Poem: The Love That Waits
Shringara — A Woman’s Meghaduta
I wait for the one who has gone,
And will return.
Or so I hope.The love remains.
You aren’t here.I feel your presence,
Even in your absence.Like the sun and the moon.
On these long, lonely nights,
The moon is my talisman,
Cool, serene and ever-present.Like me,
Does the moon long for the sun?Then the day comes,
When the flower waits for the bee.I am wooed by scandalous thoughts,
But the longing for you
Overtakes every flirtatious thought.How long will you be away?
Do you think of me?I hope you do.
Then I know you are here.
I, perhaps, am there with you.
Yet, I don’t know how you are.The clouds have come,
Pregnant with tears.Are you sad, my dear?
Send those clouds my way.
Let them rain here.
I shall soak in your tears,
For in those tears,
I find a little more of you.I can never be Kalidasa,
But I want to pen my words.I live in a world that does not wait,
Yet I shall wait for you.So I will write.
Each breath has become a sigh.
The loneliness is louder.The creaky parrots
And the solitary cuckoo
Keep me company.The moon pours its white light
Into my loneliness.
The stars wink and mock.
I wink back, and hope
They wink at you too.Someday, you must come.
And end this charade.The longer you are away,
The more I become a poet.Some verses are long.
Sometimes, the words weigh heavy.
And some days,
There are no words at all.I try to keep myself busy.
But sometimes,
I do nothing at all.Just sit on the sofa
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I have all the time in the world, honey.
I look at our photographs.
They capture only the happy times.
Your smile, my smile,
The places we went,
The moments we held.But where are the pictures
Of the times we fought?
When I cried,
And you walked away.And then,
When we made up,
When you came close again,
When a touch said more
Than a thousand apologies.I remember.
And someday,
I shall send the clouds your way,
To bring them all back to you.Let the thunder remind you
Of our little tiffs.
Let the lightning recall
Those sparks of anger.
Let the rain carry
All the tears we shed.And when the clouds pass,
Look at the azure sky.
See the puddles reflecting the light,
The leaves, washed clean and green,
And the freshness in the air.That is us, my love.
After every storm,
We find our way back to each other.I still savour them all.
I have more time these days
Than when we kissed and smiled.Time moves slower now.
That’s good, right?I am living our moments twice.
Then…
And now.Why not?
Don’t bring anything for me.
I just need you, honey.To hold, savour and cherish,
To live those moments again,
Shorter, perhaps,
But sweeter.Send me…
One heart-shaped emoji
Or the winking one…Just to know…
That in your busy world,
You remembered me.For now, I am on earth.
I look up at the skies and wonder…
That you are somewhere out there,
Flying far and wide,
Foraging, finding your way.Be free and fly high.
Like those happy, spongy white clouds
Floating across the sky.I would love to hold you,
But don’t let the thought of me
Hold you back.Someday, we shall fly together.
Wherever our wings take us,
Flying along with the clouds.
Perhaps…
Towards the moon.Until then, I am your perch.
Our home is your nest.
Don’t forget that. Ever.Kalidasa must be watching from above,
As white clouds carry my love to you.
Our Meghaduta is born.~Ashok Subramanian © 2026
