I don’t know when,
I don’t know how,
It’s a strange tale,
A curious case.
The story of my life.
The story of my love.
I was a reticent child,
Obedient and quiet,
In kindergarten I played,
With snakes on my head,
An unforgettable memory,
Of innocence and naivety.
In school I read, and read
galore,
Stories of strife and love
reunited.
Inspired I wrote tirelessly,
From the heart, from the mind.
And suddenly was told,
“One day, you will be a
writer.”
I laughed it off,
For then I thought,
No writers earn, but just grow
old.
Yet deep in my heart,
It was a dream,
A dream too bold.
I studied longer,
I worked harder,
All the while nurturing my
dream.
Youth receded,
Independence beckoned,
Living on my own term.
Travelling wide
Working under pressure,
I learnt from my mistakes,
Suppressing my pride.
Time and again, life’s
challenges
Pushed to excel, to make my
mark.
As the years rolled,
Everyone pressed,
To take the next step,
To find a home with someone
else.
“You are getting old,” they
said.
“You will be left a lonely
waif.”
My mind reeled,
Thoughts scattered,
Confusion ruled,
My heart refused.
The world mocked,
Time clocked.
I don’t know when,
I don’t know how,
It’s a strange twist,
A hard blow,
To mistaken beliefs,
To the inner foe.
A friend called,
A discussion ensued,
An exchange of emails,
An understanding of the
mundane.
Calls
followed calls,
The connection grew.
It was a Sunday,
When the sun shone bright.
He came to town,
To give me a sight,
Of his real self,
And his bald might.
A short walk on the beach,
Stories unfold,
A sumptuous lunch,
And a merry tea with family.
In the melee, he held my gaze,
And the chains fell in place.
We met once, we met twice,
We met a third time,
And we skyped.
Chains of friendship,
Chains of love,
Built not in time, but on trust.
He held my hand and asked,
“Will you marry me?”
I said, “I need more time.”
It was a lie, it was a sham.
But I needed to think,
For one last time.
He was patient,
He was kind,
He asked again,
And I said, “Ok, let’s do it.”
His eyes widened, his mouth
shut,
But his jubilant smile made it
up.
Time to rejoice,
Time to dream,
Time was short, time was not.
For five months,
We laughed, we cried,
It was a roller-coaster ride.
Finally we got married,
One fine autumn evening,
A ceremony so pure,
Without grandeur.
In a place so dear,
Full of blessings and cheer.
The world shifted,
Its axis tilted.
Now a touch, a kind word,
A certain look in his eyes,
Were more precious
Than all the jewels in the
world.
A business to expand,
A novel to publish,
New ventures to begin,
Another world to explore.
Life’s exciting, life’s good,
My humble heart’s full of
gratitude.
I don’t know when,
I don’t know how,
Isn’t it a strange tale?
Of a beautiful sail,
Through myriad swells,
To wedding bells.