A Love Observed - By Gavin Maja

Written By: Gavin Maja

Category: Poetry

Competition: Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026

Gavin Maja, known for his evocative style as the "Moodswing Poet," presents his poem "A Love Observed," a poignant exploration of love and its complexities. Featured in the Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026, this poem captures the intricate emotions and reflective nuances of relationships. Without embellishing or altering a single word, Maja's work invites readers into a deeply personal narrative, resonating with universal themes of love, longing, and introspection.

About the Work

"A Love Observed" by Gavin Maja weaves a tapestry of emotions through a series of vivid, heartfelt stanzas. The poem navigates the highs and lows of love with raw honesty, using rich imagery and metaphor to evoke a sense of longing and reflection. Maja's style is characterized by its lyrical quality and emotional depth, inviting readers to explore the vulnerabilities and enduring hopes that define human connections.

A Love Observed

Original Submission by Gavin Maja

A Love Observed

Gavin Maja (Moodswing Poet)

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Copyright © 2026 Gavin Maja

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, stored, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the copyright holder, except in the case of brief quotations used in reviews, criticism, or educational purposes permitted by copyright law.

First Edition, 2026.

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The Crime I Committed

If loving you is a crime, let me plead guilty.

If being with you is my sentence,

make it for life.

Let me rot loyally in the shadows of your arms.

I would vanish in your heart, where you keep me safe.

My heart grows dull, knowing you're not with me.

I'd give up everything just to hold you close.

Will you hold me when my final hour comes to claim me?

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The Liability Of Loving You

The words that came from your mouth

became a debt in my heart,

a liability in my world,

demanding payment in silence.

The love we shared depreciated every financial year,

as if time reconciled pain.

You treated my heart like an account

meant only for your withdrawals.

Your presence sits

where silence balanced the books of heartbreaks.

You invested in empty promises,

but left me with deficits I still pay interest on.

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The Library Of Love

The way you brush your hair

reminds me that everything beautiful

asks to be touched.

The petals in your eyes

hold the beauty of stars on a summer's evening.

The love we pledged sits like a church before the congregation arrives.

Open my heart like a library; let silence turn the pages

of the words I wrote aimlessly.

Like a lighthouse that never misses the shore

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The Storms Between Us

I came into your arms, like a dove that,

has lost its wings — broken, useless.

Your eyes met mine as though love had,

not left us with wounds that refuse bandage.

Storms have blown away what I intended

to build for you, something lasting.

I'm sick and tired from hoping that

eternity

will give us a gentle,

lasting place together.

The gentleness I hoped for in you,

fled like a passing deer.

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A Crush Cremated

I wanted you once in my life

a courage I hate finding in me.

I watched you from a distance every day

built a little kingdom in my head just you and I

out of glances and fleeting fantasies, imagined futures.

Then I discovered someone is yours

someone is holding your waist and it's not me

I buried you in the fantasy and called the grave vain.

You think you broke my heart and think I'm crying in the void?

Well you're wrong.

I didn't flatter the petals in your eyes now

I see a face discarded with dirt.

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Maggots Wearing Perfume.

Your lips brush on mine,

tasting like every dark thought I have.

You're so unreal, baby,

I mistook you for a dream my loneliness invented.

Your questions make me stutter worse.

Lies fall from your lips,

like petals on a rotten rose.

What part of me did you bury

to make room for yourself?

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What You Were

You were a second that somehow

lasted forever.

You were a wave I wanted to follow,

but was afraid to enter.

You were a letter I kept in my pocket,

but I was too afraid to open.

You were a song that played on repeat,

loved the most,

but whose vocals I couldn't understand.

Loving you has become words

rather than us going on fleeting dates.

My calendar doesn't recognise you.

I watched you disappear inside my heart,

knowing I couldn't hold you.

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Carry Our Love Together

My pen wrote wars,

but you wrote my peace.

The world may not understand

what we built in stillness

words can’t fully hold us.

Let’s carry our love together

to the nest we have built,

through unforgiving storms.

The wind did not support us

it tried to break our home.

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The Reflection Of My Thoughts

Shall I compare you to the full moon— bright, unreachable,

You appear not visible but miles away, true.

Skies aren't always clear,

I only get to see a glimpse of you.

In my thoughts you appear as a shadow.

Be my sun and I'll be your moon,

Reflect your light so I can shine too.

But you remain buried in my thoughts,

the void convinces me you exist.

About the Competition

The Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026 by Hashtag Kalakar is a prestigious platform celebrating literary excellence and creativity. Participants from around the world submit their original works, showcasing the diversity and richness of contemporary writing. This competition provides a unique opportunity for writers to share their voices and connect with a global audience, fostering a vibrant community of literary enthusiasts.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Gavin Maja for sharing "A Love Observed" with us in the Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026. His work adds a meaningful layer to the tapestry of poetic expression, inviting readers to reflect on the nature of love and its enduring impact. Thank you, Gavin, for your contribution to this celebration of creative artistry.

About Hashtag Kalakar

Hashtag Kalakar is a creative platform dedicated to providing artists, writers, singers and other creative talents with opportunities to showcase their work and reach wider audiences through competitions, features and creative initiatives.