A poem about laying eyes on them for the first time.
Illustration by Amy Ly (Graphic Designer, The Continuist) IG: @famy.ly_dessart
By Shadman Chowdhury-Mohammad (he/him, IG: @mr.shadmanz)
Content Creator (Poetry), The Continuist
Do you ever see a person
And wonder if you have met them before
Even though you have not?
You feel like
You have known
Them all your life
When really
It is the first time
You are seeing them.
You feel like
You know everything about them
As if they were
Around you since the beginning
But for some reason
You never noticed.
What could it be?
Love at first sight?
Or what if it’s your imagination
Exploring its most surreal depths?
Could it be that
They remind you of a person
From your past
But you don’t know who?
Someone you do not remember
But after meeting this person,
Someone you want to remember?
Could it be a person
You admired
In the past?
Someone you remember
In tiny glimpses
In your blurriest dreams?
Could this be a way of the
Universe punishing you
For an unknown fallacy
That is left
To be atoned for?
Or could this be
A way of the Universe
Favoring you?
A way of the Universe telling you
That this person is
Someone you want to
Keep on your side forever
A friend, a lover
Someone you want
To feel connected with?
Could this be the universe
Gifting you with a companion
After all the years of
Heartbreak and loneliness
You endured?
You see her
Not just while standing in front of her
But you see her
Whenever you watch sunsets,
As if her image is superimposed
Upon your perception
Of everyday wonders.
As if her image is superimposed
Upon your memories
Of the most picturesque moments
Of your life.
You do not just
See her across space
But across time
In portraits of
Famous historical figures,
In portraits of
Long-lost loved ones.
You wonder,
Why does she feel so dear to me?
Is she a reincarnation of a person
I once loved?
You do not just see her upfront,
But further away,
And still further away,
And way back,
In a vast place
Like a forest glade.
Photo by author: Shadman Chowdhury Mohammad