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LITERARY GARLAND Issue Two July 2020 (Poetry, Prose & Painting) Founder/Editor : Herojit Philem Cover Art : The Sadhu By Dr. Sruthi Bhupathiraju Copyright© Literary Garland 2020 All rights revert to the authors/artist. Submission of a work for publications declares: The work is original. For re-print in future please credit Literary Garland. All works published will be webcasted at www.literary-garland.blogspot.com Please like our Facebook Page for future updates. For contribution on any categories please mail us at [email protected] L i t e r a r y G a r l a n d | July|2020 |2
About Literary Garland Literary Garland is a monthly literary magazine. It publishes poetry, interviews, the writing journey of authors/poets, short stories, book reviews and paintings. It promises to connect poets, writers and artists from around the world and try to give readers a new taste of fine, simple yet meaningful literary works. L i t e r a r y G a r l a n d | July|2020 |3
Contents 1. Adrian Slonaker - Intrepid Traveler 2. Anindita Sarkar - Can we sleep in peace? 3. Atif Khurshid Wani - Play my distant dream 4. DS Maolalai - Stitches 5. Eduard Schmidt-Zorner - Parting moon 6. Gerard Sarnat – Quarantine Fatigue 7. Guna Moran - GEOGRAPPHY AND HISTORY 8. Jackie Kalyamba – AFTER LOVE AND FEAR 9. Jagari Mukherjee - BROKEN 10. Linda Imbler - Waxing Philosophical 11. Michael Igoe – Mixed Signal 12. Rema T. Das - Mythical Inclusive Education 13. Sufia Khatoon - Searching 14. Tonmoi Das Kashyap – Satanding in Rain 15. Walid Abdallah - Black A Brief Conversation with Amanda Valatine The Writing Journey of Linda Imbler A WALK TO REMEMBER: A REVIEW OF GOPAL LAHIRI'S RETURN TO SOLITUDE By Jagari Mukherjee Sufia Khatoon – Mooned City and Insomniac Nights L i t e r a r y G a r l a n d | July|2020 |4
Adrian Slonaker - Intrepid Traveler Based in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominee Adrian Slonaker works as a language professional and is fond of opals, owls and fire noodles. Adrian's work has been published in WINK: Writers in the Know, Ez.P.Zine, Page & Spine and others. L i t e r a r y G a r l a n d | July|2020 |5
Intrepid Traveler Creeping out from quarantine on a noiseless Sunday, I spotted a wispy, sable-colored spider refusing to shelter in place, shimmying through shifting sunlight up an imperceptible thread to the awning above my head just how I once rocked to a peak of an Alp smeared with tourism and snow (or was it white Toblerone?) in a fully-packed funicular when I was twelve and not yet terrified of heights. And now I feel as exposed, but not half as carefree as that nimble arachnid in the wind. L i t e r a r y G a r l a n d | July|2020 |6
Anindita Sarkar - Can we sleep in peace? Anindita Sarkar is a Research Scholar from India. She is pursuing her M.Phil degree from Jadavpur University, Kolkata. Her works have recently appeared in Indolent Books, Ariel Chart Magazine, Otoliths, Writing in a woman‟s voice, Scars Publication among others. L i t e r a r y G a r l a n d | July|2020 |7
Can we sleep in peace? I try to sleep oscillating on the bed trying to swallow air, to breathe my house breathes relatively better the windows flare and recede in an impeccable rhythm. Yes, you guess me right I am not White I‟m a triggered gust of wind, a jeopardized black woman abandoned by a husband for not being modelesque. My dreams are whitewashed so are the tell-tale scars on my skin I possess no voice to reclaim my diary nose-bleeds with insecurities. But this is how I was raised to wrap the thorns into a tube and seal it like a folded leaf, Yes, to admire the white sobriety and savour their abbreviated slurs “You are a rare orchid, vividly flowering”, a buzzword for my mother, she taught me to tread on the asphalted sidewalk frequented by my ancestors, the highways are floored by the Whites, so I sleep with a smile on my harrowed fallow face fantasizing about the bluest eyes. L i t e r a r y G a r l a n d | July|2020 |8
Atif Khurshid Wani - Play my distant dream Atif Khurshid Wani is a Kashmiri poet, reviewer and a columnist. He was born on 11th January 1995 when everything around was frozen. Atif graduated from Kashmir University and did his masters from LPU, Punjab. Atif has become part of more than 30 national and international poetry anthologies. Currently, he is working as a freelancer and his poetry collection \"The shattered She\" is likely to be published soon. L i t e r a r y G a r l a n d | July|2020 |9
Play my distant dream Banality of dreams Full of gloom and gleam Horizons are wide open To carry my distant dream. I pampered in dark nights Feeling the crafty tulips In nature‟s lap For thou shall carry my distant dream. Some puffed up Holding my empty aims In traces of ruined life Thy carry my distant dream. Pause on the howling sighs Amidst cold waves That carry my tins While holding my distant dream. Sour isn‟t the sill Life is but hollow Carrying the muse Of one distant dream. L i t e r a r y G a r l a n d | July|2020 | 10
