Between Classes and Heartbeats

College.

First day.

Curious spectacled eyes.

Smile tugged at heart-strings.

Crush.

Classes.

With you.

Lab experiments together.

Hidden confession letter found.

Love.

Image Source: Unsplash

(This poem has received a "Special Mention" in Day 10 of NaPoWriMo 2026, hosted by Storyscrapers, Prompt: Double Elfchen on forming a new connection or friendship, Style: Two elfchens, 11 words each, 1-2-3-4-1 structure×2.)

An Altar in Your Name

Your memories remain tucked away

In the quietest corner of my heart,

In my solitary hours, I retrieve them,

And my imagination crafts them into a lover—

Living, breathing, whispering sweet nothings in my ear.

Your eyes are sad, translucent with pain,

I long to hold your face in my palms and to kiss your eyes,

I transform my solitude into love—

Dark grey monsoon clouds, heavy with mourning, hover in the sky,

I ask them to send my love and kisses to you.

Desire rises in me like waves,

And breaks at the shore of my soul,

Bewildered as I am, unsure what to do with them,

I carve an altar with them,

And mark it with your name.

Image Source: Unsplash

(This poem has received a "Special Mention" in Day 3 of NaPoWriMo 2026, hosted by Storyscrapers, Prompt: Sculpted by the Poet, Style: Descriptive.)

The Soul of Verse

Poetry is not just coruscant language

With its ballads, rhythm and rhyme,

It is expression of the soul,

In terms of rasas nine.

It's the connection between the mundane and the universal,

Between the physical and the spiritual,

Reminding us of the beauty of the world

And that all reality is dual.

Impassioned outpourings

Give the poet refuge and solace,

Words touch a soft chord with the reader,

Applause is what greets the poet.

Image Source: Unsplash

(This poem has been a winner in Day 2 of NaPoWriMo 2026, hosted by Storyscrapers, Prompt: Side Effects of Poetry, Style: Free Verse.)