Her- For Real This Time

By M. Balasubramaniam

Looking back to the fateful day,

the day I laid my eyes on you.

An angel in a foreign land.

A beauty, sparkling through all my fear.

I laid my eyes upon your face,

shooting furtive glances.

Fearful, that if I looked at you directly,

your brightness would burn my soul.

A blemish-less cherubic face, 

housing two of the most beautiful eyes

that lit up with every beatific smile.

You are, indeed, God’s perfect creation.

Beauty kept me away for a long time,

chained by the fear of outright rejection.

But the admiration did not stop

nor did the longing to close the distance.

Fate gave me a choice and I gambled.

A gamble that brought me closer to you.

A chance to reach for the stars.

A chance to wait and watch.

Friendship paved way to proximity.

Any chance to be near, I took.

Being a better me, to a point where it wasn’t me,

anything to make you look.

And look at me, you did.

At the fool or the saint, I didn’t know.

But, at this point, it didn’t matter.

The way you turn, is the way I go.  

You reached out to me for a helping hand 

and I helped myself to days with you.

Walked behind you like a man in a trance.

Enchanted by the swishing walk and swaying hips.

I began noticing things, important details.

The way your eyes lit up to match that sparkling smile.

The way your brows crinkle to match a frown.

The way your shoulders tense and relax.

Months later, I still don’t know

where I stand in your eyes.

But these few months have proved,

you sit on the throne in my heart.

Every touch from you feels electric.

That innocent gaze slashes my heart.

 Every slight shift in our charged embrace,

makes me fear the moments spent apart.

With you in my arms and your arms around me, 

I drink in the moment between us.

Walking with our hands intertwined,

I realize that I am, madly and irrefutably, in love with you.

So, with hope in my heart

and maybe a flower in my hand,

if I ask you for a kiss and go down on one knee,

will you make me the happiest man, by saying “Yes.”? 

By M. Balasubramaniam