Blurb:
Poetarrati Ponder 2020 is a compilation of poem reviews written by poet and author Ashok Subramanian during the year 2020. What started as a blog in medium.com, ended us as a comprehensive journal of appreciating fine poetry. The book covers more than 20 poems from 11 poets across the world. Praised for its deep analysis and sublime connects, Ponder brings out the fine elements of poetry.
My Review:
Poetarrati Ponder 2020 consists of poems covering different genres and themes: Nature, Seasons, Time, Life, Death, Farewell, Human Emotions, etc.
The book is divided into 14 sections. Each section is a review of a single poem or comparison of 2 poems following the same theme. The author presents different perspectives of each theme with the help of those poetries. These poetries also include haikus and free verses. The writing style is simple. The author first presents the poems and highlights the common theme between them. He then delves into reviewing each poem. He uses extracts from the poems and also takes the help of quotes from other writers to emphasize his points.
Each poetry is different from the other, even if the underlying theme is the same. A myriad of emotions can be felt as you read the poems and the author’s commentary—nostalgia, resentment, hopefulness, sadness, provocation, etc. With every poem the reader falls deeper into introspection and puts in a conscious effort in understanding the world around them.
When death beckons, I would be ready… Like rainbows after rains Like smiles after pains…
— Shweta Hitesh Joshi
The author has done a great job at understanding not just the poetry but the poet and their intentions behind each poetry. Works of the following poets are introduced in this book: Shweta Hitesh Joshi, E.J. Rose, Desiree Driesenaar, Sourabha Rao, Poornima Laxmeshwar, Vaishnavi M., Adam Prockstem Smith, Sakshi Arora, D.G. Torrens, Murray Alfredson, and Nicole Oaten. The author connected with these poets on various social platforms like LinkedIn and Medium. He fell in love with their work, and so does the reader.
There is a simplicity in each poem. They are easy to understand. However, the way in which the author explore each word and phrase of each poetry, he introduces a whole other dimension of the poem.
Highly recommended to all the poetry and nature lovers as well as to those looking for an easy read.