No matter the odds

They say that this is not love.

But what do they know about love?
What do they know about the fleeting glances,
I throw at you when you are not looking?
What do they know about the caress of you hand,
Against the small of my back?
They cannot answer these questions, the way I can.
Or I am mistaken, they might answer them well enough,
Because no matter what we do in the vicinity of our home,
My virtue and your lovemaking is their ‘business’.
It is their business to revel in your debauchery,
Just like it is mine to receive it.
It is also my business to walk with my head held high,
When I revisit my nightmares every day on the streets.
But do not worry about these inconsequential things,
I have endured much worse at the hands of other men.
You have been kinder than most, my love.
This is why I will not let them slander my love for you,
Because no matter the odds, my love for you will not diminish,
Even if you are the one to extinguish it tomorrow.

Supriya Singh