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This is a collection of love poetry that expresses longing, devotion, promise, and lighthearted companionship. Peaceful and hopeful images accompany the poems. The book is a festival of lyrical play and visual pleasures, making it a perfect sentimental gift for lovers to read together. The poems explore a variety of themes. The straightforward poetry could also encourage lovers on special occasions, such as Valentine's Day, a wedding day, an anniversary, or through a courtship.
Love poetry has a long tradition extending back to Sappho, etc. These poems might give someone who doesn't have experience with poetry a sense of confidence and energy to express their true love. The words capture the spirit of longing and the promise of undying love. The verses convey familiar sentiments that can give the reader warm reassurance. Just knowing such love exists in this wary world fills the heart with strength. The lover offers the poetry to the beloved. Any sense of repetition signals dedication to the love of one's life. Some of the accompanying photographs have people in them, while others have more abstract designs. Some images are serene scenes, such as a beach. The photos convey some of the sentiments of the poetry.
What's unique and compelling about this collection is how it moves through various moods of the poet. For example, there is a yearning and longing mood and a steadfast and committed one. There is a lustful mood as well as a mood of companionship and fun. All these moods in one collection help affirm the spectrum of emotions that accompanies being in love. A line from the poem "My Shining Star" expresses bold confidence: "A love that transverses the universe / never to be questioned / rarely found / never broken / onward bound." The image accompanying the poem reveals a twilight sky with stars shining around the words that invoke sentiments of peace and infinity. Even if lovers are apart and cannot travel to see each other in person, the lover's longing offers an unbreakable promise and undying hope that they will be together again.
Two more themes inspire strength: love is eternal, and there's always hope that the beloved reciprocates the feelings. "Nothing is impossible when I am with you / You bring me hope and life / Amidst all this travesty and strife / My heart yearns for you." Striking a lighter tone, some poems contain cheerful erotic suggestions: "In the buff, in the rough / Innocent, naked and bare / Let's kiss, make love, doing what we like, Without a care." Perhaps the reader will wonder why the "W" in the last phrase is capitalized, but maybe this is the point. The poet may be emphasizing "Without" a care because the lover's intimacy knows that he and his beloved are the only two people in the world.
Other selections stand out due to the feelings they foster. For instance, there is a sentiment of chivalry with an image of a knight and his damsel on a horse. The poem is called "Damsel" and charms anyone who adores classic chivalry. Dichotomy is also present in the collection. Poems such as "Sex" and "Lust" communicate two consenting lovers in the throes of passion. But then these are followed by "The Sun Shines Through Your Hair," which sounds more like a fantasy, and the poet retreats to more longing as a reminder that the consummation of a relationship is still negotiable. This feature makes the poetry collection feel colorful and dynamic.
In the book's introduction, the beloved Mei Liu writes, "One cannot but feel and enjoy each poem for its loving and treasured moments, its insights into love situations that will make you grin or bear." For readers who like poetry that inspires a reader to "grin or bear," this is a fun collection to add to the shelf.