Could poetry books have fewer takers in the current heights of social media attractions? Parents lament over children not finding the time to read. Young readers are looking for short reads and quick entertainment with inspirational nuggets that are easy to comprehend. Many may prefer prose to poetry. But those perceptions are quietly changing.
Poetry has several forms that I am still learning, and they can bond with lonely hearts to help enhance and heal lives. Longer poems suitably work on a flow to sustain the audience's interests, building a beautiful story or highlighting human follies, fantasies, tragedies and idiosyncrasies. The shorter ones could be sweet and soothing or bold and thought-provoking but evoke instantaneous mind shifts, assisting readers in identifying with the emotions espoused—as their own. When poetry became lucid and straightforward, a trend set by contemporary poets, it found further reach and success.
So, today, is it only the well-read that read or write poems? So it might have been, but not anymore! Many poems even look like chopped-up prose. It felt unacceptable at the start as we were compelled to compare our vision of poetry with the Wordsworths and Keats. Yet, they succeeded because younger generations thought they could now better relate to poetry and alleviate the stress in their lives. It paved the way for trendsetting Instagram poets to grow and find their niche. But hopefully, that should not deter the quest for knowledge, elegance and excellence in a language just because poetry has moved on to become uncomplicated.
Over the last eight years, I have written over 60 poems and have carefully selected my best work to present in my first book. While writing in itself is a rewarding experience, the compiling, formatting and editing work sapped away my time trying to learn and better it. And I am pleased about what I've gained at the end of this exercise.
Whenever I wrote poems, the emotions found their way out of me. It felt good. Now, I feel free and prepared to move on when it is ready as a book. My heart and soul are in it. Hence, it is an open book that Romances with Breath through every page of its nine chapters. The book cover has a line sketch drawn by my talented niece Ditika Laya Kashyap (specialist in digital art) and an aesthetically designed backdrop from my publisher Sumita Dutta Shoam, an artist and poet herself.
If I am to believe I have done some meaningful work with my book, I face the reality that I am not a household name in books and authors. So my best route will be to humbly approach the people I know to check out my work. Since this is my first book writing attempt, your honest Amazon Review as a verified purchaser will help me establish myself fairly and honestly. Further, I would like to commit every penny I earn from this book to Inner Wheel as my gratitude for the learnings I have received from these organisations, including the Rotary.
Good poetry is like watching a good film; it leads you to empathise with the thought or story. It may be superior because it involves the reader to use its soulful imagery and metaphors to work on their visual creativity and not remain mute spectators. It brings to light the things unknown or known. Still, it inspires in profound ways and suffuses a wow factor, a satisfaction of time well spent, preferably incidents justified, if not at least humorlessly entertained. It fascinates writers each time they read it. Because often poets are pleasantly surprised at their own work! They wonder how it came by in that fleeting moment and don't want to take credit for it--likened to a gift on a platter from the universe.
Thanks for reading! I wind up with a short synopsis of my book, cover images and the book link.
My book of poems, Romance with Breath, represents the story of aspiring Indians through simple poems. Some of its themes may refer to India but relate to the world as one. It invites readers to seize every thought—joyful, stressful, mundane or random to write poetry and heal themselves.
Humans are intelligent and indulgent in many ways. But one self-indulgence like monitoring our Breath through simple meditation practice keeps us motivated, productive, tolerant, empathetic, compassionate and kind, thus guiding our intelligence in the right direction. Our Breath makes our omniscient accountability partner. The book is suitable for all ages, ten years and up.
https://www.amazon.in/Romance-Breath-Sumitra-Kumar/dp/8195336760
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