Anything but a ritual.

And I thought love was a dreary ritual,
a chore and a never ending trouble.
Of heart aches and broken promises,
of winsome words but weary actions.

And I thought love was a dreary ritual.
But that was a long way before today.
Way before I was ever known to you.
Way before life unfolded to me anew.

And I thought love was a dreary ritual,
but that was before I found any trace of you.
You - unspoiled, forthright and innocent,
whimsical, pure and effortlessly true.

And I thought love was a dreary ritual,
an utter fool I was, to be thinking so!
With you love got magical and surreal,
patient and giving, truly unconditional.

And I know today that love is a gift.
To be accepted, cherished and kept,
to be kept away from common convention,
to be treated like a slice from heaven.

With you love, vices don't intrude.
With you love, nothing does delude.
With you love, life is beautiful, like rainbows in May.
With you love, life is perfect, in every way.

Gargi