“Mein tumse pyaar karti hoon”
Is how we say Those Three Words in the language that raised us.
I, to you, do love.
5 words. And 5 is greater than 3 so I could say more in less in English, right? Wrong.
In Hindi, I exist in verbs.
I come alive, passive smoke to active, burning flame.
I don’t just love, I do love.
I do the growing and stretching and striving it takes to bring another life into mine.
I do the sleepless tosses and turns, wondering if I’m getting this right.
But, I also do the belly laughs that sing my song for everyone to hear.
I choose who to do all this with, and every day I choose you.
So no, I don’t want to love you in English.
Because it is limiting.
Because it is quiet.
Because it is just not enough.
I want to love you, loudly, in Hindi.
In Spanish.
In tongues I can’t even form yet, because love is exhausting but I’m not tired of you.
