They both had faced so many hardships together
It never mattered on the circumstances or the weather
Both their faces shone from hard earned peace
A delight to the eye, the way those eyes crinkled and creased
Their story was a mystery, a secret to them all
No one knew and to ask, they just didn't have the gall
For all of them knew what real peace cost
They all didn't want to turn those warm faces to frost
But deep inside, they all frequently perished
To know what secret story they both cherished
They all, too wanted to know the real truth hidden
After all, they hadn't ever been told that the story was forbidden
They all gathered around the hearth in a cottage together
And whispered and planned in that rough, harsh weather
They all thought of ways, of cunning and to deceive
None of them knew what they were really about to receive
The man and woman saw this all from a window
And they both had that nagging feeling and wouldn't let it grow
So the woman looked lovingly into her husband's eyes
And said, 'Dear love, we should tell them, I think it's time.'
The husband nodded, not once but also twice
He wouldn't let them both fall again into any suspicious crevice
He made plans to call the village folk in a day
The gaze they all gave him, he didn't let himself get swayed
That very night, they all were invited in the house
Everyone was ready to hear the story of the husband and his spouse
They warmed beside the fire, how their faces shone
To find a beautiful house they could readily call home
The couple seated themselves in front of the door
They wouldn't wait, wouldn't accept any questions anymore
The times had come to set all of these things right
To stop these rumors which had spread like a blight
Their story was a simple one, not marvellous in fact
But the villagers were patient and didn't once impatiently act
For they knew, that both of them had quite a story to tell
It wouldn't work to be concerned inside their own shells
Then the story took a turn, and the villagers gasped
For they learned suddenly the truth, quite a bit at that
For hardship was exactly what they thought it to be
For not so long ago they were in an army not so free
They'd fought and battled without any solace
They were fed in numbers, kept apart in one army base
They're hearts yearned for each other even when not met
But they wouldn't be alive to meet each other they'd bet
For war was coming at a close, the end more brutal than before
And quitting now for themselves would make them each a whore
So they fought till the end and did not let themselves think
What might have happened to the other, at weakness's brink
When the war had ended they been cleaved apart
As they were kept at base to help, with only love in their hearts
When the casualties ended they began searching for each other
Days went by but none were found, a cruel trick of The Mother
Then on the start of a bright day, the boy was walking on
When he saw his love, standing alone at the end of dawn
They saw each other at the same time, the truth sinking in
Crushed each other in a heart wrenching embrace, let the love win
They cried and cried for hours, saying their own tales
How she'd cried, had not looked at another male
How he'd left hope alone, far off in another land
How he'd almost had nightmares of forever losing her hand
But they'd found each other, the villagers cried, to the hosts
Their hearts yearning, faces wet, yearning for them both
How they had survived through so much, and still lived
How they deserved peace, how much love had had to give?
The woman looked at her husband, love shining in her eyes
The husband looked back, as if alone, devoid of cruel vies
They both smiled, hearts one, as if they had an inner, soulful tether
She said, 'We deserve to be happy, dear, we deserve to be together.'
©AkshayaGadre