If you are not new here, you must be aware that I am a big fan of poetry. With this post, I bring you the review of one of the poetry collections I have recently read - Pearls of Ocean by Rakesh Pandey.
Pearls of Ocean: Musings of a Philosophical Soul is a collection of 58 poems that are like poetic essays quoting the various phases of a man's life, especially boyhood. This collection also consists of some poems based on societal issues that we often face. Additionally, there are some poems which revolve around the theme of love, betrayal and moving on. So, overall, this collection is pretty diverse.
“Everybody needs purification, to protect tomorrow’s creation”
Some of the poems are descriptive, practical and insightful, and I feel that the rhythmic touch would have made them much better. Some poems can be interpreted in multiple ways, so it is on you how you dissect those. That’s the thing about poetry, I guess. Many times, the writer's intention and the reader’s interpretation are different. People tend to understand poetry in their way. I think I too interpreted some of the poems from this collection in my ways. And, I was not really sure about them. Other than those 1-2 poems, I found this read to be satisfactory and insightful. I found some poems that made a real impact with utter simplicity.
If you are someone who wants to read poems in lucid language with easy metaphors and diverse themes, give this book a shot. If you are a beginner, this book might help you get started with poetry as the poems are descriptive in nature.
If you expect a poetry book to be full of metaphors with rich vocabulary and rhythmic touch to each line you read, or you connect to, then this book is not for you.
Here’s one of my favorite pieces from the collection :
O cry, don’t cry for me!
I have made mistakes
And it still happens
Because perfection is an illusion.
Mistakes are a true institution.
Picture predicts fraud,
I am the son of god.
Past may be foolish,
The present is lightship,
So let me here, lighting,
With whatever I am writing.
O cry, don’t cry for me!
You can buy this book here .
Also read : Reading Tips
Happy Reading!
A little update : I am trying to read more and more work of Indian authors and I have made a list of some books that I will be reading next month. Stay tuned for the reviews and discussions.