An excellent poetry collection enables the reader to understand and share the feelings and emotions of the poet. This happens to poetry lovers who delve into the world which the poet, Dr. Ritu Kamra kumar presents in her latest poetry collection “Unpruned Verses”. The author reflects over a gamut of emotions which certainly warm the cockles of the hearts of readers. With her remarkable deftness, she sheds light on human vulnerabilities, trails, tribulations and triumphs of life. Life for Ritu is akin to a richly sprawled rainbow against the bosom of the sky which has both the bleak and bright hues. Therefore, at one point of time her poems express the idea of human vulnerability and fragility, whereas at another point, her lyrical compositions celebrate the virtue of human resilience as well.
It seems that the poet is convinced of the fact that poetry has therapeutic properties. It retains a very strong potential to heal the wounded souls and the bruised minds. Hence, reading this anthology, the readers who are going through a rough patch in their lives will be able to find solace and the certainty of not being alone in these poems.
Literary History bears testimony to the fact that writers who choose to celebrate their own joyful moments or merely wallow in their personal pain and suffering perish with the passage of time. Having bubble reputation, they slip into oblivion. Those who rise above the temptations of ‘Singing About Self Syndrome” in sooth succeed to qualify the tests of time. This appears to be the perspective of the writer of this anthology. Many of her poems are rooted in heathy didacticism. Realising her duty towards society, the poet urges the readers to ‘Ring Out the Cacophony of Avarice’ and remarks that
“ Happy are those whose needs are a few
Contented they remain in whatever they have…..”
Undoubtedly, modern man is in the octopus grip of the evil of cupidity. Here, the poet seems quite in consonance with William Wordsworth who says “ The world is too much with us; late and soon, Getting and spending we lay waste our powers; Little we see in Nature that is ours; We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!” Further the poetic charms grow more intense when the poet waxes eloquent and writes the poetic piece “ Let Peace and Patience be Mantra of Life”. The peace she talks about is not about shedding away the worldly responsibilities in the manner of an escapist. Rather her “ Peace generates foundation of state of dynamism”. Though it is a matter of argument but the poet who does not love and sing of nature can be a complete poet. Her poetry will always remain lopsided. So, how could Ritu afford to commit such a blunder? She certainly express her profound love for nature and concern for the havoc man has wreaked on Mother Nature. This very emotion finds the apt manifestation in the poem “Preserve The Green on Earth” as she articulates
“ Beautiful are the mountains where titanic trees grow,
Fruitful are the valleys where soulful streams flow”……
Leaving a few lines, there comes a humble appeal to the denizens of this planet Earth that “ Now it is our turn to preserve the Green on the earth So generations after us have healthy tomorrows of mirth.”
The abundant usage of the choicest of the poetic devices by the poet festoons the lines as if a newly-wed bride is bedecked with precious jewels. There is a rainfall
of metaphors, similes, personification, alliterations, enjambments and so on that invigorates the verses. The poet appears to be deeply influenced by Wordsworth’s theory of poetic diction. Adhering to the doyen of nature poetry, she chooses to express her thoughts clad in a common man’s language . Her understanding of literary stylistics is also commendable. Therefore, this book is a great gift to the lovers of poetic nuggets.
Book Name
Unpruned Verses
Author Name
Dr Ritu Kamra Kumar
Publisher
Authors Press
Pages- 154
Price- INR 209