Poetry Collection: Two Cures for Love

Introduction
"Two Cures for Love" is a poetry collection by English poet Wendy Cope, released in 2008. The collection consists of a selection of poems from her previous works, including "Making Cocoa for Kingsley Amis" (1986), "Serious Concerns" (1992), and "If I Don't Know" (2001), in addition to brand-new and unpublished poems. The title is motivated by one of her widely known poems, "Two Cures for Love: 1. Do not see him. Or her. 2. Don't see her. Or him". In her normal amusing and satirical design, Cope explores themes of love, relationships, and everyday life, while also showcasing her skill for formal verse and wordplay.

Expedition of Love and Relationships
The central theme of the collection, love, features in numerous types throughout the poems. The collection includes light-hearted and humorous poems that discuss romantic love, such as "The Aerial", where the speaker questions if "all the love in the world might be/ Transmitted through a wire", and the popular "Valentine", where onions are utilized as a comically unconventional symbol of love. However, Cope likewise looks into the intricacies and darker elements of love, as seen in "Loss", "Being Boring", and "After the Lunch", which reveal the discomfort and vulnerability experienced in relationships.

Everyday Life and Personal Reflections
Another popular theme in the collection is the examination of everyday life and personal reflections. Cope records the mundane and the ordinary with her poetic voice, transforming them into relatable and insightful experiences. In the poem "Bloody Men", Cope humorously mocks the universal disappointments of women toward males, while the poem "Defining the Problem" laments the everyday worries of life. Furthermore, in "Anorak", she provides a peek into her own life, as she contemplates the changes that occurred throughout a year, including her desire for an anorak, which acts as a metaphor for her journey towards self-discovery.

Kind and Wordplay
Among the strengths of Cope's poetry depends on her mastery of kind and wordplay. She playfully try outs conventional poetic types such as the sonnet and the villanelle, as in "Strugnell's Haiku" and the "Strugnell's Villanelle", both of which work as parodies of the conventional designs. Her language is typically laced with puns, as seen in "Rateau", where the line "Time to get a rake-off" includes both wordplay and a pun on the French term 'râteau.' This display screen of linguistic dexterity and her capability to imbue the poems with humor make her work highly interesting and remarkable.

Commentary on Social Issues and Poetic Tradition
Cope's poetry is often marked by its social commentary and engagement with the more comprehensive principle of poetic custom. Poems such as "Exchange of Letters" and "The Coventry Carol" discuss gender roles and the plight of ladies in society. In addition, poems like "After the Lunch" and "Thoughts After the Film" showcase Cope's awareness of the intertextuality of poetic tradition, as she admires or parodies works of other poets, such as William Wordsworth and W.H. Auden.

Conclusion
"Two Cures for Love" is a captivating collection that highlights Wendy Cope's versatility as a poet. With her wit, humor, and keen observation of daily life, she provides readers with insights into the complexities of love, relationships, and humanity. Moreover, her proficiency of kind, wordplay, and engagement with poetic tradition guarantees that her work is not just amusing however likewise thought-provoking. Whether this is one's very first intro to Cope's poetry or a revisiting of her previous works, "Two Cures for Love" is a wonderful and fulfilling read.