According to actress Somy Ali, love is when one sees the hopeful glimmer in a child’s eyes. When a child thanks her for protecting him, that love is unmatched, according to Somy, who relentlessly works for victims of domestic violence and rape, mainly children and women, through her US-based NGO, No More Tears.
“My conception of love is very different from the clichéd romantic meaning that is often associated with it. What makes us fall in love with the children we save is their sense of comfort and belonging, as well as their way of saying “thank you.” I get an unwavering sense of profound gratitude and appreciation from them. Since I work closely with the victims, she adds, “There is no romantic love in the world that can even come close to those words coming from a child’s mouth when a child or a group of children we have rescued from abuse or are about to be sold into trafficking” embrace me and tell me they love me.
“To begin with, I am single without delusions and at peace, but my Valentine’s Day is always spent with the victims we have rescued and I can’t think of a better place to be than with my children,” she adds in reference to Valentine’s Day. I purposely chose not to have any children because of the hazards associated with my line of work. My Valentines are the kids in my NGO’s care, and spending a day with them is unlike any romantic love I’ve ever had since it fulfills my mother instincts and has for the past 17 years. Above all, I am confident in its loyalty and its unwavering presence at all times.
But it seems to have lost significance for Somy when it comes to romantic love. “At the risk of coming across as incredibly pessimistic, which life has made me through experiences in personal relationships and what I have witnessed through my NGO, love is like a scalpel that gives you many painful cuts without the benefit of anesthesia,” the speaker said. Love is lovely, but it can also be dishonest; it may be promising, but it also knows that promises made in love are often broken. I have been duped and misled far too often, whether it is by my family or a close romantic partner, therefore I have no delusions or ghosts to pursue in the relationship realm. She continues, “And I swear to you that’s a pledge I never have to worry about violating because I made it with myself.
“This is the reality: It is difficult to be in love with someone who is in love with someone else,” she continues. I have no idea how to make that into a poem.