Yesterday we talked about Sappho, one of the most influential poets in all of history. Today, we're going to be continuing our poetry series by talking to a real life love poet and learning all of what it means to pour your soul out in verse. I'm Sarah Wendell.
I'm Alisha Rai. I welcome to lovestruck daily where we bring a love story to your ears every single day.
I'm in love with that I'm in love with you. I don't have any love poems for you. But I do have some good reviews of the podcast, which to me are like love poems. Oh, that's that is poetry to me yours. It is the best poetry and I love these reviews so much. Because I mean anyone who says hey, I like what you're doing. Listen, that makes my entire
week. Yeah. And it makes it easier for other listeners to find us. So we very much appreciate it's true. Easiest way to support our podcast is to leave us some nice words.
Yes, you can even write us a poem. Yeah, please. A haiku. Yes, whatever you wish. And if you want to start there once was the man from Nantucket that's okay, too. We'll accept
that. We'll saucy little spicy. But here's
a review from smiley moves. And smiley moods, please no is my new favourite human. Alicia Ray has long been one of my favourite not only Romance Writers, but people. Smiley moves, we have things in common. Watching her love story has been so joyful. And I love that she brings that energy to this podcast. Oh, I never heard of Sarah window. But she is a delight and their report is so fun. All right. I'm a delight. It has been officially registered. I am so happy that the positivity this podcast puts into the world. Thank you ladies keep spreading love. Oh, thank you smiley moods. I am delighted to be delighted.
And mermaid zero dreamer says this is the perfect way to start my workday. Just a little dose of love and cheerfulness. Oh, that's so nice. I
love I love that
we're part of people's day. That's really sweet.
It is so lovely. I mean, I know when Linda when she was a guest, she talked about how she listens to us before bed. Hello, Melinda. If you're listening, we hope you sleep very well tonight. Yeah, but also starting the day. That is just lovely. Thank you mermaid dreamer. Yeah, that's really great. I'm so honoured that people are making as part of their day
things that bring you a little little jolt of joy. I think that that's incredibly important. Don't be ashamed of that. It's not a guilty pleasure. Okay.
There's no need to feel guilty about your pleasures. But you know, instead of words of guilt and shame, let's have words of love and poetry today, shall we?
I'm so excited for this guest move to Shruti joaillerie is a confessional poet, actor and author based in Mumbai, India. She's here today to share with us some of her work and delve into the power of poetry. Please welcome Sruthi Hi, Sruthi, thank you so much for joining us today. We're very excited to have you.
I was just way too excited for this. I have been waiting eagerly for this. And you are
a confessional poet, an actor and an author, correct? Yes. And you are based in Bombay?
Yes.
How long have you been writing poetry?
Ever since I was a kid, I was a loner kid. I'm an only child. I was shy. I was introverted. So I was always reading books. While I was reading, I always wanted to like, create stories of my own. And I always failed at writing stories because they would turn into poetry instead. So they will always rhyme and I'm like, Hey, that's not too bad. I used to write for myself. I used to write in my journal. I used to have a blog on blogspot. blogspot. Back in the day. Yeah. So many memories. But the official writing started around 2014 2015 Okay, when I started putting it out on Instagram, and people liked it, and I was like, oh, okay, that's happening. Did
you go into it consciously thinking, Oh, this is a great medium for my poetry or was it just sort of a happy accident?
So I also dabble in photography. So for me Instagram was just that it was like a photo album, you know, I used to just click pictures and posts and then some of those pictures would inspire these captions like these long boy the captions and again, I think I was still writing for myself. I was still just putting it out there because I didn't think it was palatable as as like a commercial thing yet. Also, like really low self esteem here so.
So, what is what is the difference between like, what is a confessional poem? Exactly.
A confessional poem is more like when you are talking about emotions rather than like societal worldly topics, and it comes from personal experience, basically, that's the confessional part about it.
What is the poem that you find that you have written that resonates with a lot of people?
Okay, this is a poem that was received well, so it's one that I had written recently. It's called Love Language.
