THE LOVE THAT WAS

 

I walked past her as if she were a stranger,

As if I never knew her,

Walking away from those eyes that looked not a bit surprised,

Her gaze following my every step, expecting them to retrace themselves,

And come back to her, whose presence would once give me serenity,

Whose smile was once the backbone of my ebullience,

Whose secrets I would once treasure responsibly,

Whose heart I once carried barefoot over needles.

But alas! Greed and ego have torn us apart,

Now all that’s left on the foreground are scattered remains of the once indomitable heart,

It was as though our concern for each other had wholly dissipated,

Building our own path, led us somewhere we never anticipated.

Though we yearned for each other, we weren’t ready to erase the slate of sins,

Our meeting was the cause of serendipity, but our parting was expected for quite a while,

Who knew the way cherished memories were lost, the warmth of friendship would turn to frost,

This ignorance we exchange is subtly suffocating, excruciating, and agonizing,

The eyes I once found a home in, now remind me of the barren grave in whose soil lies buried,

The love that was.

These thoughts surged as I walked past the one whose trust had been betrayed,

We have chosen to suffer this unending pain,

Just so neither has to say what could save us from going insane,

-I am sorry, my lovely friend.

                                                                                               -MARYAM SULTANA