A girl who is pure and bright,
Found a boy and made him shine his light.
Forever sealed with a vow, willfully.
Loved every moment, you and me.
Twenty years, hand in loving hand
A lovely journey, steadfast and grand,
From the hot and dusty streets of Gurgaon,
To exhaling frost, and clearing snow, Chicagoans.
Through work and chasing dreams,
Infosys, IBM, Sears, a new Symphony future gleams,
Hewitt, Aon, Ascension providing too,
Building life with purpose true.
From Greece’s volcanoes for a honeymoon,
To Australia’s desert and shores, making us swoon.
Paris glowed in Christmas and winter’s cheer,
London’s friends brought laughter near.
Finland’s skies in emerald hue,
To Bali's villas, stories and oceans blue.
Turkey called with tales to trace,
Dubai and Doha's dunes time cannot erase.
The Swiss Alps stood tall, a silent guide,
Through Germany’s woods, side by side.
Sacred Indian lands and tiger filled jungles to the Qutb standing tall
National parks, skyscrapers, seasons winter, spring, summer and fall.
33 countries, counting, steps well travelled
Across mountains and seas, memories unraveled.
Autoimmune tried to break nerves of steel, waging war,
Allergies can try to keep breaking down the door.
Through sugar fueled highs or lows
We adapt, no matter how the wind blows
A pandemic's grip, the world caught in fear untold
We faced it together, we stood bold.
Yet life bestowed its grandest prize—
Two shining stars to ease our eyes.
Two daughters, love’s gentle grace,
Anika and Ariyana—joy to be embraced.
One runs with fire, and breaks water free,
Her clarinet melody flowing in harmony.
With fashion bold and pages turned,
Her dreams ignite, her passions burn.
The other paints with colors wide,
An empathetic heart, a world inside.
She dreams beyond the earth and sky,
A future astronaut set to fly.
Through every joy, through all the test,
These two are our most treasured crest.
More than vows, a bond stronger than us two,
Our family’s love that has seen us through.
Always there, our load ready to shoulder, standing near,
Their voices, wisdom, steady, guiding and clear.
Together we held, through storm and song,
With branches so fierce, with roots so strong.
The years may pass, but one truth stays,
Our love will light the way.
Karthik Raja 