I saw a boy as shiny as the Sun is in black clouds. My eyes couldn’t help lingering at his face, “Ah, my charming Prince once I wished to have.”

Words jumped loud in my mind and shushed in stillness when came on my lips. I said gently in a voiceless voice:

His spirit I wanted to kiss, his laughs I wanted to miss,

Tears in his eyes I could make them vanish,

Clutching his fingers pressing his palms into mine,

Soaking his slack and rapid breaths into mine

Savouring the intensity and taste of our Love;

Relieving it numerous times, the moments I had made love to him, the way no one will ever do or did.

I dream of us exploring the shores together and corners wherever the sky and land met.

Pair of twinkling eyes gazing into mine.

Soft-touch of his desire on my bare skin.

All this will always be a ‘dream’- a never fulfilling dream.

You know Prince charming, I would have done all of this to you; I would have surely dared.

“You and I and between us, someday, could Love exist?”

“Have you seen the shines of Sun falling for a Black Cloud?”

“No, they never do just like us, far from the land of possibilities, unimaginable in all ways, Poles apart to be together and miles apart to be in Love.”

All this for a brown burn of a mistake, I never wished to make but I never hid it but now I want to when I see you in the elevator every morning a scar on the left of my face- under my eyes stretched to my neck; a scar long-drawn like a dark art buried excruciatingly deep in my soul far more than my face.

I have the darkness of a scar-like the black cloud in the sky has.

So, Dear Prince Charming I know we have no words to say but

I can admire you quietly, no words needed just by standing with you in the elevator-

Your eyes bewitching and smile holds my breath, the way your mahogany brown hair waves around on moving your neck.

I crave your embrace desire the touch, envisioned our love story in my head.

All love fantasies I think sitting at my desk which I can never let you know.

You are pretty my boy; and pretty ones like you deserve better, much better than me.

But if someday this world fails you, and glow around you fades. Someday when time dissolves the beauty of faces; you will still be beautiful for me like as you are now; I will be here just like now when you will call my name.

Till then with an eternal wait and hopeless dream – I am here, at my desk, looking at you from the corner of my eyes- a fair Prince whom I cannot dare to Love anymore.

Pretty, Pretty….this world is not pretty.

I, an ordinary boy, whose appearance resembles a prince outside but I am just a boy alone and afraid. I know shiny appearances can cover but can’t change what is buried inside.

Some years have gone; I was ugly for the world Heavier in pounds but heavier was my heart. No one cared. No one dared. I was crushed into pieces the way the world looked at me and laughed.

All these pretty faces; no one bothered to ask me my alright and suddenly shedding some pounds and lightening my heart with remorse I am a pretty one.

Girls smile at me. They want to talk and hold hands.

Petty, I find all this petty.

The world embraces me and cheers for me now, but I don’t need it anymore. I needed it at that time when no one came.

I know this shiny world shines only on the outside and it no more attracts me. I am no substance that you could price on just on the layers my skin fold and smiles I fairly laugh. I see no one to love and laugh except that girl whom I see looking at me from the corner of her eyes:

She has beautiful brown hairs that roll on her cheeks. She looks quiet and smiles less, her hand moves abruptly on the keyboard and she keeps looking at that screen but in between, she looks at me from the corner of her eyes. She has speaking eyes and small nose and her skin is kissed by burning, a brown satin-like burn that flows through her cheeks to her neck. I keep looking at her in between shining beautiful people around that fire kissed girl. She distracts me; my beautiful distraction.

Someday when I will collect all my courage I will tell her looking into eyes that I want her to walk my side, my beautiful princess. I want her eyes to look at me and shine with happiness even if time change when our beauties fade. I see her in the elevator every morning; one day I will look into her and tell her you are gorgeous will you date me? I hope that day comes soon.

And one beautiful morning after several mornings, when the elevator stopped Prince charming saw fire kissed girl standing alone, piercing her deep eyes on his face, his feet stumbled looking at her beautiful eyes with nervousness but he didn’t stop that day and kept walking to her, till the door of elevator closed; two of them stood close alone in a moving rectangle going up and down like a swing.

When the elevator door opened the shine of Sun fell in love with a dark cloud.

~ Sahil Lakhmani