DS Maolalai - Stitches DS Maolalai has been nominated four times for Best of the Net and three times for the Pushcart Prize. His poetry has been released in two collections, \"Love is Breaking Plates in the Garden\" (Encircle Press, 2016) and \"Sad Havoc Among the Birds\" (Turas Press, 2019) He can be reached at [email protected] L i t e r a r y G a r l a n d | July|2020 | 11
Stitches like pinning a patch on the sleeve of a jacket, the city bores down with its steel toward the sea. I drive out each morning, west on the M50 southbound, see as the grey and the endlessness tacks up to new ends. the mountains south of Dublin; even there they have traffic sometimes now, and the radio doesn't lose station. I hammer my finger and push it to past jazz and to classical. mean as a losing tobogganer I slide into fifth and slide forward, switching attentions and stitching past lorries which crowd up like mountains ahead. L i t e r a r y G a r l a n d | July|2020 | 12
Eduard Schmidt-Zorner - Parting moon Eduard Schmidt-Zorner is a translator and writer of poetry, haibun, haiku and short stories. He writes in four languages: English, French, Spanish and German and holds workshops on Japanese and Chinese style poetry and prose. Member of four writer groups in Ireland and lives in County Kerry, Ireland, for more than 25 years and is a proud Irish citizen, born in Germany.Published in 97 anthologies, literary journals and broadsheets in USA, UK, Ireland, Japan, Sweden, Italy, Bangladesh, India, France, Mauritius, Nigeria and Canada. Writes also under his pen name: Eadbhard McGowan L i t e r a r y G a r l a n d | July|2020 | 13
Parting moon Clear and austere stands the embracing air; trees stretch their bronze-gold branches, wine winds purple chains around the walls, prematurely falling leaves rustle on the narrow path. Sweetly suffused by apples‟ scent, so rich and ripe this summer's end, shining like a last bouquet of flowers, announcing early autumn days. The wounds of life are burning, no herb can ever heal. Hard strikes the hand of death, but lays to rest a tired man. Sombre behind the treetops fades the last afterglow. Life‟s burden, it weighs heavily; it almost seems to me it's even easier to die, finally. \\ | 14 L i t e r a r y G a r l a n d | July|2020
Gerard Sarnat – Quarantine Fatigue Gerard Sarnat won the Poetry in the Arts First Place Award plus the Dorfman Prize, and has been nominated for a handful of recent Pushcarts plus Best of the Net Awards. Gerry is widely published in academic-related journals (e.g., Universities of Chicago/ Maine/ San Francisco/Toronto, Stanford, Oberlin, Brown, Columbia, Harvard, Pomona, Johns Hopkins, Wesleyan, Penn, Dartmouth, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Baltimore) plus national (e.g., Gargoyle, Main Street Rag, New Delta Review, Peauxdunque Review, MiPOesias, American Journal Of Poetry, Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library Literary Journal, South Broadway Press, Parhelion, Clementine, pamplemousse, Red Wheelbarrow, Deluge, Poetry Quarterly, poetica, Tipton Journal, Hypnopomp, Free State Review, Poetry Circle, Buddhist Poetry Review, Poets And War, Thank You For Your Service Anthology, Wordpeace, Lowestoft Chronicle, 2020 International Human Rights Art Festival, Cliterature, Qommunicate, Indolent Books, Snapdragon, Pandemonium Press, Boston Literary Magazine, Montana Mouthful, Arkansas Review, Texas Review, San Antonio Review, Open: Journal of Arts & Letters, Brooklyn Review, pacificREVIEW, San Francisco Magazine, The Los Angeles Review, Fiction Southeast and The New York Times) and international publications (e.g., Review Berlin, London Reader, Voices Israel, Foreign Lit, New Ulster, Oslo Griffel, Transnational, Southbank, Wellington Street Review, Rome Lotus-Eaters). He’s authored the collections Homeless Chronicles: From Abraham to Burning Man (2010), Disputes (2012), 17s (2014), Melting the Ice King (2016). Gerry is a physician who’s built and staffed clinics for the marginalized as well as a Stanford professor and healthcare CEO. Currently he is devoting energy/ resources to deal with climate change justice. Gerry’s been married since 1969 with three kids plus six grandsons, and is looking forward to future granddaughters. gerardsarnat.com L i t e r a r y G a r l a n d | July|2020 | 15
Quarantine Fatigue Generation Z, fed-up with this sequester, pent-up energy takes to street pavement to remediate axes of slavocracy as winking virus can‟t care less spreads like wildfire with further prospects of pinching breath from more bodies. L i t e r a r y G a r l a n d | July|2020 | 16