Would you mind reading it or reading like a little bit of it? Yes, show I'm
actually like, I have it right here in front of me so good. Okay. When I was all of nine, I met a boy for the very first time. It was just pure affection, his borderline obsession, his peculiar antics other preference of my company over anyone else's during play time that made me adore him. In my limited vocabulary, I told him I loved him in his tongue tied demeanour he ran. And years later, when I found poetry, I also found you. We used to kiss and rhymes, then make love and three verses I described being next to you as sublime, your smile as incandescent, but I guess it was writers curse to be left behind. When you no longer grease, my crumpled white sheets I told you about, like a badly written first draft. It's been years since I spoke our language, the one we accidentally invented in our coalition. I have honed my skills in different ones instead. French, Spanish Hindi. I'm some sort of wordsmith in English now. Yet I remain most fluent in your ways. The language of your body, your mind your smile, your gaze. I love you so much still, in spiralling Salalah keys and binding sentences and even longer paragraphs, which then turn into never ending books written entirely in the language of your absence. That's it. Oh, that's
really beautiful.
I love that. Yeah, gorgeous. Especially because you're I mean, I know you know this, but you're right. Every relationship has its own language. And when, when a relationship ends you, you find yourself speaking a language that you don't talk anymore.
And then you you have to unlearn that language somehow.
Yes. Oh, you're so right.
What was the inspiration behind this exact poem?
It was a prompt given by a page that I follow. In what language do you love? And then I just thought thought about, like, you know, you have those relationships that somehow still linger on, you know, yeah, the memories of that. Yeah.
Do you know of any instances where poetry has helped people fall in love?
I mean, I have friends who met at a spoken word event. Ah, and yeah, so they both poets, but they they started dating because of poetry. They started dating because I think they saw the world in a similar way. And, yeah, unfortunately, they're not together.
Okay. You know, maybe they had a good time together, and that's good, too.
They dated for a while, though. Yeah. Yeah, they gave us great content. I bet.
We'll be back after this short break.
Why do you think that poetry is so important to preserve and to keep going?
I feel like it's very important. trying to preserve something that is so vulnerable. And so pure because it it kind of condemns you to feel. Yeah. You can't escape like when you're reading a poem or like when you're listening to a poem, you you, you're forced to actually just be real and raw. And I like that I like when people can go to go into their own depths and just just be real. I feel like especially now, like, when it comes to the modern realm of dating and everything, it's just becoming so impersonal. And it's really quick, like people are being treated like options and commodities and like, yeah, I just feel like I don't fit in because I come from a very old school way of thinking and also poet. So romantic. By nature is the saviour or you're single? Do you mind me? Fortunately, unfortunately. Yeah. I mean, I don't know. Right? At this point.
Would you like to tell us who you're looking for? Maybe we're no matchmakers. But maybe that
someone listening? Oh, my God, that would be amazing. Actually. That would be quite quite the love story. Yeah. I have been in therapy for a while now. So I like to think that I am really sorted up here. Yeah. So I don't gravitate towards the bad boys, the toxic ones. I see the red flags. And I'm like, Okay, I see you, but that's not happening. Yeah, I like stability. I like a good sense of humour. That is a non negotiable. They are very important. Somebody who is like, who wears their heart, on their sleeve, has some sort of a depth to them. Like something, some substance. Yeah, sort of a mission. Is good looking comes like later. But yeah, that's, that's it. That's, that's
a very low bar. And I think that, you know, I think that's a wonderful set of criteria. And I'm sure somebody can hop over that. It's, it's so interesting to me, because I do think our parents generation, like I felt a lot of parental pressure to just find someone like anyone find the least annoying person and marry them.
