Proposal

Tell me O love!
How can I express my love for you?
I know not how the great lovers used to do
Did they gift a flower as a memento
Or, their love, did they just kneel down and show?

Tell me O love!
Where from can I start showering kisses on you?
I know not where from the great lovers used to do
Did they prefer the cheeks, or the eyes or wide lips
Or, did they use to seal their mouths together and kiss?

Tell me O love!
What can I do that the world shall remember you?
I know not what the great lovers used to do?
Or did they write poetry and the world just mourned?

So tell me, O love!
How can I express my love for you?
I’m no lover, can’t kneel down and propose to you 

So tell me, O love!
Where from can I start giving kisses to you?
I sense your beauty everywhere, where from can I start kissing you? 

So tell me, O love!
What can I do that the world shall remember you?
I’m no Kaiser, can’t build a Taj Mahal for you 

So tell me, O love!
What meanest thou by love?
I’m a novice, teach me the art of love.

– Saswat Pattanayak
Bhubaneswar, July 10, 1993