Guna Moran - GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY Guna Moran is an Assamese poet and critic. His poems are being published in various international magazines, journals, webzines and anthologies. He lives in Assam, India. L i t e r a r y G a r l a n d | July|2020 | 17
GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY Original: Assamese: Guna Moran Translation: Bibekananda Choudhury Birds learnt to fly After reading geography I learnt to fight After reading history The avian has a limitless circumference of excursion Can move to various places at ones’ will History is embedded in geography So the birds Chose geography to history And Rather than nestling permanently at one place Learnt to make the entire world its abode There is no better travel than flying There is no better knowledge than travel Hence the birds are wise and non-violent But the scope of my movement Is quite narrow and fixed Even if I wish I cannot go elsewhere Like the birds If I apply force to break the limit Blood would flow because of border crossing. I made an aircraft | 18 L i t e r a r y G a r l a n d | July|2020
After the birds flying in the sky And converted the sky into an battlefield Now the game of war Being played in two battlefields The count of history in terms of win and loss Has increased in the valley of death The new fighters too Followed the path of yesteryears Reading history books. Thereafter too did not understand the value of geography Of course It is not an easy task To learn about geography Hence history got detached from other’s bosom And turned into an individual subject And the preamble of battle practice Came along by birth. L i t e r a r y G a r l a n d | July|2020 | 19
Jackie Kalyamba – AFTER LOVE AND FEAR Jackie Kalyamba is a young poet from Kabwe, Laupula, Zambia. He is the last born in the family of 9. He is single parented. He is doing Plush Engineering in Zambia .For more information you can check some of his work on The Soul Writers page via Facebook. L i t e r a r y G a r l a n d | July|2020 | 20
AFTER LOVE AND FEAR After love and fear, there‟s pride After tears, the night After all the words are gone, A chair with just one light. After memories, the dream That you will come home safe After sleep, another day Of waiting for my life. After hope, the happiness Of thinking of your love After moments of despair A stone no thought can move. After all the sacrifice, The hunger and the pain, The passions and the promises, The losses and the gains, There‟s nothing but my love for you, Which waits upon the wind To bring you from the barricades That now you must defend. L i t e r a r y G a r l a n d | July|2020 | 21
Jagari Mukherjee - BROKEN Jagari Mukherjee holds an MA in English Language and Literature from University of Pune, and was awarded a gold medal and several prizes by the University for excelling in her discipline. Her poems and other creative pieces have been published in different venues both in India and abroad. She is a Best of the Net 2018 nominee, a DAAD scholar from Technical University, Dresden, Germany, a Bear River alumna, and the winner of the Poeisis Award for Excellence in Poetry 2019, among other awards. She won the 2019 Reuel International Prize For Poetry, and the Tagore Literary Prize 2018 for Book Review. Her chapbook Between Pages was published by Cherry- House Press, Illinois, USA, in June 2019. Her latest book to be published is The Elegant Nobody by Hawakal Publishers in January 2020. She is currently pursuing her PhD from Seacom Skills University, Bolpur, India. L i t e r a r y G a r l a n d | July|2020 | 22
BROKEN (after Mary Oliver) I am made of broken pieces of colored glass, but all you see is a rose window with tinted panes… (Is the silver crescent a fragment of the black new moon?) It is you who believe that everything that was broken has forgotten its brokenness. L i t e r a r y G a r l a n d | July|2020 | 23
Linda Imbler - Waxing Philosophical Linda Imbler is the author of four poetry collections published at Amazon. Soma Publishing published two of her poetry books and one poetry-short fiction hybrid. She began writing in earnest five years ago. In addition to putting pen and paper to inventive use, Linda is an avid reader. This writer, yoga practitioner, and classical guitar player lives in Wichita, Kansas with her husband, Mike the Luthier, several quite intelligent saltwater fish, and an ever-growing family of gorgeous guitars. She‟s been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and several Best of the Net awards. Learn more at lindaspoetryblog.blogspot.com. L i t e r a r y G a r l a n d | July|2020 | 24
