow,
Their lust to know, takes wings and grows.
Every butterfly in the world
Has migrated to my stomach
" James, you are in the air I breathe
And the blood in my veins."
" Your touch stays on my skin,
Your thoughts on my mind."
" How can this feel so
Achingly sweet and divine."
"Let me in.
Let me take care of you.
Give me your trust,
and I’ll give you the world."
She was his wildfire
Untamed, his every desire.
He basked in the sunshine of her smile
Raining Asters to make her "forever mine".
Burning in rain's embrace,
Each drop is a kiss from heavenly fate.
In mystic hues of nature,
Hearts dance and flutter.
Honeysuckle's melody
Is sweeter than any love letter.
Blink and the weeks fall away like leaves
The bond deepens, the rainbow sky preens.
But calm indicates a bitter impending deluge
The tragedy strikes, horrendous and huge.
Ashen gray sky blending with a ghostly pallor
Whispers of decay weave through the air.
Olivia's parents crash into James' brother
The car accident renders everything to cinders.
Love is expensive.
Its currency is grief.
And sometimes, it costs
more than we can afford.
My mother loses her short term memory to amnesia.
James' brother is in a coma,
Fighting for his life, a treasure.
Love and loss are like majestic ships at sea.
The more we love,
The more we have to grieve.
The world feels,
A grainy blur
Sharp, yet sick and sore.
Tears are the language of grief.
And grief is the language of love.
It's fragile, like a wounded dove.
My mind runs
Unhinged and crazed
Like a lunatic beast caged.
My heart falls,
Listless, still and dumb
Like sand, chafed and mum.
It aches scorching
Blazes of ember,
Eating me up leisurely.
My arms are flailing
Like a little bird,
Falling head up.
The world is spinning
Twisting in static,
Chillingly haunting.
It seems
Like a movie
Gone wrong.
I beg, I scream, I flounder
I wail in wretched anger
I choke and I drown.
Photos are like exquisite fantasy fiction,
A convincing bunch of charming illusions.
But life isn't pics and shots, it's fluid
Blink, and it leaps forward, intrepid.
Ah! The solemn song of waves
Tranquil, quiet and rare
Beckoning me to a dare.
Calling me names
Hounding me ahead
"A challenge", they say.
Our devotion and trust is tested
Sleepless nights, hearts mutilated.
We hold on, hoping against hope
Tears hanging like death's rope.
I float in the cold
Embraced in a cocoon
Free and underwater.
Life is hard enough
without making lovers
of our demons.
But hope arrives in a halo of radiant yellow and golden
Confetti rains, as James' brother revives,
Healthy but shaken.
Olivia and James kiss in heart shaking relief,
Wrapped in a desperate embrace
At the end of potent grief.
My heart swells, like a flower in the sun.
The fate has had its sadistic fun.
Gladiolus and daisies bloom and rejoice,
I laugh unhinged, even as my cheeks are moist.
"It's over”, I whisper shakily
"We did it, honey! "
The air seems to shimmer
As elation overpowers every fear.
"I love you James. With you, I hope to dare.
Your heart is safe; I will always protect it dear."
" Oh my love, my heart is yours."
He hugs her tight, never to let go.
Wisterias and willows, camellias and ferns
Seem to litter the garden of life's twisted turns.
"But we have walked the luscious love lanes,
And I can't wait to relish the candied rains!"
By Harleen Kaur
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