Poem Review: Dipping Words in Love
This is undeniably the longest break Ponder has taken in the past five years. However, I’m not going anywhere; I’m here, writing during the last week of December, energized and ready to complete the already-announced Tribute Series. With two more poetry reviews lined up, I believe Ponder 2024 will be the biggest year yet.
If there is any poet who brings youthful joy and hope together, both in her disposition and verses, it is Sakshi Arora. Sakshi Arora has featured in all 4 editions of Ponder before and has also published her poetry collection under ‘Aisling’. Here is her profile:
I am a D.Phil scholar in the Department of English and Modern European Languages, at the University of Allahabad. My research focuses on the autobiographies of transgender people.
I hold an Assistant Professor qualification ( NTA UGC NET, English Literature) and have also qualified for the GATE. Through my research and contributions to various publications in this field, I aim to bridge academia and social issues.
I also hold a diploma in French Language. Beyond my academic pursuits, I am a passionate poet and storyteller, as well as a Verbal, Communication, and Personality Development trainer.
In addition to writing poems for various national and international anthologies, I have also written poems for various online literary journals. I am the author of the book, Aisling. For me, poetry is the way to find emotional catharsis. I believe that poetry sheds light on the world and provides the best way to express yourself and understand others. I love to be in the imaginative world of fiction. Moreover, I admire everything revolving around the arts in general and literature in particular.
We are thrilled to welcome Sakshi Arora to our Tribute Series. We shall celebrate her poetry with three of her recent poems. Her poems bubble with self-love and romance, hope and happiness, and pain with relief. All her words are dipped in love.
Note: Aisling, her poetry collection can be bought here.
Poem 1: Dipping Words in Love
I dip my words in love
Seasoning and flavoring them
with some magical metaphors-
Enhancing its natural flavor;
And how badly I fail!
Poor wordplay!
I try to decorate something,
which is so beautiful in its raw form-
Vulnerable yet resilient.These unadorned windows to the soul-
play beautifully with words
the genuine curve of my lips-
smiles and speaks of our love
This chuckle calls out your name
in innumerable ways.Glad, they don’t fail me
They don’t fail us. ♥️💛🍂💛🍂💛🍂💛🍂💛
Commentary on Poem 1:
When a poet becomes a painter, there is something beyond words. A visual that conjures colors and emotions. Beauty is the visual representation of love, while taste is its olfactory representation.
I dip my words in love
Seasoning and flavoring them
with some magical metaphors-
Enhancing its natural flavor;
A master chef is preparing a poetic dish. She marinates, seasons, and flavors the poems, making them visually, audibly, and olfactorily appealing to the reader, transcending their natural essence. It’s as if the poems are conveyed just as they are meant to be. Metaphor serves as the flavorful spice. Love is never dull; instead, it is vibrant and full of flavor.
And how badly I fail!
Poor wordplay!
I try to decorate something,
which is so beautiful in its raw form-
Vulnerable yet resilient.
Sometimes a decorated dish is not enough. The raw words, saturated with emotion, dripping with salty tears and vivid struggles, resonate deeply. The heart of the poet, who carefully crafts these words and adds metaphorical flavors, creates something beautiful in its natural form. The carefully constructed pieces can feel like shortcomings when compared to the authenticity of the raw expression. The embellishments often turn out to be poor wordplay. The poet comes to a realization, feeling both regret and appreciation for her instinctive language, which is vulnerable yet resilient. Her eyes glisten with tears but also shine with hope.
These unadorned windows to the soul-
play beautifully with words
the genuine curve of my lips-
smiles and speaks of our love
This chuckle calls out your name
in innumerable ways.
The mind can be considered an index, but verses serve as the indices of the soul. When someone has a way with words, they create windows to the heart. Words can be written, painted, or expressed through gestures with fingers, toes, eyes, and lips. The most essential expression of these emotions is a pleasant demeanor — particularly a smile, which radiates genuine happiness and reflects heartfelt love, illuminating the lover’s heart.
A smile may be quiet, while a chuckle is a louder, joyful, and resonant expression of happiness, as though the lover’s name has been called. The poem concludes as a vibrant representation of love.
Poem 2: Diffused Love
Your diffused love
travels through me-
To the mountains
To the valleys
Flowing, warm and deep
Charging the pores,
Filling aroma, both in and out
The air full of melodies murmured
Gushing emotions
Growing and glowing
Burning tranquility-
Exploring the depth- love abyss
Travelling and flowing
Through me, through you
With us, flowing-
Warm and deep. ❤️✨💛✨💛✨💛✨💛✨
Commentary on Poem 2:
The love that permeates the skies, the mountains, and the meadows spreads within. This beautiful poem follows the ‘dipped in love’ concept and extends beyond the words.
