Poetry

 Let me share some words about poetry. Realization is the access point to poetry for a lot of people, including me: that is when they open their ears, hearts and minds. Poetry can last a lifetime when the poet is there with the right words for the person in the moment when something has happened and when they are in need. It conveys a great solace and reassurance. At time, people share their anxiety of not being able to read a poem facing an unknown fear. 

I think poetry cannot be read like a newspaper or a novel. It is read like a chanting; a prayer. We chant aloud in our heads like we are talking to someone else, the one who is interested and receptive. 

The true performance of recitation makes us conscious of rhythms, cadences, and musicality of the words and phrases. Hence, the pleasure of a keen, short and insightful poem is that we get more out of it every time. These poems address all the readers who enjoy the play of words against the social, personal and spiritual background of various aspects of life. 

Our experience of a poem depends on our own inner rhythms: what we have been through and what our mood is that day. Ag poem is profound and layered. It reveals itself inch by inch, never comes to an end but is always rewarding. 

Hence, the pleasure of a keen, short and insightful poem is that we get more out of it every time. 

The poems address all the readers who enjoy the play of words against the social, personal and spiritual background of various aspects of life. Dylan Thomas, in his introduction to poetry says, "Poetry is what in a poem makes you laugh, cry, prickle, be silent, makes your toe nails twinkle, makes you want to do this or that or nothing, makes you know that you are alone in this unknown world, that your bliss and suffering is forever shared and forever all your own. All that matters about poetry is the enjoyment of it however tragic it may be; all that matters is the eternal movement behind it— the great undercurrent of human grief, folly, pretension, exaltation and ignorance— however unlofty the intention of the poem" ("AFew Words of a Kind"). These lines from the personal recording of Dylan Thomas strengthen my idea of poetry which, I feel, makes one a better person by touching the human chords of existence creatively.

Why it so happens can be explained from Indian theory of creation. A poet, in fact, undergoes a course at five stages— creation, preservation, transformation, diffusion and grace. Here, creation is the aesthetic intuition that charges the poet. Preservation denotes the object of inspiration which captivates his/her mind. Transformation is the indication of expression which is his/her depth. Diffusion is the resulting stimulation which diffuses illusion. And finally grace is the manifestation of the universal rhythm. 

The poet who has this universal rhythm activated by grace offers truth and meaning impregnated with aesthetic pleasure. It enables him/her to know the real nature and character of various objects and materials of Nature. It also enables him/her to achieve his/her purpose for himself/herself and society. When a reader shares experience of the poet, he/she is also elevated and so he /she undergoes the same experience. Hence, the poet and the reader become better persons after undergoing the experience of poetry. 

During the poetic journey, a poet learns to accept odd and even experiences and varied emotions of life alike without too much of involvement— neither pessimist nor argumentative.