Seven Steps To Fall In Love

By Gracy Mohanty

Step one -

You don't quite remember how it feels to feel

There's a whisper in your chest

You think it might be your heart sinking

Or maybe it's anxiety

Step two -

You gaze at them through lidded eyes

There's a difference in the way they walk

Like the world is ignited in blue and amber flames,

And every step is calculated as not to perish

Step three -

Thunder rages and the sky explodes

You promise to hold their hand, it's all you've to offer

Their fingers thread around yours

And it feels like the wounds on your hands from years back cut open, dripping blood at your wake

Step four -

The first time you see them smile

Without the echos of a haunted past and the forlorn memories of a life lost long ago

You think, "This could be a problem"

You lock away the thought that it already is

That it has been for a while now

Step five -

They disappear for awhile and with them, they take away your ability to stay afloat

Leaving a black hole in the ocean,

A vacuum sucking air from your lungs, filling it up with angry water

And for the third time in forever, you feel fear

Step six -

Every bruise on them is another reason to leave

But you've crossed the point where you could walk away a long time ago

So you tame your claws into hands and learn the art of soothing burns and bruises

You leave traces of gentle touches on every burn until it's nothing but an ebbing pain

Step seven -

Someone once told you, love is a lie and you convinced yourself so.

Because your demons screamed often and it's the only way to silence them.

There's very little left inside you, so you have stashed it away behind a door made of steel and sulphur,

But this one, saw more than the beast they created,

This one who would wreck the entire world and rebuild it if you'd let them

Bared open your heart by knocking at the door instead of forcing the locks.

(So you left the key in their hands)

By Gracy Mohanty