Poem: “Do You Still Care?” – Unresolved Love and Longing

DO YOU STILL CARE?

Tell me if you care,
hold my hand if you dare,
I’ve been waiting for so long for you
to come into my life,
I’ve been searching through the stretches far wide,
for your clue,
a scent of air that bumped off your skin,
an eyelash that came off with the tears you shed,
or just a tiny bit of nail clipped off your hand.
I’ve turned horrible in dreaming of you,
I sat through nights visualising you,
I burned hundreds of candles in praying to be near you.
Did I ever manage to touch your heart?
Did I ever show up in your dreams?
When you close your eyes, what do you see?
When you hold another man’s hand do you still care about me?
When you toss and turn at night do you sit up
and cry for what we couldn’t be?

Writing “Do You Still Care?” was an emotional journey for me. It’s a poem born out of a deep sense of longing and unfulfilled love. I wanted to capture that universal feeling of waiting and hoping for someone who might not even be aware of our existence. The process of waiting and yearning is something many of us go through, and it’s both beautiful and painful.

When I wrote about waiting for so long and searching through vast stretches, it was my way of expressing the exhaustive nature of longing. It’s not just a physical search but an emotional and mental one as well. We look for signs, for anything that might connect us to that person, no matter how small or insignificant it might seem. This search often consumes us, as we hope to find a trace of their presence in our lives.

The imagery of burning candles represents the hope that never dies. Even in the darkest times, we hold onto the light, believing that someday, things will change. This act of burning candles is a ritual of hope and faith, a way to keep our dreams alive even when reality seems harsh.

As I explored the essence of these feelings, I realized that unfulfilled love is filled with questions. These questions are not just directed at the other person but are also reflections of our own insecurities and doubts. We want to know if we ever mattered, if our love was ever acknowledged, and if we left any mark on their heart. These questions haunt us, making us wonder about our place in their life and if they think of us the way we think of them.

The lines about visualizing and dreaming of the person are about the intensity of our emotions. When you are deeply in love, you find yourself constantly thinking about them, imagining scenarios, and dreaming of a future together. These dreams become a part of your reality, and they provide a temporary escape from the pain of separation.

One of the most powerful aspects of unfulfilled love is the bittersweet memories. The poem touches on this with the lines about holding another man’s hand and wondering if they still care. It’s about the constant comparison and the lingering thoughts of what could have been. These memories stay with us, making us question if the other person ever feels the same way or if they have moved on completely.

Writing this poem was a way for me to express these complex emotions in a simple and relatable manner. It’s about the hope, the pain, and the endless questions that come with unfulfilled love. Through “Do You Still Care?”, I wanted to connect with others who might be going through similar experiences and let them know that they are not alone in their journey.

In essence, this poem is a reflection of the human condition—the longing, the hope, and the heartache that we all experience at some point in our lives. It’s a reminder that while love can be incredibly beautiful, it can also be incredibly challenging. But even in the midst of this challenge, there is a sense of connection and shared experience that brings us together.