Friends Not Lovers Poem by Byantuyo Rahim

Star-stricken smile
whose eyes shine like a star,
allow me to accede to it.

Her cheeks round bells that jingle,
the smile that lifts the bells,
rises to her eyes.
Oh, mercy how it traps me, alas.

You see this girl, oh God,
I have seen people move,
watched feet tread the ground
yet none wiggle as hers.

I have listened to Adele sing,
Rudy Francisco recite,
but no voice soothes me quite like hers.

In her personality oh my God
I am drunk on it: the softness, the care.
I'd shout aloud to assure the world
of the less-errored creature I've found.

I wish I could be with her
but what if fate is different?
What if we are like the moon and sun
no matter the wish,
our hearts, our love, our dreams remain void?

Like parallel lines that never meet,
our hearts are destined to differ.
For the design of our lives has written it clear:
Friends, not lovers.