the fine line between love and hate

I watched the movie 10 Things I Hate About You in order to compare it with its inspiration Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare. I knew Julia Stiles was in the lead role as Kat, but I forgot about the late Heath Ledger playing Kat's wooer, Patrick. It is intriguing how movies capture a person in time. The way they talk, the styles they wore at the time of filming. Mannerisms.

One particular part capturing my attention was the writing assignment the students were given to redo a poem and what Kat produced for the audience (the class and us movie viewers). In this assignment, hate gets used quite naturally as the betrayal had just been exposed over the weekend, though hate transforms meaning with each sentence, indirectly pointing to her wants and desires, until it actually represents her frustration with herself for loving her betrayer.




Additionally, I find the song I Want You to Want Me absolutely captivating. I identify with it on a number of levels. Too many to go into.

But I will say that I would much rather be wanted, loved, needed, and, yes, begged for my love and attention than experience rejection and even more so, apathy. I have often labeled myself as a "low-maintenance type of girl". Except, after suffering through an affection famine, I find myself craving outward expressions of love and attention though the source they might come from does not know this development.

Frequent readers of mine know that when I require deeper expression—an outlet for emotion—poetry appears upon this here blog. Therefore, as a form of therapeutic expression, I decided to take Kat's poem and make it mine:

A Fine Line

I hate the way you talk to me, and the way you don't show care.
I hate the way you act afar.
I hate your words about my hair.
I hate your loud and crazy songs, and the way you change my mind.
I hate you enough that I feel sick; why won't you just be kind.
I hate it, I hate the way we always fight.
I hate it that you spy.
I hate it when you say sweet things, even worse when you say goodbye.
I hate it that you're not around, and the shot I had to call.
But mostly I hate the way I don't hate you.
I hate to pull away from you who has my heart, my all.


related link:
all things purple: Higher Level Communication

8 comments:

  1. I've always loved that movie...and that poem. Who wouldn't rather be begged for their love than rejected? Sometimes I wish love wasn't something you have to take a leap of faith for; something that forces you to trust in another person who could very well misuse you. But alas, if it were not so, it would not be worth so much...

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  2. This is so thought provoking. I am thinking of someone very close to me that has been hurt by "love" and suffering so much because of it. I wish she could see what Love is and is not more clearly.

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  3. sage words savvy sage

    Donna: I am actually searching out all these sorts of things and writing about them to put together the pieces of the love puzzle for myself and others. if any poem, article, or whatever on here might help your friend, share this with her. I have several posts now that deal with what love should and should not look like. Most actually do, its just hidden between the lines. My goal is to help myself and others.

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  4. I remember when I saw this movie for the first time, it was right after I had gone through my very first heartbreak. That poem stuck out to me in such a big way at the time.

    And I Want You To Want Me is one of those songs I could rock out to all day long!

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  5. SIF: You and I are on the same page with that song. It has been stuck in my head since watching the movie the other day. I love how the band is JAMMING on top of the school. That would be crazy fun to do.

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  6. Wow. Great work. Hurts just to read it.

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  7. Purple Lady, you have a very nice website! Your poetry is so true to heart of man. It took me many years after marriage to grow up into a man. I done so many things my wife hated. But she loved me so much she stuck with me and now that we are 50 and 56 years old - we are happy :) Only true love can see the good in a man when he is just that; a man, trying to make his way through this insane world that can be so cruel at times. Thanks for such a wonderful poem, that give encouragement that the are women in the world that really has heart!

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  8. Thank you for your kind words. It gives me much food for thought.

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