A Longer Sonnet Poem by Nupur Parik

Like crystals of salt
Borne from rough seas,
And like round fists of topaz
Meant to gleam and evoke
Praise and envy-
Your eyes shone in that
Ineluctable sunshine
That had arrived after
Winning wars
Against clouds and darkness
To tickle my skin,
And to dye your face
With a shade of molten gold
That did everything in its power
To draw me to you
Like a compass to a map...

You curled your lips into a round egg,
Calling out my name like it was a prayer,
Your tongue romancing your palate to give sound
To my bisyllabic name, as if it was given
Merely so you could call out to me
And I could come home to you and never have to leave...