Unsend Messages Poem by Sumita Jetley

I am not your girlfriend, nor your wife,
But does that mean I don't crave life?
A quiet Valentine, a choice well made,
For love that lingers, yet won't invade.

Soft-lit dinners, roses red,
Echoed in stories the world has read.
Candlelight flickers, laughter spills,
Yet my heart remains still—by will, not thrills.

'Big plans tonight? ' a colleague had said,
Lipstick perfect, cheeks flushed red.
I smiled, I shrugged, 'Just me and my meal, '
A truth half-spoken, a silence sealed.

A message unread, waiting there,
'Hey, it's been a while. Do you care? '
Fingers hovered, typed, erased,
What was I saving? What was I chased?

'You're too detached, ' an old love sighed,
'You never let the walls collide.'
But walls are built for those who feel,
A quiet heart is sometimes real.

Outside, the city hums and glows,
Lovers pass in twos and rows.
Their laughter twirls into the night,
Soft as a whisper, warm as light.

A sigh, a shiver, the night turns cool,
Solitude's gift, its golden rule.
Not peace, not ache, just space to be,
A life not tied, yet never free.

The phone still glows, his words remain,
Tomorrow, maybe—I can't explain.
For now, the scent of roses stays,
And love waits in its quiet ways.