Love

Is it easy… to find Love?
Or is it just a dream we dress up in fairy lights,
a Word – we chase –
in movies, songs and stories
that end before real life begins?

Who is the worthy one?
Do we find them by chance or choice?
A friend who knows all your awkward silences?
A cousin who grew up under the same sky?
That stranger you pass every day but never speak to?

Or is it…
the one your parents pick,
folded inside a photograph and a biodata?
Will they be the one?
The chosen one?

The one fate whispered your name to —
before either of you even learned to spell love?
They call it a Soulmate –
a half that fits your missing whole.
A destined match – a cosmic bond, written in stars.

But for me?
I don’t know, I really doubt it.
I doubt there’s someone out there,
already shaped to fit the cracks in me.

I doubt – that I’ll find someone,
whose love doesn’t end –
in lawyers and loneliness
and silent dinners with louder silences.

Because – as we age,
Our checklist grows longer.
Our patience gets shorter.
Our hearts grow cautious.
Not colder — but careful.

And love?

It’s no longer just butterflies.
It’s building a home without breaking yourself.
It’s staying when leaving looks easier.
It’s effort. It's honesty.

It’s someone willing to try —
even on days when they fail.
So maybe…
love isn’t about finding the one.

Maybe love is not to find,
but made, unmade, and made again.
Maybe love isn’t about fate.
Maybe it’s about showing up.

Maybe it’s about choosing someone —
again, and again, and again —
even when the magic wears off
and all that’s left is truth.

We seek not just a pretty face—
but one who stays through storms and years.
Not flawless, but forgiving
Not perfect — but human.

First published by Kashmir Pen in Samovar Songs