Echoes of You

Photo by Dương Nhân from Pexels.

Aanya Ranasaria

An echo of a heartbeat–

Your heartbeat–

Forever imprinted on mine. 

A clipped wing,

Missing feathers,

Yearning for you to soar back to me.

No more walks under the sun,

No more drives with open windows, wind blowing through our hair,

No more lazy days on sunset-kissed beaches. 

I turn, expecting to meet your gaze,

I watch the doorway, anticipating your silhouette,

I wait, and wait, and wait. Just for you. 

How can full days be relayed in fleeting moments?

How can every mundane interaction be recreated?

How can jokes be retold, when your laughter no longer fills my air?

They claim to understand,

Speaking of you with fond smiles,

Sharing pictures and videos like treasured relics. 

But they'll never comprehend the ache,

Deep in my soul, when I'm apart from you—

Two halves of a whole, ripped apart.

826 miles stretches between us,

A chasm wider than oceans,

A distance that feels infinite without you.