Valentine’s Day Poem by Rafey Habib

I wish I could say, I love you
Like before; but I
Don’t. I wish I had your twenty-year old body,
Cheeks soft and fresh, lips pouting,
And eyes too dark, fathomed in uncertainty.
Beneath that wholesome surface,
Fire.
Beneath that sweetness, beneath that honesty,
Desire:
A turning outward, a desperation...

I know you have it in you,
Just close your eyes
To your past, to your family,
Your boring worn-out traditions; step
Outside of time, beyond
The reason of religion. Step into
Your self, the self that will not be gagged or
Dragged by centuries
Of mere words, the self that
Is still free. Bring her,
Like a new bride, bring
Her to me, smiling,
And let me with my heavy passion
Suffocate that smile, releasing its
Heat.