Waxing Philosophical Moonlit midnight Turtle Creek seated around campfires in the glade encircled by unfathomable dense forests of trees beneath the moon under incandescent stars we, waxing philosophical we, the young dressed in peacock beauty splendor oh, I miss being there with those who ignore the voice of the serpent under the moon chasing angels‟ thoughts across the fire‟s peak L i t e r a r y G a r l a n d | July|2020 | 25
Michael Igoe – Mixed Signal Michael Igoe, neurodiverse city boy, Chicago now Boston, instructor in Psychiatric Rehabilitation, many works appear in journals online and in print. Recent: idleink.org ephemeralelegies.com sublunaryreview.com . Avalanches In Poetry [email protected]. poetryinmotion416254859.wo rdpress.com .Urban Realis?Surrealism.(I like the Night). L i t e r a r y G a r l a n d | July|2020 | 26
Mixed Signals I possess the wrong radar for detecting eerie noises. My head turns to follow the blue insistent light. I scribble at random moments faster than a radio crackle. I swim to escape dense evening traffic. Deep enough in water, sometimes standing, abandoned in staccato: strength leaves my hands. Wolves in sheep‟s clothing keep hands on their wallets. L i t e r a r y G a r l a n d | July|2020 | 27
Rema T. Das - Mythical Inclusive Education Rema T. Das is a research scholar and teaches English in Ranchi, Jharkhand, a tribal land in the subcontinent of India. She is connected to circles which supports the downtrodden and often teaches poor children. Her poems are on social concerns, position and rights for the female, ecocritical and based on surreal aspects of life depicting Indian culture and traditions. The tribal concerns are deep since she was born and brought up in Jharkhand seeing the atrocities and poverty to which they are often subjected to. She currently works at St. Xavier‟s College, Ranchi in the Intermediate section and tries to teach English to students who come from the outskirts and rural areas of Jharkhand. As a researcher, she has worked on inclusive education and is currently taken up Trauma Theory and Partition trauma for her doctoral research. L i t e r a r y G a r l a n d | July|2020 | 28
Mythical Inclusive Education Educators in lockdown Theoretical lectures on VDT. Deep learning paradigm. Decolonisation, Gender, Identity Subaltern dialogues and notions of equity Topics discussed online. World is in shambles, difficult time. Array of ideas, objective lines. Who cares of pragmatism? Poverty, hunger and crime? That‟s too cliché Now Technology chimes. Transition from seminars to webinars. Collection of certifies, Diplomas and degrees all virtually designed. The rat marathon continues, Children cramming, Debates slamming. Blame game still induced. Information banks filled with hope. Empty hearts discourse. Dialogues, ramblings reminiscences lost. Social distancing, emotional chaos. Education now has failed No one can relate, this new idea of normal World on a rally race. Can we cope up now? With the changing times? Emotionally barren, rich on drugs. Children on anxiety pills Old men digging their graves. Men affected on ventilator‟s gasp Poor impoverished cries. L i t e r a r y G a r l a n d | July|2020 | 29
Intellect blabber still endures Equity, Education, Inclusion for All… Till a teacher receives a call--- Darkness in thatched roof ma’am My father tills and plods. I am poor ma’am These classes I cannot afford. No electricity in village Ma’am Of network failure, the agrarian grumbles. Marginalised tribal again left, far, far behind. This cry of education for all? Fragmented existence, Stark reality- Our education system crawls. Subjugation, discrimination all aligned. L i t e r a r y G a r l a n d | July|2020 | 30
Sufia Khatoon - Searching Receiver of The Kavi Salam Award 2018, she is a multi-lingual performance poet, editor, translator,artist and illustrator based in Kolkata, India. Her poems and short stories have been published in various national and international anthologies of repute. “Death in the Holy Month” is her debut book of poems. Sufia Khatoon is the Co- Founder of Rhythm Divine Poets community, Kolkata. She has performed and participated as a Delegate and Poet at Yuva Sahiti Young Writers Meet in The Festival of Letters of Sahitya Akademi 2019,Avishkar Young Writers Festival, Dibrugarh Assam 2019 by Sahitya Akademi, Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival 2019-20 and Ethos Literary Festival Kolkata 2018-19 respectively. She has Curated as Co-Founder of Rhythm Divine Poets Kolkata(India) chapters of the global events like 100 Thousand Poets for Change spearhead by Michael Rothenberg , Women Scream International Poetry and Art Festival 16-18 spearhead by Jael Uribe and the Dylan Thomas Poetry Celebrations 18, Kolkata(India) chapter. She is a PR,Media and Event curator by profession. She is often invited to judge and panel various poetry slams and writing competitions in College and Universities.She also conducts the art of performance poetry, forms of poetry, creative writing and art workshops in Kolkata and recites and performs in places of repute.She has also received Amio Santa Award 2017 for her social efforts. Sufia Khatoon has an MA in English Literature, a PG in Journalism and Mass Communication and a Diploma in Visual Arts and Design. L i t e r a r y G a r l a n d | July|2020 | 31
