I was nothing.

I lurked in the shadows, lost in thought,

An outcast; I had friends,

But they failed to bring me joy.

Yet, out of the tumultuous plains of the Earth,

I met a jewel of infinite worth.

 

It was you.

 

The moment I laid eyes upon your fiery countenance,

I knew you were different.

Your eyes always outshone the sun;

You were flirty, courageous, righteous.

I knew you were different.

A diamond in the rough, yet, like me,

Disposed to solitude.

No one cared but I, because I knew you were different.

 

Your entire being was a work of art -

The chef-d’oeuvre of God.

From your vibrant eyes and lips of silk

To the voluptuous tresses of your hair,

Your beauty filled Venus with jealousy.

Had my soul transcended from my body into a

Heavenly state? If it did, I know not, but such an

Encounter was nothing less than fate.

 

Finally, I was able to confront you.

Our eyes, they met; I instantly sensed

The pain of your solitude,

But you hid it well with a luscious smile.

I succumbed to Cupid’s arrow;

My heart ached to grab you in my arms,

To hold you forever and keep you warm.

 

I knew you were different.

As I gazed into your eyes, I uttered a greeting.

The wheel of conversation finally set in motion.

When finally, my heart wrenched

As you declared the resounding phrase,

“I love another”; I was in a daze

As if I took a hit from Cassius Clay,

For I had no words to say.

 

Alas, I loved you too much already. I vowed

To be by your side, but you were still subjected to

Solitude. Then your words of fate rang in my ears:

“But the one I love is destined for someone else…”

 

You were different, but we were the same.

Chastized, forgotten, diminished by scorn,

We aimlessly sought lovers who loved us not.

Not just then, but all my life, this despair in me

Has been wrought.

Like iron, being conformed by a hammer,

But continuing to resist conversion to a sword

We resisted this transformation;

We were mistakes.

And you were different.

 

I yearned to serve you; I was ready

To lay down my life to make you happy.

Your heart may have beaten for someone else,

But I alone comprehended your suffering.

I was there, omnipresent, ubiquitous.

I ran alongside you as you

Journeyed through the tribulations of love.

I empathized, and when you failed to progress,

I would even carry you.

 

Because I loved you; I wanted to be with you

Longer than the Earth has been with the moon,

Longer than the lifespan of each star in the sky.

You were the missing piece of my puzzle.

Yet you were oblivious, blinded by your

Unrequited love.

 

But was I the same?

Did I tread a similar path?

No, we were the same.

And, time after time,

I concentrated all my energies

Into pleasing the only person

I truly cared about.

Until one day, everything changed.

 

As the one you loved held his

“Destined

Partner”

In an embrace, and whispered an oath to stay with her

“Forever”,

You plunged into the abyss of deprivation.

I rushed to your side, and you leapt into my arms.

Tears inundated your eyes; you knew

I was your sole source of solace.

At your darkest hour, as a rift formed in your heart,

You realized: your true love was by you from the start.

 

I held you tightly, yet tenderly, like a mother holds a child.

I reminded you how finely crafted and magnificent you were.

At that moment you experienced your epiphany.

You told me not to let go, never to part from you again,

As you recounted all the times I refused

To give up on you like many already had

Because you were different.

 

You pleaded for forgiveness, plotted your atonement.

You felt guilty for going so long without paying attention.

I peered directly into your radiant eyes and yours in mine;

I wiped the tears from your eyes

And used a lone finger to silence your whimpers.

Then we each viewed through the portals to our souls

The violently plucked the strings of our hearts.

 

We were the same,

And the time finally came.

 

On the beach I sat with you.

The crimson colors of the sunset were reflected

In the gently moving waters.

As I took your hand in mine, it effaced all of your fears.

We held each other close as darkness encircled us.

Vowing not to part,

Not even in twelve thousand years…

Because you were different.