Forbidden Love Poem by Lou Paonessa

We loved in the quiet, between the lines,
Where stolen glances learned to breathe.
Your hand knew mine but never stayed—
A promise made of 'almost' and 'if only.'

The world stood firm with iron rules,
Drawing borders through our names.
We were right, but not allowed,
Two hearts sentenced by timing and fate.

I memorized the way you smiled
As if joy itself were contraband.
You learned my laugh like a secret song
You'd never be permitted to sing aloud.

We did not break—no, we bent,
Carrying love like a hidden flame.
Bound not by lack of feeling,
But by walls we could not move.

And still, somewhere beyond goodbye,
Our souls meet where rules dissolve.
There, we are not forbidden—
Just two people who finally choose each other.