If One More Day

By Preetham Halwi

A chime rang sweet—a silver tune,

My screen lit up, a quiet bloom,

Your name appeared, a glowing ray,

With words that took my breath away:

“If one more day were ours to keep,

What would you do? What would you feel?”

You stirred me from my evening sleep,

With something wistful, soft, and real.

At first, I smiled, then tried to hide,

The aching thought I held inside,

But once again, your message came,

A whisper wrapped in starlit flame.

So gently did my fingers glide,

Across the keys, my heart replied—

“No bustling streets or crowded space,

No candlelight in some new place,

No cinema, no velvet night,

No glittered stage, no neon light.

But this—just this, if fate allows:

To sit beside you, hand in hand,

To smooth the strands across your brow,

And let the silence softly land.

To press your shoulders, soothe your feet,

And watch your smile in daylight, sweet,

To trace the laughter we once knew,

And speak the words we never do.

To fold you in a warm embrace,

The world forgotten—time erased,

And there I’d stay, without regret,

In peace, in love, in no sunset.

One day is all I’d ever ask—

No golden crown, no gilded task—

Just you, just us, a gentle air…

One day to show how much I care.”

I lingered in that silent hush,

Until your words returned in a rush:

“What would you do, and what would you feel,

If one more day became real?”

By Preetham Halwi