by: Sarah Kay and Phil Kaye
I knew exactly what Love looked like … in 7th grade.
Even though I hadn’t met Love yet, if Love had wandered into my home room I would have recognized him at first glance – Love wore a hemp necklace.
I would have recognized her at first glance – Love wore a tight French braid.
Love played acoustic guitar, and knew all my favorite Beatles’ songs.
Love wasn’t afraid to ride the bus with me.
And I knew I just must be searching the wrong classroom, just must be checking the wrong hallway.
She was there, I was sure of it.
If only I could find him.
But when Love finally showed up – she had a bull cut!
He wore the same clothes everyday for a week.
Love hated the bus.
Love didn’t know anything about the Beatles.
Instead, every time I tried to kiss Love, our teeth got in the way!!!
Love became the reason I lied to my parents. I’m going to Ben’s house.
Love had terrible rhythm on the dance floor but made sure we never miss a slow song.
Love waited by the phone because she knew if her father picked up that’d be “Hello”… “Hh..” “Hello?” “Hh…” “I guess I’d hang up.”
And Love grew.
Stretched like a trampoline.
Love changed.
Love disappeared, slowly, like baby teeth.
Loosing parts of me I thought I needed.
Love vanished.
Like an amateur magician everyone could see the trapdoor but me.
Like a flat tire – there were other places I had planned on going.
But my plan didn’t matter.
Love stayed away for years.
And when Love finally reappeared, I barely recognized him.
Love smells different now, had darker eyes.
A broader back, Love came with freckles that I didn’t recognize.
New birth mark – a softer voice.
Now there were new sleeping patterns.
New favorite books.
Love had songs that reminded him of someone else.
Songs Love didn’t like to listen to, so did I.
But we found a park bench that fit us perfectly.
We found jokes that make us laugh.
And now Love makes me fresh homemade chocolate chip cookies.
(But Love will probably finish most of them for a midnight snack.)
Love looks great in lingerie but still likes to wear her retainer.
Love is a terrible driver, but a great navigator.
Love knows where she’s going, it just might take her two hours longer than she planned.
Love is messier now.
Love is simple.
Love uses the word boobs in front of my parents!
Love chews too loud.
Love leaves the cap off the toothpaste.
Love uses a smiley face in her text messages.
And turns out… Love shits.
But Love also cries;
And Love will tell you “You are beautiful”, and mean it.
Over and over again.
“You are beautiful.”
When you first wake up, “You are beautiful.”
When you’ve just been crying, “You are beautiful.”
When you don’t wanna hear it, “You are beautiful.”
When you don’t believe it, “You are beautiful.”
When nobody else will tell you, “You are beautiful.”
Love still thinks, “You are beautiful.”
But Love is not perfect and will sometimes forget.
When you need to hear it most, “You are beautiful.”
Do not forget this.
Love is not who you were expecting.
Love is not what you can predict.
Maybe Love is in New York City already asleep.
You are in California, Australia, wide awake.
Maybe Love is always in the wrong time-zone.
Maybe Love is not ready for you.
Maybe you are not ready for Love.
Maybe Love just isn’t the marrying type.
Maybe the next time you see Love is 20 years after the divorce.
Love looks older now but just as beautiful as you remember.
Maybe Love is only there for a month.
Maybe Love is there for every firework. Every birthday party. Every hospital visit.
Maybe Love stays. Maybe Love can’t. Maybe Love shouldn’t.
Love arrives exactly when Love is supposed to and Love leaves exactly when Love must.
When Love arrives, say, “Welcome. Make yourself comfortable.”
If Love leaves, ask her to leave the door open behind her.
Turn off the music. Listen to the quiet.
Whisper, “Thank you for stopping by.”
GUIDE QUESTIONS:
What is your own interpretation of the poem?
On my own understanding, and as the poem always mentions, it is all about love. I think it is all about how a person perceives love over time. The first part of the poem talks about how the persona is so familiar with the thing called “love.”
“I knew exactly what Love looked like … in 7th grade….
....Even though I hadn’t met Love yet, if Love had wandered into my home room I would have recognized him at first glance – Love wore a hemp necklace.
I would have recognized her at first glance – Love wore a tight French braid…..”
It can be vividly seen here that a seventh-grade kid sees love as the best thing in the world. From what he/she heard, saw, and felt from his surroundings, love is so perfect. Even though he/she hasn't experienced it, he/she knows well what it is and the joy it could possibly bring to his/her life.
However, when the persona has finally met love, it is not something he/she has expected. The persona learned that love could make someone do things he/she could have never imagined he would. Other than that, he/she has also discovered that love is not as beautiful and magical as he/she used to think. At this stage of his/her life, she already saw love as something that is so complicated, imperfect, and full of trials. But despite all of these unexpected traits of being in love, the persona still found comfort and even found ways to compromise because it still feels great. For him/her, love constantly made her feel as if she were the most beautiful being in the universe.
Overall, love is something so unpredictable. It may come and will stay or will just stop by. Nevertheless, the persona reminded us that with all the uncertainty of being in love, we must not be afraid to welcome it with an open arm. For sure, the pain it may cause could be unbearable at times. However, it would still leave the greatest memories and lessons that we will have ever experienced. As stated in the last part of the poem,
“....When Love arrives, say, “Welcome. Make yourself comfortable.”
If Love leaves, ask her to leave the door open behind her.
Turn off the music. Listen to the quiet.
Whisper, “Thank you for stopping by.”
Love is indeed beautiful, isn’t it?
Why is this your favorite poem?
I first heard When Love Arrives by Sarah Kay and Phil Kaye during one of our literature classes back in Senior High School. And from that very moment, I have been hooked by this poem up until now.
At first, I got enticed by how impressive the performance of the two poets was. The way they spoke, their body movements, and the emotions they imparted to me as one of their audience were just so mesmerizing. Other than that, the choices of words and the sequencing of the sentences were really catchy, too! It used figurative language which made the poem even more interesting.
Afterward, I watched their performance on youtube again and even searched on google for its whole piece, and - WOW! Just wow. The poem has really made me realize a lot of things during that time. Because honestly, I had seen love as something like a gamble where if you take all the risks, there is no guarantee for a lifetime of happiness. It’s like one in a million, for me. However, after listening attentively to this poem, I really got touched and even teared up a bit. It made me realize how amazing love is, like how it could turn someone to be the kindest person in the world. People become forgiving, selfless, and caring, and become the most understanding person they could ever be. It’s just so fascinating. I could listen to this the whole day for the whole week without getting ill.
Anyways, in conclusion, this poem has become my cup of tea because of three reasons. The poets performed it really well and the poem itself was really intriguing and interesting. Lastly, the poem introduced me to the beauty of the kingdom of love and made me wonder how beautiful it could be to be in love.
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