The Heart Duel (Duet): A Valentine’s Day Cypher – Part 1

About four years ago, I got together with an online friend (Edna Thama) and randomly decided to write a poem cypher on a typical exchange between a boy and a girl. It started out as a comment thread, we were not sure where it would lead. But the end product was just as unanticipated as the whole writing process. As Valentine’s Day approaches, the pressure for Christians to conform to the patterns of “love” and “romance” charted by the world is high. It is my prayer that this 4-part series will both evoke your appreciation for romance while still prompting you to maintain a God-glorifying attitude towards romantic love.

EDNA ::

I watched as the sun kissed the horizon, coloring the sky…
Mixing the screaming’ yellow and shy red with just a dash of orange.
I watched as it dissolved to a lazy red…
As the shadows blended with the world and night crept in,
I watched as a lone cloud journeyed on to the unknown…
As a single star twinkled in the distance, and one by one her siblings joined her.
I watched as light faded into dark.
All this silently from my porch…
As I looked longingly at the gate,
Willing for it to open and bring me you…
And you would fold me in your arms,
Bless me with your kisses…
Tease my eyes with you.
Sadly it is not to be so…
As I listen to the soulful song of the crickets, I know. Not tonight.
I will wait until the next sunset.

CORNELL ::

It’s Monday morning and the sun rays pierce my eyes,
My pupils contract as my eyesight clears,
My breathing accelerates as my heartbeat catches up….
And that’s when it all comes back, flashes, sound-bytes, scattered visions and disjointed thoughts.
Suddenly, my nightmare has become my day dream…
And I can’t help but wonder…
I wonder if she knows I exist…
I wonder if she can see me in this mist…
I wonder if she knows my name…
I wonder if she can buy my game…
I wonder, I ponder, I sit, I wait…
I wait for the sunset, to reveal my intentions.
I wait for the fading sun to reflect my true feelings.
I sit, I wait to unmask, to unravel the mystery of my existence.
I wait for the sunset, to color my words and heighten the moment…

Still, I wonder if she even knows I am alive.

EDNA ::

As I inhale the fresh morning air of a new day,
I can’t help the smile that implants itself on my lips…
I feel like am bursting with a secret that I want to tell the world.
Singing into my thoughts the birds song beautifully harmonious,
The sun in my heart is shining; even my skin is tingly at the caress of anticipation.
Today… at sunset… he will know.
Scary what-ifs invade my infatuated thoughts.
Could he…? Will he…? Would he…?
A fresh coat of doubt settles in my mind…
What if he doesn’t come?
Maybe he hasn’t noticed me… not in the way I want him to!
What if he feels like I do? Or worse, what if he doesn’t?
Oh my… What have I done? I cannot do this… yes I cannot not,
All I have is what I feel… I hope it will be enough.
Only at sunset shall it be unveiled as is…
Until then, I shall be waiting…

CORNELL ::

Evening sets in, slowly, patiently, dragging, hesitantly.
And as the sun sets on the world, it dawns in my heart…in my mind…in my soul.
Without a plan I set out…
Without a care I approach her…
Without a thought I call her…
And when she turns, my blood churns.
“I can’t do this”… a sweat drop falls,

“Yes you can”… my prideful ego calls,
What if she feels otherwise?
What if she spells out NO?
What if she just smiles and walks away?
Would I be able to live with that?
Then my heart is flustered, my eyes transfixed, my knees draw weak, my mind draws blanks….
She’s walking towards me!
She noticed, she saw, she turned, she approached….then she smiled.
SHE SMILED!!
Oh what beauty!
Lips were never made to make hearts stop.
Eyes were never shaped to pierce souls.
Faces were never designed to blind with their brilliance!
Suddenly my eyes grew weak and my gaze began to fall..,
Upon the enchanted bosom and down her carved waist, my gaze obeyed gravity.
From the breath-taking shapely hips to the toes caressing the earth… I fell in love all over again.
Then she said “Hi” and I thought I was high,
I have to say something… Quick… Now…!

To be continued… (Watch out for Part 2 HERE)