It’s been forever since the beginning,
The sapling we sowed now bears oranges,
I recall giving you my orange every lunch,
A memory buried so deep hit me in seconds,
“Oranges are my favorite!” You exclaimed with a voice I’ll never forget,
Everything else is hazy….
That’s when Oranges became my favorite too,
It’s been forever since the beginning,
7 magnets of destinations are stuck on the fridge,
I recall giving you my salary every month,
A memory buried so deep, it occurred to me in seconds,
“Paris, London, New York! Let’s leave no corner of the planet untouched!” You cheered
with a smile I wish was on my face at the end of the day,
Everything else is hazy…
That’s when I picked up this hobby too,
It’s been forever since the beginning,
A new pair of camping shoes leans against the wall,
I recall giving up on your arguments on how nature makes one calm,
A memory buried so deep, I recollected the incidents within seconds,
“Let’s just sit peacefully on the top of the hill behind your house. You’ve been to many
concerts!” You kept nagging me with a childish spirit, I wish I could muster up to this
day,
Everything else is hazy….
That’s when I stayed at peace with myself too
It’s been forever since the beginning,
The heart you broke is now strong,
I recall giving you my heart when yours was lost,
A memory buried so deep, that it struck me in seconds,
“I love you.” You conveyed with a gaze I still search for to this day,
Everything else is hazy….
That’s when I started to love myself too,
It’s been forever since I’ve forgotten you,
Nothing of yours is in my house,
But your presence is in every corner,
“1 sachet of sugar in my coffee please!” You used to call out from the sofa,
I’ve only been adding 1 sachet in mine
That’s when I realized not everything is sweet too,
It’s been forever since I’ve forgotten
you, My niece still asks about you, wants you
to sing, It seems you are the most memorable,
The house still reverberates the hum of your guitar
strings, How could one verbalize one’s emotions when one
encounters a siren?
That’s when I realized I am deep underwater,
It’s been forever since I’ve forgotten you,
Our grad pic now frames only my
face, The memories I made with you, locked in a corner of
my brain,
Yet you are an integral part of me
now, “You sound just like him.” Remarked my mom as she silently
laughed,
You’ve not occupied my mind but
somehow… That’s when I realized
you never left,
It’s been forever since the beginning,
And it’s never been the end,
For forever seems like a fleeting moment too,
It’s been forever since I’ve forgotten you,
And not a day has passed without you crossing my mind,
For your dreams are now mine too
Anandi Gunda is a sophomore at the University of Hyderabad, majoring in Economics. She discovered her passion for poetry in 11th grade, viewing it as a creative outlet to express her emotions. Anandi’s poetry draws inspiration from her personal experiences and keen observations of the world around her. In her free time, she enjoys reading short story collections, binge-watching series, and playing badminton. Her work has previously been featured in Corporeal Lit Magazine, Teen Ink, The Cleverly Creatives, and The Sunnies Magazine.