Poetry is about expressing our love

Sometimes when we think of poetry, it is like a far-fetched concept or an activity that takes place in outer space. However the topic of the poem is on ordinary day to day life. It  could be on love that we have towards others like in the following poem.

When I See the Beauty on my Beloved's Face

When I see the beauty on my beloved's face,
I throw away the food in my hand;
Oh, sister of the young man, listen;
The beauty on my beloved's face.

Her neck is neck is long, when I see it
I cannot sleep one wink;
Oh the daughter of my mother-in-law,
Her neck is like the shaft of a spear 

When I touch the tattoos on her back,
I die;
Oh, sister of the young man listen;
The tattoos on my beloved's back.

When I see the gap in my beloved's teeth,
Her teeth are white like dry season simsim;
Oh, daughter of my father-in-law listen,
The gap in my beloved's teeth.

The daughter of the bull confuses my head,
I have to marry her;
True, sister of the young man, listen;
The suppleness of my beloved's waist.

(Amateshe A.D. (Ed). An Anthology of East African Poetry. Longman, 1988.))

If we look at the poem, we can see the speaker describing his loved one just as any other person in love.

First, he describes the aspects of his beauty in his society that he finds in his lover. These are: a beautiful face, a long neck, tattoos on the back gap in the teeth and a supple waist.

Secondly, he exaggerates the feelings he has towards his beloved just as many people do when in love. He says: 'When I see the beauty on my beloved's face, I throw away the food in my hand'; 'Her neck is long, when I see it , I cannot sleep one wink; and 'When I see the tattoos on her back I die'.

Finally he likens the beauty of his lover with the things he treasures in the community just like we do today. He says her neck is like the shaft of a spear and  her teeth are like dry season simsim.

Therefore, poetry is never far removed from our lives and we should never fear but embrace it.