Sincerely,

by F.S. Yousaf

I refuse to store All my joy in you. For if you ever leave, I would not know what to do.

I have fallen furiously in love with you. So hell-bent and damned To call you my own, That my heart burns At not being able to fully capture The soothing aura you give off.

How the world feels When I am with you Can only be seen as a preview Of the boundless peace And unrelenting happiness That only lies In the hereafter.

I have thought of you Every night /every morning. And in-between I find meaning— Hidden in stories Which we can only imagine, Hidden in the adventures Which we can only dream.

I stared into your eyes, Got lost in what you are, And found myself unable to focus elsewhere. You clearly knew my weakness.

I asked you how our love was doing, And you responded by saying That it was as tight as a knot. And while your words gave me déjà vu, I turned back and asked you again After some time, How is our knot doing now? And you responded, Tighter than before.

When I meet your gaze, I see that you are staring at me— Not my figure, or size. But you are staring at me as if I am made of glass, Witnessing all that I am made of. Knowing my innermost workings, And which way the tide turns Within me. You gaze upon me With truthful eyes, Seeing who I truly am And what I have a chance To become, Instead of what others may whisper Behind backs and closed doors.

Your scent lingers on me Long after you have departed. It tells me the story Of our day spent together, And I enjoy thinking back to it, Since it will be yet another distant memory Come tomorrow. My mind carries your distinct fragrance, A humble reminder that I am Nowhere near you at the moment.

You became the occupant of my mind, The beat of my heart, And the tranquility in my soul. You became my life, My solace, The best person I ever knew.

I do not love you Just for the sake of loving, But because you have given me Tranquility on days Where I have given up on myself.

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.

Your soft lips tease me As I am lying in bed, Watching you dream up storms. The first time I spoke to you, I did not know that we would be here, Falling for one another The way we have. Many moons have set, And many suns have risen. I ask myself why, Through all my chaotic emotions, You have been constant. It’s not that I fell for you, Or planned for this story; It all happened in a whirlwind. Even past our first words shared, You found comfort within me As I did with you. Comfort within a person. That’s what our love is.

us >

When our paths crossed, I felt as if we had met In another time. Your laugh had me in thought, Your smile had me dreaming, And your joy Left me in awe.

I am so entirely filled with love That I feel guilt In not being able to share these Emotions with others. As if I am finally being watered After years of being barren, All while knowing others do not feel The sweet liberation of compassion. I will never get used to this splendor.

Would we have met In the streets Of our motherland? Possibly over a cup of steaming chai, Standing next to the street vendor Around the corner. The smell of tainted air And the buzzing of motorcycles surrounding us. Or would we become lost In the crowds of similar faces and dress? I was made for you, As you were for me. In this life And every life there possibly Could be. For who knows? I might catch your glance in a passing moment, As we are divided by the sea of vehicles filling the narrow street. Or we might bump in the midst Of the ocean of bodies. Creating the same story We are creating Now.