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The Mahsa University student wrote “Let Me Let You Go” during a particularly stressful internship – and it ended up being 3,324 words and 118 stanzas long!
“During that period, I felt very vulnerable, and everything this friend did would affect me. So, each time she annoyed me, I wrote a stanza,” the 24-year-old shared.
It took her six weeks to finish the poem and, despite the implication that this friend annoyed her close to 120 times, her muse has taken it positively. “She laughs about it because it’s so funny to her.”
Apart from being an exercise to release some steam, Selinaah’s efforts proved rewarding when she was recognised by the Malaysia Book of Records (MBR) on March 29 for having composed the longest English-language melancholic poem.
Impressively, this is her second recognition from MBR, the first being in April 2019 for the “Longest Love Poem Composed (English)”. That one, titled “My Soulmate”, had 2,641 words and 115 stanzas.
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“When I started writing that poem, I grew curious if other long love poems had been published,” Selinaah explained.
An online search revealed someone in the United Kingdom had written 100 stanzas – “so, I decided to challenge myself to beat this person”. And mission… accomplished!
“My Soulmate” would further go on to be recognised by the Asia Book of Records in 2020 as the longest love poem.
A pen, a racquet, and a stethoscope
Speaking with FMT in conjunction with International English Language Day yesterday, Selinaah, who is slated to complete her medical studies in 18 months, said she hopes to specialise in sports medicine.
This is inspired by her love for badminton, which she began playing at a young age with her older siblings Kejhan and Thinaah, a national badminton player.
“I, too, represented Selangor in badminton until I was 18, and then transitioned to become a coach,” she said, adding that she was selected to the national junior team when she was 12.
It wasn’t until secondary school, she said, that she discovered her passion for writing and medicine.
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Years later, Selinaah is thriving in all three worlds of sports, science, and arts. Today, she also coaches at an international school – a natural progression as she enjoys being with children and relishes the opportunity to put her sporting skills to good use.
And, in addition to the MBR achievements, she published a compilation of poems, “A Hundred Thoughts”, in 2018, and is currently on the lookout for a publisher for a second book of poetry she co-wrote with three others.
For her, inspiration – which “is everywhere, you just have to find and acknowledge it” – clearly comes in the form of those she cares about. Selinaah added, however, that her muses are always aware of the roles they have played.
“When I write about someone, I’ll get their consent. If they’re uncomfortable, I stop. Because, in the end, their feelings are more important than a record.”
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