Poem: Twenty Years

Ananthi Parekh wrote this poem for her parents on their 20th wedding anniversary (December 7, 2016).  




Twenty Years

She waited on one end of the phone. Listening intently for the 
Break in the highly pitched purrs
And there it came, a soft 
click before the 
groggy voice of her husband 
echoing from thousands of miles 
to the gentle curve of her ear
His happily grated voice bringing an upward curve to her chewed lips. 
And similarly her newly 
awakened tone 
making him happy his sleep was disrupted, pleased 
he'll wake slightly later 
knowing he spoke to 
her. 
And they don't speak of 
anything out of ordinary, they 
talk only of daily life, as if 
these miles were nothing 
and as if the kettle was boiling for the both of their waiting mugs, because 
soon there will be 
his mug next to hers, 
because it's only a few sleeps 
until he's 
home. 

They would read me the story 
of Cinderella 
and her searching prince, 
or that of the Beast 
and his patient Belle
But as time passes 
in my own story, I realise 
the happily ever after 
I thought only existed in 
those fairy tales 
was truly found by 
them. 


Because a million miles mean nothing when a crush lasts 20 years.


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