Be My Friend, Not Love Poem by ANJALI KAKATI

Its so beautiful
The way
Your mouth curls up
Laughing
My laugh.
The way
Your eyes droops
With the tears in my eyes.
I know,
With my pain you wince
And
with my joys you rejoice.

Its so lovely
The way
I think your thoughts.
Sometimes agreeing
Sometimes disagreeing
Like a disobedient,
Wild,
Reckless child.

Its so wonderful
The way
In those moments of togetherness
Your heart beats
To the rhythm of my heart
Your eyes
Dreaming silently
The dreams in my eyes.

Remain,
O lovely soul,
Be my friend
For life after life.
No, not lovers.
As love
is packaged
With an inbuilt
Date of expiry,
Love comes
with all its “wants”
and
my hands are all empty.
I have nothing to offer
If any day
There is a “demand”.

Be my friend
Cause it is free of those
“wants” or “demands”.
Nor does it comes with
Frills or frets of love.
And,
I will always
Laugh with your laugh
Cry with your tears
Rejoice in your joys.
My heart,
In these moments of togetherness
Will always
Dance,
Beating to the rhythm of your heart.