A Letter to You

Before I post my next work I felt it was important to address a common theme that I explore in my writing. Love. Recently commenters have called my writing "interesting" or an odd way to describe love; because, in some cases I've chosen to focus on sides of love that are less frequently visited. For example, I've posted two poems about my sister. One addresses the aspects about her that would make me squirm, if anyone else did them. But because she’s my sister those things make me love her even more. The other poem paints a very stereotypical picture of an angelic sisterly admiration. Both address love but they do it in very different ways.

When I wrote "SMD", I wrote it to complete an assignment. But I also wrote it to mirror one of the most authentic ways that I see love. To get my message across, I needed to be relatable. So I chose my audience, siblings, and I spoke to them. It's impossible relate to everyone with every piece that you write. So choose who to address and focus on them. That doesn't mean others won't relate to your work, or receive your message, but you'll have a clear direction and focus; that's how I pinpointed my own.

Now, I'm not going to dive too deep into sibling culture but there are certain experiences that a large number of siblings have. Many of those experiences, in the moment, are earth shattering; they could result in cutting off communication or even start a fight. However, whether it be minutes, seconds, or years later, those moments oftentimes (not always) turn into memories that we laugh at for the rest of our lives.

To that effect, "SMD" turned out to be a roast, which I loved and so did my sister. Though, I will admit it is a little roastier than intended. But that showed my immaturity, my lack of sensitivity, my observations, my sense of humor, our relationship as siblings, and more. I, however, hoped it also showed how comfortable I am with my sister, how much time we spend together, and a glimpse of who we truly are.

My target audience for “Santa Maria”, however, was not siblings. With this poem, I aimed to reach admirers of beauty and lovers of poetry who observe life through rose colored lenses. "Santa Maria" is a romanticized image of adoration. It's a ray of sunlight that we all see in many of our loved ones. And it's a portrayal of how I see my sister as she looks at life. In this piece, I created an image that I painted with words to share the overwhelmingly peaceful love that I often feel with my sister. My focus here was primarily to convey feelings, in hopes they may reach someone and add a little warmth to their day.

For me, the complexitiy of the words that I've chosen to share in both poems, in the format that I've chosen to share them, perfectly depict how I see love to be in those instances. More importantly, I leave room to continue to explore the many different faces of love as they are infinite. And I'd like to bring you all along on that journey with me. Will you look for love with me?

~J