6 minute read
The Language of Love
Humans are so preoccupied – if not obsessed by love, that they apply the concept in every aspect of their lives. Every aspect. Have you ever looked at your pet and wondered how do they see you, what do they think of you? Do they love you? In the top chart of pets, dogs and cats are the two favourites. So it seems inevitable that people started to make them compete in every way possible. Every way. Who does love their owner the most or even at all? Dogs are often declared winners of such competition since they are considered particularly loyal, exalted and dependant. Everything cats are not. But I believe cats just constitute the proof that love does not have a single definition, a single manifestation and language. One love language we know our pets do not master though is poetry.
In the article The Evolution of the Love Poem, Chastity Moreno asserts that the very first ever written poem known by Historians was a love poem ‘‘named The Love Song of Shu-Sin, it was discovered during excavations in the Mesopotamian region, in a search for evidence to corroborate the stories of the Old Testament’’. Moreno says, ‘‘The poem is believed to have been used as part of a sacred ritual in which the king symbolically married a goddess named Inanna, a Sumerian goddess of love. The idea was this would ensure fertility and prosperity for the year. It was likely recited by Shu Shin’s chosen bride. While it was not love as we know it today, it was the ultimate representation of love between a monarch, his bride, and their god.’’
‘‘Bridegroom, dear to my heart,
Goodly is your beauty, honeysweet,
Lion, dear to my heart,
Goodly is your beauty, honeysweet.
You have captivated me, let me stand tremblingly before you.
Bridegroom, I would be taken by you to the bedchamber,
You have captivated me, let me stand tremblingly before you.
Lion, I would be taken by you to the bedchamber.’’
- The Love Song for Shu-Sin Poetry is one of the oldest languages of love. It is a language for these complex feelings which can be hard to express another way, including love. In my flat lives a fascinating, divine specimen – a poet. How many of us are able to say that they know a poet?
During Antiquity, poets were believed to be the Gods’ mediums. Through their art, the divine was speaking. In a way, this antique vision is still relevant nowadays. If the poets’ words were considered coming from above, it might have been because these words sounded absolutely true to most humans. In fact, truth does not necessarily have to come from the skies but can come from within individuals. Deep within are the most complicated feelings, the ones that make us human, the ones we all secretly feel. Within an individual is the universal.
How does one become a poet? I kindly asked my flatmate, Danielle Sojinrin, whose poetry Instagram account I discovered after she gave me the name of her personal account, to answer a few questions. Her poems are usually quite short but striking like lightning. Here she is, answering questions I had always wanted to ask a poet:
“Who are you? Could you then describe yourself in one poetic line?
‘‘My name is Danielle Sojinrin. n.w.p_oetry on Instagram and…
‘I have more words in my mind than I can say, so I settle for breathing them onto a page.’ ’’
How did you first discover poetry? And did you immediately like it?
‘‘It was in primary school actually. I had to write a poem for a class anthology we were making and I enjoyed writing it so much that I just continued from there to be honest.’’
Who are your favourite poets and why?
‘‘I have a horrible confession; I don’t even read poetry. Although Maya Angelou’s ‘Still I Rise’ will always be a favourite of mine to listen to. I just find it really inspirational and as a black woman it feels relatable.’’
How does someone go from reading poetry to writing some? Do you read poetry at all?
‘‘So, looking back on how I got into poetry, it was never through reading it, it was just me expressing myself. Sometimes I have a lot of feelings that I can’t speak about and the only way to release them is to write them out.’’
‘‘Coming from the city, stars are a pretty big deal. I’ve always found them beautiful. I definitely think there’s a sense of magic and mystery behind them but also peace. I always get this wave of peace when I just look up at a black sky and see stars.’’
How do you do it? Did your method change through time?
‘‘A lot of the time I just write around themes but my best poems are normally things I write based on my emotions and personal experiences. I like to believe my writing became more sophisticated and layered but I don’t know, I’m very self-critical.’’
What does inspire you? In terms of themes? And in terms of form?
‘‘I’m inspired most by things that matter to me. I think my best work was when I wrote a few pieces centred around BLM because it was something important to me. Form, I don’t have any. I literally write how I want to and it changes with each piece. I am the definition of chaotic energy.’’
Does one need to experience to be able to write? Do I need to have known love to be able to write a love poem? Or perhaps projection is sufficient and empathy is the poet’s quality?
‘‘I believe you don’t have to have experienced what you write about. Part of the creativity is being able to draw from emotions and experiences other than your own. That said, I do think that there is a unique authenticity that comes from poems written out of personal experiences.’’
What is poetry to you? Do you think the traditional features of poetry such as stanzas, rhymes, feet etc. can’t be dissociated from poetry?
‘‘Poetry will always be a way to express myself. Personally, I believe that traditional features of poetry like rhymes and stanzas shouldn’t be the building blocks when you’re writing, instead I think they work better as malleable tools that you as a poet can shape to help convey message and emotion in whatever you’re writing. Whenever I get caught in focusing on establishing a certain rhyming scheme or syllable count, I literally feel the creativity slipping from me. However, I have a great respect for those who can write traditionally, it’s not an easy thing to do. Whether it be sonnets, haikus or iambic pentameters, I struggle to get my writing to fit those moulds.’’
Could you insert here a poem that you’d like to see published?
‘‘Repetitive love, like a sedative drug,
but I want something that can wake my bones,
alert my soul that I’m not alone,
I want that caffeine kick after every kiss
to leave me breathless -
I want a love that leaves me
restless.’’
Tell us about that poem…
‘‘I have heard people complain in their long-term relationships that things don’t feel as exciting as they did at the beginning. I feel like it’s a very real danger that the monotonous, repetitive nature of life can actually seep into relationships and it’s something people should be aware of.
Do everything to keep that spark alive, love like the first time you realised they were the one for you.
If writing poetry is not necessarily about knowing its codes, masters and practices, but rather about solely, purely, expressing ourselves, I understand everyone can do it – anyone willing to bravely look at their own insides. Perhaps the wind to revive the spark of love and keep it alive resides in a few beautiful words that you can write down to your lover.’’
