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By Mihar Dias (C) Copyright May 2023
Let's see who would come forward to claim the reward for identifying this unknown poet.
First, a little background to the story.
I was clearing my stuff when I discovered documents kept since 1970. There was a cheque from New York I never cashed, a night vision goggle I won at a dinner lucky draw and a poem from an unknown admirer. It was unsigned.
The cheque was signed with names and addresses clearly printed. I shall frame that to remind me of two of my best friends from my college days, one of whom has since passed away; not knowing what I did with his USD500 cheque.
The night vision goggle I shall give away to a neighbour who is a semi- professional photographer and has expressed his interest in the gadget earlier.
But the poem is more valuable. It was typewritten. There was no personal computer in 1980.
And it was entitled "Invasion"
"YOU infiltrated thru the border of my heart penetrated the depths of my very soul invaded my senses
With Your devastating smile and disarming charm
i surrender and i am totally vanquished
your withdrawal would be lethal."
No dates. No location. No byline.
Who would write something like that for me and sent in the mail without ever signing it. That takes effort. And that's really good stuff worth exploring.
Let's analyse the poem. YOU must have been 'me' who had captured her heart. But who is this person? It must have been a woman I supposed. During that era, most guys in Malaysia were still in the closet. Besides. I was not one of those who would have befriended anyone with leanings towards LBGTQ. I have nothing against them. I am just a heterosexual male.
So, this is a "She" then. The next line made me look at the mirror. Do I have a devastating smile? Not really. But I do look up devastating. It means badly damaging or impact or consequences. So, my smile which I have taken for granted all my life now has an impact on someone, the consequence of which has produced this poem of great value. God be blessed.
What about a disarming charm then? Let's use Harry Potter's Expelliarmus for illustration. Roughly translated, Expelliarmus – the Disarming Charm means 'to drive out a weapon' and that's what it does: forces the subject to drop whatever they're holding. Usually, that's a wand, which is why it's often seen in duels, and Harry definitely took that to heart, given how much he used it in combat."
I must have swept her off her feet and didn't even know what I had done. Then there's that disarming smile that I thought would be an interesting phrase to explore. Going by Webster's definition "if someone has a disarming smile means "his smile's warmth and genuineness disarm the people he meets of any possible suspicion or criticism and of any verbal weapons they might have used against him."
This poet must have given "You" her muse a great deal of thought to pen such accolade but never had the guts to face her subject and tell me personally.
I hope via Newswav platform, we'll be able to find the poet. The person who is able to identify her will be amply rewarded.
But for the poet, I have a bigger surprise, not just a simple thank you for penning those thoughts. I love it. Please forgive me for not knowing someone cared so much for me.
My only hope is that she is still around!
Mihar Dias is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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