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THE SENTINEL VALENTINE MONTH SPECIAL
At Sentinel it has not been the tradition to have themed issues of the magazine. The experiment of having the first ever themed issue--on the subject of love has been very trying, especially because most poets will acknowledge that it is extremely difficult to write good, readable love poems. Rainer Maria Rilke said it well in Letters To A Young Poet:
"Do not write love poems; avoid at first those forms
that are too facile and commonplace: they are the
most difficult, for it takes a great, fully matured power
to give something of your own where good and even
excellent traditions come to mind in quantity."
Before you go puttering through the pages of this magazine and I hope, to enjoy some of the new offerings here, let me share with you this piece by Neruda, undoubtedly a great, fully matured power.
Love Sonnet XI
I crave your mouth, your voice, your hair.
Silent and starving, I prowl through the streets.
Bread does not nourish me, dawn disrupts me, all day
I hunt for the liquid measure of your steps.
I hunger for your sleek laugh,
your hands the color of a savage harvest,
hunger for the pale stones of your fingernails,
I want to eat your skin like a whole almond.
I want to eat the sunbeam flaring in your lovely body,
the sovereign nose of your arrogant face,
I want to eat the fleeting shade of your lashes,
and I pace around hungry, sniffing the twilight,
hunting for you, for your hot heart,
like a puma in the barrens of Quitratue.
By Pablo Neruda
Have a great time with Sentinel #15 and don't forget to come back on the first day of every month for more. If you need prompting, simply join our mailing list and we will notify you by e-mail as soon as every new issue goes live.
Be well and stay blessed.
Nnorom Azuonye
Hertfordshire
01 February 2004
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