Love, like poetry, is beautiful. True love, like poetry, is perfection in its purest form. Love is a beautiful garden where the radiant sun shines from every angle, and droplets of rain fall every now and then. However, in the hidden corners of the garden are thorns. Thorns are capable of causing heavy damage. Love is a rollercoaster of emotions mixed with kindness, compassion, respect, understanding, and everything in between. Love is when the strings of your heart desire another person’s attention, warm hugs, long stares, and romantic kisses. Love makes life worth living.
True love is awe-inspiring and the most selfless form of love, knowing no boundaries and conquering obstacles. It is the kind of love that survives “harsh weathers” and enjoys “sweet days.” A very good example of this is evident in Gurnah Abdulrazak’s novel, Desertion. Despite rejection from society, race, and some other minor obstacles, Rehana loved Martin Pearce wholeheartedly. Renanah's love for Martin Pearce in Desertion is a testament to the power of true love.
I once thought I had experienced true love, or at least something very close to it. But deep down, I knew it wasn’t true love. I like to think of it as true love in the making- an egg that never hatched but still ended up in the kitchen of life- a proof of what could have been. I was young when I had this experience. I’ve always been an explorer, and that period marked the vertex of my career in exploring different things. I was eager to try this and that. My heart was fragile, my arms were wide open, ready to embrace, and my eyes were bright like crystals.
I still remember THAT day. The day I met my first love. Memories of that day shine like a dream, polished by determination, hope, and hard work. I can still taste the sweetness of that moment on my tongue. I remember every detail. Every smile. I remember the number of times our eyes met. It feels as if I met my first love just yesterday. She came into my life like a celestial being. Her black top had tiny letters on it which made me curious to get a closer look. Her black jeans looked good on her, and her silver necklace shone like a star in the night sky. Silver necklaces had never looked better on anyone else. But what really caught my eye was her sneakers- white with blue stripes.
I have been a fan of sneakers for as long as I can remember and hers were the coolest I had ever seen. She looked like an angel but with a sprinkle of modernity. It was love at first sight. Every other thing around me seized. Everything about her seemed perfect. I stared at her for minutes, never wanting to take my eyes off. As fate would have it, we connected that very day. It was as if the universe had planned it out for us. Thanks to social media platforms, we connected on that day. It was beautiful. Usually, when you’ve just met someone, it starts with simple and short conversations. But ours was different. We connected on a different level- a deeper level. That day, we chatted until midnight.
Her hugs were the best, her hands comforted me, and her kisses were warm and tender. My world revolved around her. Just her. I wake up every day thinking about her, and I retire to bed, doing the same thing. I remember the day I asked her to be my girlfriend. The memory of that day still lives rent-free in my head. The sky was more beautiful than it had ever been, the sun shone brighter and my heart pumped faster. In a trembling, yet firm voice, I asked her a question that changed everything; Will you be my girlfriend?
They say true love is unconditional, and that it can overcome everything. Any obstacle at all. And ours did. We made it through thick and thin. But then she moved away to a very far place, and that was too much for us to handle. What existed between us was love. Sadly, it wasn’t true love. The distance between us was too big, and our love slowly died. Our egg never hatched. Our fledging never flew.