Searching There is something about the moon tonight seeping through the jafri of my body and crumbling on the paper left untouched. So much the mind can be cynical about – It can sense the displaced sounds let out by heavy unsure breath past bed time. I am not a human clock, I fear the moon will be eaten alive and I'll have to sketch it out of a lost planet. Years of scrubbing, burning, shinning wits and wisdom to find anger grieving. It has sacrificed everything to find warmth of the loveless moon and the reason to leave the familiar. Does searching ends somewhere near this night? *jafri-window L i t e r a r y G a r l a n d | July|2020 | 32
Tonmoi Das Kashyap – Standing in Rain Tonmoi Das Kashyap is an emerging poet and short story writer. His work has been published in 29 Anthology, Literary Garland, The Daily Drunk and The Assam Tribune. Some of his poems are awaiting publications in Burgundy Balloon, Trouvaille Review, Litehouse, etc. He lives in Guwahati, India with his parents and brother. He can be at Facebook or [email protected] L i t e r a r y G a r l a n d | July|2020 | 33
STANDING IN THE RAIN I stretch my hands sideways, eyes tightly shut, soft smile on the lips, facing the sky mind goes blank only the stimulus on skin. The feel! Overlooked every time, so delicate so rejoicing the magnetizing climate, the weather mesmerizing recalling the long-lost childhood, childhood- I want to live once again. L i t e r a r y G a r l a n d | July|2020 | 34
Walid Abdallah - Black Walid Abdallah is an Egyptian poet and author. He is a visiting professor of English language and literature in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Germany and the USA, his poetry includes \"Go Ye Moon\", \" Dream\" and \"My heart still beats\" And has several translated poems which won prestigious prizes in the USA like \"Cause\", \"Egypt's Grief\", and \"Strangers' Cross\", his books include Shout of Silence, Escape to the Realm of Imagination, and Man Domination and Woman Emancipation. L i t e r a r y G a r l a n d | July|2020 | 35
Black I have always been called black Before my eyes and behind my back I always try to hide my sufferings and tears I have to stand more than anyone bears I didn‟t create my myself nor my color That becomes my weakness and their power I may be black from the outside But I have the whitest hear inside My color has become the curse of my own race On earth, we no longer have a place I am cursed in every place I go I always feel so little and low I was born only to suffer My feeling doesn‟t matter For any crime, I am the first to blame The Nigro did it and call my name My soul is imprisoned within the dark skin My own color has become my own sin I hope people will see the beauty in my heart And stop excluding me and asking me to depart L i t e r a r y G a r l a n d | July|2020 | 36
My heart breaks a thousand times every day No body cares about me, no attention they pay I am a caged bird left lonely in a rainy night With broken wings, with no power to fight Outcast and cursed that‟s how I always feel In front of their vanity we should kneel I hope they will understand we complete each other We were created to reconstruct the earth together We have the same soul but different colors This should be our strength and our powers I dream of a world in which we are all the same And only a human being becomes our name We should teach our children the power of tolerance And root out envy, hatred and intolerance L i t e r a r y G a r l a n d | July|2020 | 37
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A Brief Conversation with Amanda Valentine This is a brief conversation with Amanda Valentine, the author of Dating Transgender Women for Gentlemen. “Transgender women deserve REAL relationships, REAL emotions, and most importantly… REAL men.” L i t e r a r y G a r l a n d | July|2020 ~Amanda Valentine | 39
