Sincerely,

by F.S. Yousaf

I remember you told me That birds gave you hope. I understand now That you could not bear to stay In the same place for too long.

You were the girl I wanted to charm with my writing, For I knew that average words would not work With you. You were remarkable, And craved the spontaneous kind of love That ill-fated writers had, The ones that only reside In history books and novels. I pray our story does not end like theirs. I only desire a tale of stability and peaceful mornings.

When I want to write about bliss, I think of you. When I want to write about tranquility, I think of you. When I want to write about the beauty of this world, My mind wanders only towards you.

My life before you was Before spring flowers blossomed. Before the skies remained clear and blue. Before a smile would remain In my heart. My life after meeting you Is a new chapter I gladly bask in. Taking in all the good For I had not experienced anything like it before. My life after meeting you Is a chapter I hope I never forget.

There is something so sweet About the way your voice sounds Early in the morning. It reminds me of a time When I believed that happiness Was unreachable. But I am here, Astonished by the way You make me feel.

You came into my life To show me That mere moments Can create lasting memories. You revived my hopeless eyes, So I could see The true beauty The world held.

You bring me happiness, But you are not the cure For my sadness. That I must find On my own.

Every breath I shared with you Felt as if I was reborn. A clean slate And a vast amount of time To improve upon my imperfections. With you, I was accepted with open arms.

Three years ago I had difficulty thinking of the future. I could not think past The minutes and hours That lay ahead of me. I was living day by day, Anticipating some Sort of end. Your timely arrival Was a memorable one. And I thought to myself That this could possibly be The person who can surely Ignite a fire in me. You saved me From myself, And make every day Worth looking forward to.

You helped in unleashing The best parts of me And aided in combatting my faults Instead of discarding them.

I was told that before Our souls are exhaled into our bodies We meet one another in a place which we cannot remember Any longer. When I met you, It was as if there was already An established comfort and familiarity Between us. As if we had known each other For many, many years.

When you crumble, I hurt with you. But I do not stand idly by. I will extend my hands And catch every piece As you fall. I will be by your side as you Rebuild, and help you In the process. You are half of me, A purer, gentler half.

These trials. The difficulty you feel Does not go unnoticed. You are a warrior in my eyes, One who stands tall, Pushing back against adversity. Your shadow casting larger Than you believe it to be. To witness your strength is extraordinary, Inspiring, And everything Which gives me the desire To have that same power You carry.

I want to live to see The world in action, And traveling with anyone That is not you Would not bring me The same satisfaction.

When I think of you All that comes to mind Is the laughter and delight. Lighthearted memories and joyous emotions That I tend to not feel occasionally. And with those thoughts Comes an overbearing longing To be around you once again.