Secret of True Love: Poems from the Heart (2015) is a poetry book by The Duke of Quails which leaves no romantic heart untouched. It starts off with a short note about the subject of authentic affection, and though I found this introduction quite unusual for a poetry book, after finishing it I was motivated to read even further on.
The table of contents is divided into three segments: The Definition of True Love, Love That Hurts and last but not the least, Symbols of Love. All of these categories contain at least nine poems. I was astounded by the versatility of the verses, and that no poem ever seemed the same. Take for example the lines of Big Love featured in the foremost segment:
Obese for her height,
Plus-size clothing stores only.
Is that food going to do the job?
Hey, buddy, did you marry the blob?
Now, consider the starting verses of the poem, Old Love, that follows:
The bond they share,
The night so near, I say their
Fifty, sixty, seventy years,
Sounds close.
Each poem differs quite substantially in rhyme and overall structure. This is the best aspect of the book as it leaves no space for monotony, and is enticing throughout the comprehensive length. The diversity of topics incorporated here are astoundingly impressive. These include: Obesity, homosexuality, unconditional love, unfaithfulness, happiness, melancholy and so many others. This is surely a mature assortment. And true love is a consistent theme of the assemblage.
It was hard to pick favorites but my most preferable section was the third, Symbols of Love. This is because it featured the two exceptional poems in this book: Scarf She Left Behind and Pour the Wine. Here are some lines from the former:
The scarf she left,
Her skin, her sweat tattooed on the fabric.
The nights news numerous
Memories; the music, the darkness we were in.
No eyes to look, just to touch,
And let a blind child’s senses guide us through the dance.
Hugging, holding hands,
Whispering in my ear the roses of sweet romance.
And here are some lines from the latter:
It resembles the redness of the wine,
But why the color red?
Too much of it will lead you down two paths:
One of happiness
And one that’s dead.
So, you can see that the author is not afraid to explore the gloomy depths of love. Secret of True Love is comprised of a juxtaposition of the light side of love and its dark part. I would also like to state that Scarf She Left Behind and Pour the Wine are not only my most cherished poems from this collection, but one of the finest I’ve ever read.
To end with, Secret of True Love: Poems from the Heart is a must-read poetry compilation. It not only lives up to its title, but also does justice to it, and will satisfy all your amorous desires as well. Hope to read more of The Duke of Quails’ work soon.
