కవితా సంపుటి

I wish I could be the twenty-two-year-old girl I once was
free to express without filtering my feelings,

To pour my love into you
without being overly empathetic about yours.

To fight for our love
without stepping into your shoes

To fight for my love
without worrying what Mum and Dad going to say

To love without asking
whether this would last forever or not.

To celebrate our love
without counting caste, state, or religion.

I don’t like how I am aging into maturity
this careful,
restrained version of me
that doesn’t let me enjoy our love,
it barely lets me speak it aloud

I miss the Girl I was who love before Love learned to hesitate

– Rajini Gajjela