Regarding Love/ Sobre o Amor
I presented two of my poems…in Portuguese
My husband and I have been attending basic Portuguese night classes for six months. Recently, together with fellow students from our class, I participated in a school-organised event—a poem night.
The theme: love. Because it’s Valentine’s Day. The language to present: in our native/chosen language and Portuguese.
While everyone presented poems from well-known poets, yours truly presented her own. Courageous or craziness? I thought: “Hmm…I’ve written something about love, maybe I can share it.”
And so I did.
Regarding Love I How do I love with a soft heart? Yet is there any other way to love? Regarding Love II Let me put armour on my heart A protection against pain A fortress against love. Sobre o Amor I Como é que eu amo com um coração suave? Mas haverá outra forma de amar? Sobre o Amor II Deixa-me colocar uma armadura no meu coração Uma proteção contra a dor Uma fortaleza contra o amor.
Stretching one’s world can be scary and tiring, yet without it, our experiences would be contained within a safe (and same) bubble.
If you want to discuss these poems, feel free to drop me a comment (create a free Substack account if you don’t have one), or reply to this email. :)
Good things
A psychologist told me—it’s ok to feel angry. Anger is neither a bad nor good thing. It’s an emotion—a natural, instinctive response to a perceived threat, injustice, or frustration. It’s part of the body's fight-or-flight system.
The freeing sentence here? “It’s ok to feel angry.” I don’t need to berate myself for feeling angry. Maybe accepting that is one way to be kinder to myself and others.
That’s a wrap. See you end of March for the next HopeMail issue.
🧡
Melinda
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