I know, I remember (p.s. I still do)

Poem by Refilwe J. Mokgatlenyane

I know how I felt the first time I saw you
I know my heart skipped beats more than once or twice in a semi- second
I know I stammered the whole day because words kept running away from me
Every time you looked into my bold eyes
I know I felt a feeling that I never had felt before,
A feeling much happier than my first day at kindergarten
I know I felt that pull that longed to bring our bodies to cling together and I fought against it the whole day

I know how I felt the first time you looked into my eyes
I know my eyes envied that they were perfectly crafted to remain beautiful before you
I know how my body reacted the same way potassium does to water
I know the spark in my right eye lit more brighter than it’d set my whole body ablaze
I know I saw beauty through your eyes that I couldn’t look at any other

I know how I felt the first time you hugged me
I remember how my pain went numb and my demons got burnt to ashes
I remember how I blushed a thousand times and could even hear the click sound of my eyelashes
I remember how my body communicated, like a soulless corpse that had been brought back to life
I remember the twitch in my eye and how it repeated more often when you cupped my face
I remember how I felt when you had your arm wrapped around my waist
I remember how I felt knowing that your arms are the only safest place
I remember how I felt when we walked down the old road together, warm colors of twilight drawing
Our silhouettes against the drowning dawn

I remember when I saw the first shooting star and your name crossed my mind
I remember how I let my lips curve into a half moon whenever my thoughts would rewind
To the first time I met you
I remember how we laughed and played splash and dash in the rain, not paying attention to the soft raindrops as they turned our clothes into a beautifully wet mess

I remember how I felt when you first put that necklace around my neck
How you told me to close my eyes and I knew I’d trust you even if I was blind
I remember how you wholly smiled at me and streams of tears created an ocean inside my eye shells
I remember how you wiped the tears away with your thumb and your lips parted into a perfect grin

I remember how I felt the first time you pressed your lips against my forehead
I remember how euphoria doused over my heart and emotions; I remember how my heart sprinted like a whippet winning its race
I remember how I was more than ready to tell the world that in my heart, you’ve won a place
A place so special and golden like a prestigious palace

I remember how I clung to your waist and wrapped you with my arms
I remember how many times I made that plea, that you never get away from me
I remember how many times we chanted promises of forever like a daily mantra
I remember the pleasure, how much I love you and how much I still do