#Poem I Loved Her Too: Fiza Pathan

Congratulations dear groom on your marriage day,
I’m a girl from your newly wedded wife’s side of the family;
You ask me what relationship I share with your wife.
Well the answer is simple manly groom for just like you I loved her too.
So what if I’m a girl myself honorable groom of my lovers final choice,
I am faithful to her just the same for your clarification;
But the day she said she couldn’t hurt her family anymore,
She chose to marry you and then closed the door on me.
You say it is preposterous and you turn your back on me dear groom,
Yes they said the same of a man who was nailed to the rood some years ago;
And just the way His love was true even after death,
You better know that where your wife is concerned that I love her too.
You catch me by the collar with both your hands and slander my name,
Then you tell your bicep goons to throw me out of the church;
The priest looks on this with pity in his aged eyes so grey,
For the whole neighborhood knew indeed that I was to her someone dear.
She doesn’t look back at me and continues to say I’m a liar,
But look into my eyes and tell me fancy groom what do you see?
So what if I’m a girl everyone here knows it is a fact,
She was in love with me and I loved her too.
Your goons drag me out and beat me up till I bleed,
Then my poor old papa gathers me to safety in his weak arms;
We both receive the flogging we neither deserved as the church bells rang on,
The ancient curse of my status with my God was laid on me with spit and swears.
I take papa’s hand and we go on home to the cottage behind the church,
My lips are torn and my body aches in pain for the girl I love;
Fortunate you are muscular groom that your body and soul is intact,
It’s not so for me but still I rather not have your pity.
I hear my love take her vows while I’m weeping at home on old papa’s lap,
My papa tells me I’m a brave lad just like him indeed;
He says with time the wounds will heal especially the one in my heart,
For Mister Groom your wife was indeed my lover too.
It’s all over now and I have nothing left to live for,
Just this cottage and a woman’s painful memory eroding my chest;
Don’t say I’m a queer or a scum for I was ever pure in my love,
You will claim her body tonight but her heart will be mine only mine!
Many years pass by and now old papa is gone back to mama,
I now live in the cottage by the church all on my own with sweet memories;
Then one day someone knocks on my door and I get a shock,
It’s my love with her girl child whom she named after me.
I carry the little one in my arms still strong,
My love cries and then I see the grey strands of hair which were not there before;
Then you walk into the house Mister Groom of old with a defeated stride,
You say that I was indeed right and that she loved me too.
You all are immigrating forever this day,
So she pleaded with you to say a goodbye to the one who loved her;
A love I’m sure we both will carry in our souls till eternity,
At least you now know friend groom that I loved her too.
Copyright ©2016 Fiza Pathan
Image courtesy: http://www.morguefile.com/archive/display/786048