Your diffused love
travels through me-
To the mountains
To the valleys
Have you ever experienced that delightful sensation when you see the clouds drifting across a bright blue sky and the lush green mountains? In the foothills, there is a cozy valley that cradles the rivers. As you take in the scenery, something within you begins to melt. It’s a warmth that allows you to be fully present in the moment. That is how the diffusion of love feels.
Flowing, warm, and deep
Charging the pores,
Filling aroma, both in and out
The air full of melodies murmured
The warm love spreads through the body, creating a comforting sensation. Its aromatic scent fills the air, reminiscent of daisies, permeating every pore of our skin like a soothing balm that heals any ailments. In addition to this, the sound of love is melodious. Combining all these elements — aromatic, melodious, warm, and filling — we find ourselves immersed in a sweet, nourishing nectar.
Gushing emotions
Growing and glowing
Burning tranquility-
Exploring the depth- love abyss
Love is blissful but not entirely so. It is a contradictory force, bringing tranquility while also causing pain. It can be calm yet often bubbling with intense emotions. Love is both diffusive and expansive, shining in a multitude of colorful hues. However, there is also a deep, dark abyss that one can fall into when in love. If we think of love as a landscape, it is as diverse and varied as the earth itself.
Traveling and flowing
Through me, through you
With us, flowing-
Warm and deep. ❤️
We all melt and flow in warmth and depth, much like everything touched by the smoldering, burning lava of love. Now, imagine this: if a poet believes that love permeates everything and exists everywhere, then wouldn’t it make sense that if one dips their words in love, the result would be an all-encompassing poem?
Poem 3: Healing by Poetry
Wild and violent gush of wind
blowing harsh,
Ferocious heaven
dropping fiery rain,
And I am locked in bars
Writhing in pain
Strangled with sour aches
Crying for mercy
When the almighty chose to calm me
By striking a muse in my heart
And I healed in the name of poetry. ❤️❤️💛❤️💛❤️💛❤️💛💛❤️💛
While taking a break from every other job,
I chose poetry for healing and recovery. ❤️🩹💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐
Commentary on Poem 3:
When love leaves us, poetry is the panacea for pain. This poem discusses how poetry becomes the medicine for the mayhem of the heart.
Wild and violent gush of wind
blowing harsh,
Ferocious heaven
dropping fiery rain,
And I am locked in bars
Suffering emerges when love is lost. The wind is fierce, harsh, and violent. Hell becomes heaven, transformed by ferocity and rain of fire. Chunks of smoldering debris fall from the sky. The poet finds themselves trapped in this apocalyptic cage. The inner turmoil is intense and catastrophic.
Writhing in pain
Strangled with sour aches
Crying for mercy
The pain is overwhelming; she can’t endure it any longer. She wriths in pain, showing visible suffering. The agony radiates from her heart to her entire body — every part aches, and she cries out for mercy, hoping to be freed from this seemingly eternal torment.
When the almighty chose to calm me
By striking a muse in my heart
And I healed in the name of poetry. ❤️
Then, the Almighty intervenes. Like lightning from heaven that turns into purgative manna, a spark ignites deep within her heart, and the words and verses flow..
“Poetry heals the wounds inflicted by reason.”
― Novalis
Wounds inflicted by love can cause both mental and physical suffering. The torment experienced when love is lost can be healed through expression, transforming those feelings into verses. In this sense, poetry serves as a catharsis for love.
Dipping Words in Love
“Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind,
And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.”~A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare
True love is a deep and intellectual connection, founded on careful calculations and compromises. However, love is also fleeting, often marked by impulsive actions and reactions. The figure of Cupid, who flies and shoots arrows into lovers’ hearts, is frequently depicted as blind. This blindness symbolizes the passion and unpredictability of love.
Poets like Sakshi Arora express this theme in their work, skillfully weaving verses that capture the many dimensions of love. The fragile nature of love can be likened to a colorful flower vase, showcasing its beauty whether it is whole or broken—much like what is portrayed in Sakshi's poetry. Her choice of words is refreshing: simple yet deeply resonant. Her youthful and romantic style flows effortlessly from her pen, dipped in love.
~Ashok Subramanian © 2024