That's very true. That's very true. But Indian parents, yeah. And
I do feel like their generation did that. And then a lot of them were miserable in their marriages, because they just because after a while, that least annoying person becomes really annoying. So I mean, I'm, I'm in my late 30s. I'm just getting married this year. And I'm so glad I waited. I mean, there is nothing wrong with waiting to find somebody who is not just the least annoying person, but the best person for you. And I'm just so proud of this generation for taking this back and saying despite all the pressure to say, No, I'm going to wait to find somebody who's stable and who fits me and isn't just, you know, a person at the right time in my life yet to fill this role. Yeah, I mean, I do feel like I always thought, Oh, I'm, I'm too romantic. And that's a problem. So I need somebody who's not as romantic. But really like, I mean, he's the most romantic person I've ever dated. And I am so grateful for it every day. So really, like hold out for for somebody who is perfect for you. Don't, don't settle for someone who's not. That's my advice for the day. Yes.
I believe in this too.
Yes, you You will find someone who loves words as much as you do.
And who loves love as much as you do.
I love that. I'm finding so much comfort here. Oh my god. I'm glad to hear that. Oh, don't
give up. Hope you have so much time and there are so many people who want to make a beautiful happy language with you someday.
Wow. I needed that. Thank you so much.
Where can people find you on the internet? If they're looking for you or your poetry?
Instagram? I mean, should the char three that's my name. And you
have a you have a book as well.
I have two available on Amazon and everywhere else.
I mean, this has been so nice and we really appreciate you coming on would you would you mind closing us out with a poem
of your choice. This one's called eyes and this is from the burden of perfection. You said my eyes were remnants of a sunset. The biggest thing of a long night filled with deep conversations that they will weather forecasts, premonitions of their future, or window knock, where you could call up to drink your tea. And if at all a storm came, you could bury yourself in me. My body, your blanket, yours in my custody. The next morning, I would smell a fresh land and petrol. And you would go plucking flowers on your daily stroll. There was always so much to explore, you said that you could never get tired of me. But I knew I knew that someday my eyes would just become another pair of eyes. And my body would just become some silhouette. You don't recognise I would become just another person devoid of any metaphors. And you you will become another soul. I once loved that last. Wow, that was gorgeous. Thank you. We hope you get to come back sometime. I would love Yeah, I Yes. I would hope that I would have like a really nice love story to tell you guys my own.
Let's see if maybe we can get a connection going
here. Please. I just need me to find her a nice person. A nice person. Yes. A nice person. That's
so if anyone's listening someone for us.
Nice. Yes. Yeah, please let us know. We will find yourself like to do my dear.
Thank you so much, Ruthie,
thank you so much for having
I loved that conversation. That was
so good. That's so great. She says to me, she's a real cutie too. So I mean, what I say if anyone's out there. Email us and we'll hook you up.
Can I share my favourite poem with you? It's not too long, I would love it. Okay, this is called Wild Geese by Mary Oliver and it reflects what we were talking about in the intro. You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for 100 miles through the desert repenting. You have only to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves. I can keep going. But that's my favourite part of it. You have only to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves. I love isn't that wonderful?
I think that that's fantastic. And I actually think that is a good. Love to go. Yeah, I think that's a great love to go.
You have only to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves. Thank you Mary Oliver. Yeah,
and hold out for the person who loves what you love. Yes, that's another good luck. Absolutely. We have had such a delight of this little poetry duet episode that we did. And we would love to hear about your favourite poem. So please send an email or we would love to know if you know somebody for Sruthi who is our resident poet now?
Yes, the poet laureate of lovestruck daily listen
someone nice, someone stable. Yeah, someone who's well versed in poetry very romantic. We are going to be a little bit protective of this young woman and we are going to find her somebody Wonderful. So please send us an email. If you know somebody like that. At lovestruck daily at frolic dup media and you know if you have any kind words and poems for us, please please please leave us a review. It's so appreciated will probably read it online. And follow us on Instagram and Twitter at lovestruck daily for extra content, especially Instagram, we post photos and columns and all sorts of stuff there.
Our researcher is Jesse Epstein. Our editor is Jen Jacobs. We are produced by Abigail steckler and little Scorpion studios with executive producer frolic media. This is an I Heart Radio Podcast
and we wish you a very happy, poetic ever after I'm in love with the saying to you I'm in love with you. I'm in love with you
