Under the starlit skies

when we were together

I looked at you

and I looked up at the moon

I looked at you

and I did not look up at the moon

Love engulfed me

Love engulfed us

and that was years ago

Today

under the same starlit skies

I looked up at the moon

and I looked at you

I looked up at the moon again

Thoughts engulfed me

Thoughts about us

Thoughts about our transformation

During those early days

our love roared

like a raging river jumping off the cliff

Today it is like a broad stream

calm and clear, dark and deep

flowing ever so gently toward the sea

the beckoning sea of the unknown and unknowable

Love was unidimensional once

Now it is a multifaceted gem

Like us, love too has aged

Is it not, dear?

Today it is understanding and friendship

and the feelings of togetherness

always

educating, exploring, endearing

and never uninteresting

splendid and serene

fond and forgiving

Then, we had to eagerly wait for the Valentine's day

But now, everyday is a Valentine's day.

J K Mohana Rao

Note: The I in this poem is the poetic eye only.