I was walking along the corridor, something flashed behind me. I turned and there she was, the vision of beauty. She was petite, slightly so, with dainty legs she was walking around with a confident stance and fire in her eyes. The color of her skin was honey. She was, if it can be described in one word, breathtaking. She came to a halt in front of another woman. And then she smiled, a quick smile. My heart stopped beating and I was speechless. Her smile, it was angelic as well as sarcastic, as if she knew a joke that one else knew. She had chiseled features, small and lovely. All my senses were numb. She had a special way about her, an aura around her that compelled all the eyes in the room to look at her and only her. I was an obvious victim of those same stunning, ravishing and brilliant eyes. When she laughed, her eyes laughed too. Something fluttered in my heart and went loose, as if I was liberated at last. I became a poet. At that point, I could compete with anyone. Keats, Byron, Wordsworth, Shelley. Just anyone.
Slowly, very slowly her eyes met mine. My mind went blessedly blank. If there was a heaven, then here it was. She was so beautiful. Painters dream of painting such kind of a face. She had an aristocratic nose, poet’s mouth and eyes the shape of almonds. Her dark hair hung loose on her shoulders and eyes. Even without touching them anybody would know they were silk. I was so engrossed in looking at her that I had completely forgotten that she was also looking at me. I knew I was staring and I knew it was rude, but I couldn’t help myself. If I would have been a painter, then I would have painted her then and there. It would have been my singular masterpiece. Her lips were curved and she gave me a half smile, a half amused smile. I was mesmerized. There was no single coherent thought left in my mind. She was above all others. A complete woman.
I wanted to speak. I wanted to talk to her. But, I was completely out of depth, about what. I wanted to walk up to her and tell her something. Anything. She had a questioning look in her eyes and had started talking to her friend. Her smile had turned into a frown. And then in a blink of an eye, the frown was gone, she was turning and walking away. I was terrified, petrified. Please God, don’t let this woman walk away right now. I had stopped praying, many years back, yet I prayed today. I wanted to run after her but I was transfixed. I couldn’t slide a single word from my brain to my mouth.
Enough was enough. I finally decided to do what was rummaging through my head. All nervousness gone, I opened my mouth, took a step towards her and then reality came crashing back. How could I forget? How could I go speak to her? How would I even l listen to her? It was a long time back that I had lost my sense of speech and hearing. I was given everything, hell everything else. Feelings, a heart to love, eyes to see and knowledge of words. But, the way to express anything was ripped away from me.
I cursed myself, God and walked away.
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