I Love My Love By Reyna Biddy

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A book of poetry is never as you expect it to be. The foreword and preface made me request this book, and I thank Netgalley for this beautiful read. The introduction to the book was so full of wretched emotions that it choked me speechless; it spoke of pain, heartbreaks, and aches that dulled over time but never really went away. I knew I was in for a very emotional and cathartic experience. I knew I was about to learn the poet’s most vulnerable self, read the deepest corners of her heart through her work. All masterpieces come from a place of pain. And you can never ignore that which overwhelms you, gets on your nerves, reverberates in your mind, echoes your own being and leaves you with the lump in the throat.

The prosaic poetry evoked memories of numerous helpless incidents in my life. There’s repressed hurt in the verses. There are confessions of deep-seated love inspite of all the hurt. There are regrets and guilt. And finally, yet unbelievably, there was liberation and cleansing of the soul through all the pain that life bestowed upon. The final letting go of things that is but extra baggage. The final love of self, instead of seeking love outside. The tone of the poems change from being caught up in life to owning it all up.

I personally like the quotable ones in the book – “love is a beautiful thing, but without respect- it’s an ugly habit.”

Some pages feel like reading someone’s personal diary or journal. And there are lists-’10 reasons I could never leave’ and love notes after every few chapters dedicated to loved ones and self.

“You taught me things about life and me… And how deep I can get before I ever let love inside of me. And how sometimes it’s okay to collapse. Sometimes it’s okay to relapse. Sometimes it’s okay to miss everything you once were and sometimes it’s okay to dip into the past… but only if you’re ready to be the beautiful tragedy. I’m ready to be the beautiful tragedy.”

“I’ve memorized the melody between your every heartbeat, just so I could sing it back if you ever get lonely. I...learned the gaps between your fingers, just in case you ever need a hand...I made sure mine fit perfectly.”

The entire book thrives in small letters- the title, the stanzas; the quotes- all begin and end with small letters. Somewhere without caps, we reach to the roots, we reach the seemingly small beginnings and learn to fly and elevate with the emotions that make us whole.


I loved the poems-'my mother’s interlude’, ‘the love note my mother never wrote me’,  ‘my father’s interlude’. 

“If I could be around your whole life, during your loneliest nights, I would pick up your chin. I would let you know how amazing you are from within. You know.. God has a funny way of putting the fiercest fire in our souls just to see the breakdown during our emptiest alone. Just to see the breakthrough once we love ourselves back to whole.”


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Queeristan by Parmesh Sahani

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  Queeristan (Amazon Link) Thanks to Audible Free Trial I listened to this amazing non-fiction on LGBTQ inclusion in Indian workplaces. Author Parmesh Sahani identifies as gay Indian, working closely with Godrej higher management and employees for years to create an inclusive workplace, both legally and in spirit. This book is a result of those years of experience, research, collaboration with individuals from difference spectrum of the society and organizations who has successfully transitioned into a queer friendly one.   Indian history is inclusive. From the Khajuraho temple architectures, to Konark to the Rig Veda, there is existing proofs even 2000 years ago of Indian inclusiveness of queer. It’s the draconian British law that criminalised it, which was scraped in 2009, came into effect once again following a sad judgement in 2013 and eventually was scraped off for good in 2018. I am in awe of the lawyers who fought this legal battle- colleagues and partners – Arundhati Katju
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