Picture courtesy: Red leather sofa chair beside green by Haley Truong, Unsplash

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Happy Valentine’s Day dVerse Poets!

Sanaa here (aka adashofsunny) to stir your muses once again. I was absolutely delighted when I found out I am hosting today- as the month of February holds a certain magic for me. Here cassia trees are in full bloom and the heart is full of feeling.

For today’s Poetics, we are going to state what is in the heart plainly.

What Was Told That by Jalal al-Din Rumi   

What was said to the rose that made it open was said
to me here in my chest. 

What was told the cypress that made it strong
and straight, what was 

whispered the jasmine so it is what it is, whatever made
sugarcane sweet, whatever 

was said to the inhabitants of the town of Chigil in
Turkestan that makes them 

so handsome, whatever lets the pomegranate flower blush
like a human face, that is 

being said to me now. I blush. Whatever put eloquence in
language, that’s happening here. 

The great warehouse doors open; I fill with gratitude,
chewing a piece of sugarcane, 

in love with the one to whom every that belongs! 

The Moon rose over the bay, I had a lot of feelings by Donika Kelly  

I am taken with the hot animal
of my skin, grateful to swing my limbs 

and have them move as I intend, though
my knee, though my shoulder, though something
is torn or tearing. Today, a dozen squid, dead 

on the harbor beach: one mostly buried,
one with skin empty as a shell and hollow 

feeling, and, though the tentacles look soft,
I do not touch them. I imagine they
were startled to find themselves in the sun. 

I imagine the tide simply went out
without them. I imagine they cannot 

feel the black flies charting the raised hills
of their eyes. I write my name in the sand:
Donika Kelly. I watch eighteen seagulls 

skim the sandbar and lift low in the sky.
I pick up a pebble that looks like a green egg. 

To the ditch lily I say I am in love.
To the Jeep parked haphazardly on the narrow
street I am in love. To the roses, white 

petals rimmed brown, to the yellow lined
pavement, to the house trimmed in gold I am 

in love. I shout with the rough calculus
of walking. Just let me find my way back,
let me move like a tide come in. 

Over the decades, we have come across millions of poems with flowery language and lush metaphors. The kind that leaves one feeling breathless. It is a common desire, to be able to express love with zest and enthusiasm, to exceed all limits when it comes to describing facial features – after all, we are talking about the one who makes the heart flutter! The question is, why go overboard? Why must we feel overwhelmed by the need to use imagery, symbolism and diction? 

Picture courtesy: Woman looking straight by Mirna Rivalta, Unsplash. 

Because at the end of the day there is nothing more powerful than raw emotion. Nothing more meaningful than moments shared, lost and recalled. The feeling of love need not be embellished.  

For Today’s Poetics, I want you to write a love poem. Bear in mind that it doesn’t necessarily need to be romantic. It can also be dark and speak of ache and loss. It can transcend words and language. It can describe what the heart has been carrying within for a long time. The possibilities are endless.

New to dVerse? Here’s how to join in: 

• Write a poem in response to the challenge. 
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• You will find links to other poets and more will join so please do check 
• back later in order to read their poems. 
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