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Did You Ever Love Me? Book Review: Can Rithvik singh turn heartbreak into a homecoming?

Did You Ever Love Me? by Rithvik Singh is a tender contemporary poetry collection about love, heartbreak, longing, self worth and learning to let go. Its greatest strength is emotional accessibility: Singh writes directly to readers who feel intensely and care deeply. The collection offers comfort without pretending heartbreak is simple, though its simplicity may occasionally feel familiar to seasoned poetry readers. Did you Ever Love Me? Have you ever loved someone so completely that, after they left, you were left wondering whether they had ever understood what they had been given? Not merely whether they loved you, but whether they ever noticed how much you loved them, how much patience you offered, how many small things you remembered, or how often you chose to stay when leaving might have been easier. There is a particular loneliness in that question because it rarely arrives at a dramatic moment. More often, it finds you while you are doing something completely ordinary. Yo...

Stripped down for Love

She looked up through the window, gazing at the horizon. The lights coming out of the buildings nearby, seemed fuzzy yet beautiful as rains lashed out heavily.

After looking out for a minute, as if making up her mind to face the inevitable, she dishes out the cell phone from her bag, and dials the number
"Hey Mom, I would be late, so shall stay over at Nancy's through the night."
The glaring sound of TV from the next door, could not let her to listen to the response of her statement.

Pressing the red button, she dabs a paper napkin over her eyes, and gets ready for her task.
As soon as she enters the next room, the three guys sitting immediately look upon her, excitement dancing in their eyes. The switch off the TV, and ask her to dance. One of them puts on a music track and heightens the volume.

She dances and strips, does everything they command her to do. She is numb to their reactions, for her thoughts are only for him.
He for whom she could have given her life for.
He for whom she was being made to do things beneath contempt.
He for whom the world means to her.
He who would avenge her treatment one day. One fine day.

As she is made to throw away her panties, she closes her eyes shut, and the picture of Mark, her brother, comes to her mind, yet again.
Yes, love can weaken you,
Love can strengthen you,
Love alone can enable you
to move ahead, to urge ahead.

One of the guys, comes towards her with a glass of beer in one hand, and smothers over her breast with the other.
She snatches down the wine glass and gulps down the liquor in one go.

__________________________________________________
This anecdote, is a work of fiction. But, the characters and their action have been inspired from reality. I am dedicating this blog to a group of students (whom I don't personally know) I admire for they are making a documentary to cover cases of child abuse and sexual exploitation in the United States of America.
Sex+Money is their banner, which has a wonderful slogan that reads,
"A national search for human worth."
Do check out their link to get inspired or to help these people out in their efforts.

Comments

tamanna said…
sigh
i wish i hadnt read it
it was so sad
tho you did manage to fit in the rain somehow
:-<

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Did You Ever Love Me? Book Review: Can Rithvik singh turn heartbreak into a homecoming?

Did You Ever Love Me? by Rithvik Singh is a tender contemporary poetry collection about love, heartbreak, longing, self worth and learning to let go. Its greatest strength is emotional accessibility: Singh writes directly to readers who feel intensely and care deeply. The collection offers comfort without pretending heartbreak is simple, though its simplicity may occasionally feel familiar to seasoned poetry readers. Did you Ever Love Me? Have you ever loved someone so completely that, after they left, you were left wondering whether they had ever understood what they had been given? Not merely whether they loved you, but whether they ever noticed how much you loved them, how much patience you offered, how many small things you remembered, or how often you chose to stay when leaving might have been easier. There is a particular loneliness in that question because it rarely arrives at a dramatic moment. More often, it finds you while you are doing something completely ordinary. Yo...