crazy little thing called love

it comes in many forms

yet, we struggle to understand it

an ideal version is what we look for 

one that fits the norms

that have been ingrained in us

a perfect other, a soulmate

someone who understands everything

who gets us in and out

right from the first date

isn't that what the movies say

not just the movies, but books too

and music, even those who rock

and comics, posters, cards and more

reinforce that this must be true

can we blame ourselves for believing it

but what happens to the rest

who have loved us and who still do

in their own way without definition

a way that, in us, brought out the best

all thanks to the multiplicity

of thoughts, feelings and experience

of what they've learnt and seen

in a gentle voice that doesn't judge

and to converse, is ever so keen

where do all these connections go

why do they get lost

is it because we sometimes pull each other 

so far apart that there is a cost

a toll that leaves us drained over a period of time

all because we want to possess, and feel, "they're mine"

also because we're louder

and supposedly mentally stronger

but are we really that

or are we hiding behind a mask

one that either smiles or looks tough

because both help handle the harshness

oh we've been wearing it long enough

and then one day we realise

the damage this has caused

from closing these other worlds

until at some point, when we are paused

by some circumstance or the other that lets us think, breathe and be

and look at our lives, minus all the certainty

then dawns an understanding

one that doesn't come from books

or movies, posters or cards

but only from taking a good look

at all that's happened in our past

everything that's shaped us

things that we can never change

but things that have made us

it's us, and them, and so many more

that we need to forgive for our own sake

it isn't easy, but what else do we do

so we don't make the same mistake

and more important so that we may find

the spirit that seems long gone

the one that was shaped by many

the one that will never be alone

can we bring back these worlds, one by one

back into our lives

and start slowly on the road to find

dare i say, sanity and a love that doesn't bind