It was long ago in the Indus Valley
under a sky older than memory.
Two figures sat close by a fire’s glow.
The air between them trembled—
a space both fragile and heavy.
Their hands reached out,
fingers working to learn
the language of touch.
Without knowing why,
she tilted her face,
heart beating wild.
Drawn to her he leaned in closer,
until her breath licked flames
that warmed his face.
Their lips brushed—
tentative, then true and sure.
The fire sparked higher,
and the world paused,
too astonished to bear witness
to the truth and beauty they created.
In that instant,
they discovered speech without words,
oaths that need never be sworn
and bonds without rope or knot.
Fixed in our memories
for more than three millennia
as if love had always known this secret.
We reenact it reverently
with
every
first
kiss—