Literary Garland: Please tell our readers something about yourself. Amanda Valentine: Greetings! I‟m Amanda Valentine, a transgender woman from the Philippines and the proud author of Dating Transgender Women for Gentlemen. I‟ve been teaching men who are into women like us on how to properly date us for 7 years through my column in the top transgender dating site My Transsexual Date. Suffice to say, I‟m a dating coach who‟s complicit into turning an “Average Joe” to the perfect gentleman that every Trans woman deserves. Literary Garland: What genre do you prefer to write? Amanda Valentine: I like writing about self-improvement, etiquette, romance, and murder mysteries. I love everything! Literary Garland: How many books have you published till date? Please mention them for our readers. Amanda Valentine: Dating Transgender Women for Gentlemen is my debut dating guide book. However, I‟ve also published Teenage Love Spell: A Halloween Romance (different pen name) back in 2013. Albeit it reached bestseller status in certain categories, I don‟t consider it as my first project because I‟m so in love with DTWFG. L i t e r a r y G a r l a n d | July|2020 | 40
Literary Garland: Any new release? If so, please tell us what the book all about is. Amanda Valentine: Right now, I have a lot in mind but it would definitely be something related to transgender women! Literary Garland: What makes you write? Amanda Valentine: Writing is my refuge. In a country such as the Philippines, which does not treat trans people equally in the workforce, it‟s what helped me live a full life and is what drives me to be better. It‟s also limitless as you can create countless worlds just by using an idea. Thank you very much for having me Literary Garland! More about Dating Transgender Women for Gentlemen: Your feelings for transgender women shouldn‟t be defined by society‟s latest trend called bigotry. Transgender women deserve REAL relationships, REAL emotions, and most importantly… REAL men. Dating Transgender Women for Gentlemen is a collection of trans women‟s real experiences in the ever-punishing world we all call online dating. Let my 13 years of bad romance tell you of what we truly want in a life partner. L i t e r a r y G a r l a n d | July|2020 | 41
Please visit the official site of Dating Transgender Women for Gentlemen https://dtwfgbook.com/ and I hope to see you there! Literary Garland: Thank you very much Amanda Valentine for sharing with us something about your writing journey and for providing with us about your book. We, Literary Garland, pray the Almighty God to shower upon you with success, happiness and lots more. Thank you once again. L i t e r a r y G a r l a n d | July|2020 | 42
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The Writing Journey of Linda Imbler I was introduced to poetry by teachers when I was very young. As a young girl, I used to write poetry about what I observed in nature. Back then, everything had to rhyme. I made my own poetry books from paper, cardboard, and shiny wrapping paper. I do not remember my first poem. I am sure it was about a bird, tree, or a flower. I was 9 years old and the memory of the content has faded, but not the sensation of the accomplishment. I remember I read it to my mother and my brother. I honestly cannot remember their reactions, other than whatever they said or however they responded did not deter me from continuing to write more poems later in life. As I went into my teens, I began to hear poetry through music lyrics. This is when I began to jot images and thoughts in response to what was happening around me. This influence was huge, and this visceral response to life still continues to be the impetus for much of my poetry. I have been influenced by the lyrics of those whom I consider L i t e r a r y G a r l a n d | July|2020 | 44
to be some of the greatest songwriters ever: Bob Dylan, Gordon Lightfoot, Cat Stevens (now Yusuf Islam), Joni Mitchell, George Harrison, John Denver, Jim Croce, Paul Simon, Jerry Jeff Walker, Willie Nelson, Robert Plant, Sam Cooke, James Taylor, Willie Dixon, Bernie Taupin, Al Green, David Bowie, Dolly Parton, Woody Guthrie, Lou Reed, Kate Bush, Van Morrison, Neil Young, Leonard Cohen, Bob Marley, and Stevie Wonder. At this stage mentioned above, rhyme still was important to me. Once I discovered free verse as an adult, all restraints were off and an entire new world of poetry opened up to me. I realized that lyric and narrative were both legitimate forms of poetry. Today, I understand writing not only as a craft, but as an art. It is said that art is courageously baring your soul to the entire world through whichever medium suits your strengths. It is baring one‟s soul or exposing one‟s current state of mind or most vivid memories. In this regard, my poetic art is my way to make sense of the world and to organize memories. It helps me from feeling transitory. In some instances, writing allows me to memorialize some person, a thing, or some event. It doesn‟t hurt to mention that it‟s a terrific way to exorcise personal demons. If I wish to be truly creative, writing also lets me see things from another‟s point of view. In several instances, I have practiced writing from a different point of view, and the results were quite astonishing. I do the majority of my writing in the dead of night, because I am a hopeless insomniac. So the days are mostly set aside for editing, submissions, and rewrites. I have a several stage process from start to finish. I keep a recorder on my nightstand and record images and lines as I dream them, or as they tickle my brain while I am lying in bed. On nights when I‟m sure sleep has eluded me, I tend to dig through my box of thoughts and see if anything clicks. Or, if I am in daylight, I grab a notebook and proceed to write down the ideas and add those to the box. I have L i t e r a r y G a r l a n d | July|2020 | 45
