Haibuns and haikus, ghazals and concrete poems: What to expect from this anthology of new poetry

“…This year, one of the distinctive features in the selected poems turns out to be that of many poets unravelling their connection with their mothers or fathers – overtly or covertly – either lingering on in memories after their passing or staying alive in the heart through their skills in the kitchen. And then there were those searing lines in the poems stemming from a space of deeply disturbing incidents: Last year, when my father let in the darkest night/ mum vowed to eat all 12 purnima moons/ so their lights would spill out of her/ in the shape of little fairies/ purple and green. Also then there’s the absolutely graphic tribute to what a “father” represents: “they wait on scooters/at right angles to the sun/measuring the slowness of/the summer heat/Against the rapidly approaching bright/future they wish upon their sons.”

Running parallel to these poems are poems that revolve around grandparents – grandmas and grandpas. Through different poetic narratives they convey the wholesome, rounded roles that the older generation has played in shaping the thought processes and personalities of the younger generation. Several poems are, understandably, themed around women too; from references to their shimmering Kanjeevarams, status of their hairdos, their art of cooking, their...

Read more

News