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Romance of my Youth

I was only 7 years old, living with my grandmother when my neighbor's youngest daughter spoke to me first. This story is hilarious, amazing and then sad, I wish I could have had the chance to meet her for our third decade...





























young as I am

radiating naivete due to my age

I know I am a boy

and that she is a girl


I remember I wanted us to be friends

and even closer than that

I do not know what drives me to this

only that it is what I want


in a show of affection I push her

-and she pushes back, stained with dirt

and grandma breaks us up

and it was then I got the definition


grandma asks me to bathe
get ready for the marriage, she says

we will take care of the bride-price later
after the girl and I marry


I dash to the bathroom and bathe

I am excited, do I really know why I am this elated?
and I look at the starry eyed girl

innocently unaware of the budding romance


ten years later and I am a young man

it would be as long since I had seen her last

I go looking for her

the old surroundings flooding memories of childhood past

she opens the door, this pretty thing

a woman, and as amazing as I remembered her
quite ignorant of who I am, I reveal myself to her at last

then she remembers me, her awe more than evident as she stares at me

in half-disbelief
and pours me tea,
her eyes never off me
dusk comes upon us and I have to leave
having seen her, I am satisfied
and have to go home


yet another ten years pass, and I dream that she has come to me

clothed in white, radiant as the angels

and she bids me goodbye as she turns to light

may God keep her-the innocent romance of my youth


Image by Peter Griffin

http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/browse-author.php?a=296

Comments

Unknown said…
you wish
i am happy you met her when you were 15
i had something similar when i was 7 or so
i wonder if it was a dream...
Antony Kamau said…
We knew each other for another couple of years, though on and and off. If I remember correctly, at nine I went to live with my mother so we only saw each other during holidays. Sometimes at age 10 my grandmother retired she moved and I never saw her again till I was 18, that was our second time.

It does seem like a dream sometimes, maybe because its so pure, innocent and beautiful.

Thanks for your comment Tish.

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