Strength is My Weakness

In this love poem, Elsy talks about the paradoxes of life and her calling as a poet, in Different Truths. An evocative poem that would linger on.

Strength is my weakness,
and weakness, my strength.

In me the strong and weak
go hand in hand.

But that is my weakness,
I cannot cry where
others would wail!

When it comes
to voicing emotions
I encounter a block.

To me love unexpressed is a gem
sparkling in silky silence.

We do not have to be told
that we are loved,
love is a wordless feeling,
which is divine,
and which we can divine.

It is an articulate emotion
that waxes eloquent in silence.

It is hardy, like iron,
oft bared, it gets rusty.

Love is wordlessly etched
in the niche of hearts.

Heart is a Braille slate,
we read it with our fingers,
voiced words
are redundant there.

When self-disdain
about blocked emotions
begins to blister me
I take refuge in words.

Words are my panacea,
poetry, my penance.

©Elsy Satheesan

Pix from Net.

author avatar
Elsy Satheesan
Elsy Satheesan is a retired Professor of English. She had been teaching in colleges under the Govt. of Kerala, India. Currently, she resides in Virginia, USA. ‘Random Musings’ is her first volume of poems. ‘Summer Snow’, is the forthcoming one. Her poems have been published in national and international anthologies. Short stories in Malayalam have been published in weekly and fortnightly, in Kerala. Humanity is her religion, and poetry, her passion.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Releated Posts

Resistance Poetry: Victoria Amelina’s Voice in the Ukraine War

Dr Ketaki examines the influence of the Ukrainian poet Victoria Amelina on war poetry, comparing her work with…

ByByDr Ketaki DattaJan 31, 2025

Feeling My Soul’s Presence Through Love, Scent and Memory

Francesco’s evocative poem explores the unseen yet deeply felt presence of a soul, remembered through sensory details and…

ByByFrancesco FavettaJan 31, 2025

Grandfather’s Wisdom: Stories of Love and Life

Dr Amrinder’s poem, featuring a young child discussing his grandfather’s ageing body, imparts life lessons through vivid metaphors…

Lost Love: Navigating the Pain of Separation

Ketaki’s poignant poem, exclusively for Different Truths, is a poignant exploration of lost love, the emotional turmoil and…

ByByKetaki MazumdarJan 29, 2025