“Love in Translation” Kelly Lin Poetry
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NOTE TO SELF
you can stop holding up
your perfected native accent as a shield
to hide your yellow skin.
you will make something of yourself,
your life does not end at twenty-one,
i promise.
and just know that there is always time to change,
you’ve already achieved so much—
i know you’ve never been well-versed
in patience, but just take this leap of faith.
you can stop
living your life
like you’re trying
to pay back a pay check,
like you’re an investment.
you are as real as
the glass of the windowpane
and your body is yours,
only yours—
holy and blooming.
words you write are timeless,
and solely yours,
so do not be afraid of death,
for even in death you haven’t truly gone
from this earth.
the love you have brimming,
teeming,
within you is more than enough
and was always there
long before anyone ever arrived
to make you realise just how much of it
there was inside of you—
press it to your cheek
like a promised ring,
it’s yours,
it’s yours.
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GODSPEED
(Inspired by Lemoney Snicket’s Beatrice Letters)
i will love you if i never see you again
and i will love you if i see you every Saturday
whether by plane or Eurostar.
i will love you as the Atlantic Ocean loves to kiss the East Coast of the U.S.;
my letters in a bottle floating on the sea foam.
i will love you in the face of natural disaster
and i will love you if the planet
never takes its rage out on us.
i will love you like a critter loves the light
and i will love you if we only have the night.
i will love you like the fireplace loves company
and the wind loves the breeze, the bark, the leaves.
i will love you until the Notre-Dame is rebuilt
(and burned down again someday).
i will love you like cars love the open road.
i will love you until America trades in Fahrenheit for Celsius.
i will love you on Jupiter, on Mars.
i will love you even if my face begins to
blur
in your memory,
despite your vow to never forget it.
i will love you
if you think of me every sunset
and i will love you
if in a year’s time, my name has been lost from your tongue.
no matter the coastline, city, even the suburb. perhaps even the suburb of someone you end up marrying, i will love you.
even if you don’t remember.
even if i never make it to next spring,
to never flower in your mind.
even if you don’t remember me,
whether in a week
or a decade,
this
is how i will still love you
even as the world goes on its wicked way.
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JUST KIDS
we are standing at the edge of the world where nothing bad can happen to us
some people call this place Strand but
I call it a miracle that touches the land
our feet are cooled by the unsure sand where the Atlantic has been welcomed back
my hands are delighted by the treasures the water reveals as it returns to itself
smoothed stone and shining shells
iridescent in the shy September sun
a caw overhead mingles with the hush of wave and the
amapiano playing from the red golf GTI
it’s too windy here for the picnic we planned
our home is full of surprises
people say the waves are capricious
the wind doesn’t get nearly as many complaints
we share this moment
we share this land
I hold up my thumb and index fingers on both my hands and
make a frame out of the sky
where we see castles and candy and Jack climbing the beanstalk high in the clouds
there is always something to love
I hear you say
as we watch two dogs play in the water
and we can be dreamers again
September 2022,
Cape Town, South Africa
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These poems have come from my contemplation on identity, my existence in the world, who I am to others as well as myself. As someone who has moved around a lot in my life, this work is inspired by the idea of journeys and what it means to return to a place. What makes something a home?
This is part of a collection inspired by psychogeography that I’m currently working on in my Creative Writing Masters program. You can view other work by me on my Instagram account @lovebykel.
About the Poet
Currently, I am pursuing my happiness in the arts after gruelling years of law school. I moved across the globe to Paris to study a creative writing master’s program. In my free time you can find me dabbling in other forms of media namely: learning how to paint and digitally draw, taking film photos, singing, podcasting and vlogging. I am also engaging in the growing community of Role-Playing Games (RPG’s), specifically playing Dungeons and Dragons. Since immigrating to Europe, I’ve been embracing the scary idea of solo travelling and making the most of my time here before my VISA expires. Otherwise, I am always looking for a bit of sun and a garden to read in! You can view other work by me on my Instagram account @lovebykel.
Contact
Instagram: @lovebykel