written things down in restaurants. I have pulled out my phone and asked Siri to open voice memo in stores, parks, and concert halls so that I could not lose a phrase or an idea for a poem, or even a title. The process of stringing phrases together and fleshing out the piece can take days or weeks. I can walk away from a piece and then go back to see if the ideas are working or not. In some cases, I have taken a poem in a completely different direction from where I thought it was going, especially if I am re-reading it and thinking, „what in the heck is this dribble?‟ Once I‟m satisfied with it, I then take my work to my computer and dictate the poems to see if they sound right. As much as I care how my poems look, I care as much how they sound. My poems are meant to be read, but they are also meant to be spoken, and meant to be heard. So, I make revisions at this stage also. I work on each poem until I feel I have said what I want to say in the way I want to say it. Only then do I submit it. I wish to thank Literary Garland for offering me the opportunity to share my journey toward becoming a published writer. L i t e r a r y G a r l a n d | July|2020 | 46
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A WALK TO REMEMBER: A REVIEW OF GOPAL LAHIRI'S RETURN TO SOLITUDE By Jagari Mukherjee The last line of Gopal Lahiri's Introduction to his book of short poems Return To Solitude (2018) states that ,\"I want to take my readers on a wonderful walk where a little rain is a downpour, where silence is a part of our essence, where a solitary mind is a chorus.\" Lahiri keeps his promise to his readers, taking them out on a walk where, akin to Wordsworth coming upon a host of golden daffodils, they discover a plethora of simple delights. The volume is a collection of haiku and other short poems, little miniature charms that have an overall tranquil effect on the reader: red and russet over tender green blowing kisses (63) L i t e r a r y G a r l a n d | July|2020 | 48
The colors used in the haiku--red and russet--are flamboyant in nature, and yet, in the very next line, they are balanced by the tender green. The gentle act of blowing kisses puts an apt finishing touch. Many of Lahiri's haiku contain action words. But the action almost imperceptibly merges with the rest of the poem: evening stars ready to ink a beautiful night sipping secrets. (25) Similarly, a jasmine tree waits to \"burst into flowers\", a few stars inhale the fragrance of the dark night, the poet's voice in the imperative asking the reader to open the window to listen to the pigeons, and diary pages flap on the writing desk. Thus, even within a short span of three lines, Lahiri creates bustling, busy worlds. However, the poet does not neglect to portray the other side of nature- -that which is red in tooth and claw. The opening poem of this collection presents a volta that jar the laid-back reader into wakefulness: rainbow birds dipping their long legs skinned alive. (11) Other times, the volta occurs after the shock of an unsavory beginning: stinks, filth and dust bowl eclipsed by the glory of an ochre red sun. (72) L i t e r a r y G a r l a n d | July|2020 | 49
The poem mentioned above follows the format of a traditional haiku with a syllable count of 5-7-5. Lahiri's haiku are essentially modern in form and content, and his use of the traditional haiku form is an exception rather than the rule. Yet, there is an enchantment in some of the haiku despite their overtly modern content. The following haiku, besides being an example of such an enchantment, is reminiscent of e.e.cummings' famous line: \"nobody, not even the rain, has such small hands.\" the silence of rain, fills my hands with darkness records secret songs. (13) The act of recording a song places the poem closer to our time zonerather than being a throwback to the times of the traditional haiku. In the last two poems, the poet observes his reflection in the mirror resembling that of his grandma (99) and the 'pure redness' of love between his parents. Thus, the poet gently guides the reader back home from his walk. However, we only need to turn the pages: Return To Solitude is a collection that can be revisited again and again. L i t e r a r y G a r l a n d | July|2020 | 50
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