What to Do With a Photosynthetic Lover
Rohinton Daruwala
Take it slow,
as if you have a choice.
Lose him in the tall grass,
so that you can find him again
and cover yourself in green.
They told you you’d have to stand
with her in the Sun for all those hours,
but they never told you about the thorns
that grow out and into you
with every small argument.
Listen to the seasons, if you would
dance with your lover, and slowly
grow the bark of trust that
allows you to unroot them.
And whether their leaves fall in
winter or summer, do not mourn or fret.
For in a mere heartbeat of days,
their arms will open up again
in a thousand aching buds
that long only for the warmth
of your touch.
Rohinton Daruwala lives and works in Pune, India. He writes code for a living, and speculative fiction and poetry in his spare time. He tweets as @wordbandar. His work has previously appeared in Strange Horizons.