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A review by Bupinder Singh
Title: Anatomy Of a Storm-Weathered Quaint Townspeople
Author: Mandira Patnaik
Publisher: Fahmidan Publishers and Co.
Pages: 26
Poems: 20
Avaliability: November 30th
What do you expect from poetry these days; lyricism that mesmerize you, themes that transpose you, depth that makes you ponder, words that you can fall in love with, and lines you can come back to, again and again to seek refuge in their embrace. Mandira’s book of poetry contains 20 poems that are so versatile in their form and structure, their themes and contexts that you experience a myriad of emotions while reading them.
There is a certain kaleidoscopic imagery to some her poems, with chunks of words so intricately woven that one is compelled to take a pause, close the eyes and see it, fell it. In her opening poem which also is the titular poem she take us through the disastrous storm, its after-affects, the rehabilitation, and then leaves us with
then we’re praying,
praying again,
for an indulgent rain.
In another one of her poems she deals with the human emotion of solitude and loneliness, she makes us sit and wait and wait and in that waiting she explores the nada, and the trivialities of life.
solitude is so plentiful, the landscape so unchanging, you call someone you
severed out of your life and rejoice when he says,
he’s watching birds! You find a pair on your window sill too;
you listen to their shrill voices ---growing
and celebratory ---of ginormous conquests.
Most of the poems have a vivid visual imagery and will stick to your mind for their reader friendliness. These are the poems you can come back to for repeated readings. Amazingly the breath of themes she has explored in the book are as diverse as, self-help, inspiration, elegy, loss and separation, economic hurdles, and many more. She tackles the problems, lives, sorrows, griefs, loves, and emotions of working class people beautifully in her collection.
It is a power packed, small book of twenty poems only which you will find interesting, thought provoking and captivating at the same time.
To conclude,
rise. coax the pores of your being,
parts of you wilted or dead. live
for another dawn. pack
and read on.
*Mandira Pattnaik is a Pushcart nominated poet, fiction writerand essayist published in over 200 publications in 15 countries.
More about her
mandirapattnaik.com
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Having M. A., B.Ed. 