Love Letter Laments

This was a poem I recited at You, Me and Poetry evening on Valentines month to celebrate love. The theme for the day was  'We Don't Write Love Letters Anymore'. I began with a couplet from one of my favourite ghazals.

Pyaar ka pehla khat likhne mein waqt to lagata hai,

Naye parindon ko uddne mein waqt to lagata hai,

 Pyaar ka pehla khat likhane mein waqt to lagata hai.

Maggi noodles to do-teen minute mein bann jaati hai,

Parr dheemi aanch parr, dum mein

Biryaani pakaane mein waqt to lagata hai!

I am a love letter standing here in pain,

Looking for reasons on being treated with utter  disdain.

In todays fast-paced world relationships and situationships thrive,

Crushes bloom overnight and flings fade by morning light.

Break-ups and one-night stands are common,

Partners change in the blink of an eye,

Longevity and loyalty are a rarity,

When one goes, another will come by.

Once I was written with trembling hands

And sealed with a kiss,

A whisper of perfume or a dry rose,

Sadly, all this is given a miss.

A love letter no longer any worth holds,

What matters now is only platinum, diamonds and gold.

Holding hands, that flutter in the heart and the love-porn gaze,

All are over-ridded by infidelity, true love is lost in the maze.

Earlier people wondered how to begin,

My dear, sweetheart or only mine,

Now Chat GPT, Gemini and Perplexity

Gives you neatly assembled , formatted love line.

Those were the days when love mattered,

When words came straight from the heart,

Now it is AI all the way,

Real emotions and feelings play no part.

You have forgotten me,

 I ma lost in the corner of the cupboard,

Only the sender and receiver knows my worth,

Among memories kept, yellowed and smothered.