"If memories were chained
Like a silky stream
I would run my fingers on it
To pick the prized one"
Says, the young author NJ. He also knew that:
"...And the streams may rush and dry
For memories will never die"
NJ (Nithin Jacob, MouthShut_Official id @xNJX )'s first work of poetry, Aftermath is a collection of many such prized memories!
A writer and a painter always leave traces of his/her life in their work. A good art form is a good puzzle to solve. The harder the puzzle, higher the joy! NJ's Aftermath is an excellent puzzle we would love to solve and through this poems will unfold his life, accumulated wisdom and life philosophy!
The cover of the book gives a mysterious feel and after reading the poems, I can say, the content justifies it! The book is simply excellent for a young writer. There are glimpses of genius which we only witness in experienced writers. NJ had a lonely childhood like Tagore and no wonder I was reminded of Tagore while reading Aftermath.
They say closeness strengthen a relation where separation sharpens it. Pain of separation and worries of a child is visible in NJ's poems. To be with parents was his heaven but the parents were away to secure him a safe future. Gold builds a wall between but mother's love was the child longed for more, for he sing, "You and your love is all that I need . . ." For him, the mother
"Is like a stream merging with the sea....
Is like a rose flower blossomed in spring....
Is like a rain showering its glory....
Is like a candle blazing in the darkness"
"For riches cannot buy us love or calm
For words cannot fill our empty belly" The child had to ponder.
Money was a wall which hindered his happiness. The child hope that money could buy friends and happiness but found it is not a match. The meaninglessness of money is stressed at several places.
"ferry full of Gold sank to the west,
Crossed the silver sea in vain,
Went astray with all the glitzy gold ."
"Blushed in gold For gold cannot buy love"
"I held my heart in a pot Crystal"
Grandparents become his friends and the fairy tales and stories of kings and queens lived in his fairy dreams.
"The sky shall pour all its riches
My grandfather, and I— in a summer
Rambled across the street, barefoot
..................
Seventh Street cathedral at the dusk had candles
But the rain had no mercy on its shades" His grandfather who used to tell him wonderful stories and his death have a strong impact on him.
"Swift shaft from lighthouse
Old man and his memories"
NJ's poetry can be told as poetry of soliMr_customtakeouter. The child who found his happiness in shores of soliMr_customtakeouter nurtured the feeling even when he is grown. Loneliness is painful but it gives peace.
"If silencewas loud Like a crystal bell
I would ring it endlessly To heed the voice of angels"
"In soliMr_customtakeouter, no pride or pain But love and heed"
He built a temple of pride around him and boasted on it. He did manage to look at the sky from top of it. Then, the pride brought down his happiness.
"Hell is the end to prideThe home to endless lie" He learned that, "End to our pride Is start to our life"
He decide to start the life all over: "Cast thy woes In this pond -Where lotus blooms And riches rest -
When past is deadAnd pride is done"
"Oh dear child, yield thy pride to rise in life,
like a light, from a womb to tomb you walk" Tells his Pride philosophy.
No young poet can skip Love for a subject. For NJ, Novemberis his season of love and happiness. November is a sweet dream for him for which he lives. Being a Scorpion the month is close to his life. He paints November in Red, the colour of love. Crimson pearls decorated the roads and the love which blossom like a flower but will his pride survive the season?
"For her red clothe denoted redemption From an awful attack named love"
"My heart was placed in your heartChained, tattooed or cornered"
"The instant freedom unseals at lovers meet
In the wild journey of an everlasting ecstasy
Filled with three shades of clouds in the sky
Hollowed by the brave rays of days gone by"
"Once I knew the rhythm of bellsAnd the smell of autumn flowers
Amid the spell of November rainsIn a lost world of lovers longing"
The longing for lost love is a chain, the poet realise.
"Wisdom of love chained poets
Save us “now or sooner”
Free us “soon” - He sings!
The childhood memories brought images of class fight the child witnessed which he connects to the stories of war and the poet sing the meaninglessness of war. "Sword cut dreams" the poet crystalises the situation.
"When thousands of infants cried
In ache of glancing their mothers bleed" You see the aftermath of war on human life.
"Where fate shadowed dreams And arms sold more than love"
"But the war of devil and angel shoved so deep
Into my broken heart, in pace to ace the race"
There are plenty of wisdom you will find in 'Aftermath' where the above is only a glimpse of a treasure hut. Thoughtful and beautiful, Aftermath is a book to buy, ponder and keep. A book to share or to give as a gift! Nostalgic and Brilliant, It is an attempt worth applauds and more.
There are 102 poems in this, quite a good collection, where even half of them is plenty - considering the quality associated with it. The page layouts and designs are creative and an art in itself. Quite readable and nostalgic, the italic font and style is cool.
I individually rank all the poems and not astonished when I noted that out of 102, I gave 10 out of 10 for as many as 28 poems where another 37 of it got 9 or 8. That tells how I enjoyed the book. Then, there are some light poems with average ranks as well. What I notice is that when the poet gets highly emotional the poetry takes a back seat; then it is the writing which carries a lot of life in it and that compensates and we wish to keep them as well to our favorite list. A very few number of poems however, I felt could have been avoided from the list. Also, there are two poems in same name, i.e. Mother (40 & 82) both of excellent quality but one should have renamed for easy reference purpose.
The book is not for light reading for NJ means business. He makes sure to select best of poetic words to give the feel of the moment and often I had to refer to dictionary in the early pages for my poetic vocabulary is poor. So, some may find the poetry flying far over their head. Then, Aftermath is an Eagle, not a dove, for it has got strong wings to fly high.
"Every small things in life are precious The rest is momentary
All the pretty things will age and fadeBut our heart will live"
Songs of liberation, Songs of love, Songs of SoliMr_customtakeouter, regret and hope, Aftermath will take you for a beautiful journey. A treasure hunt! Go for it!!
My rating : 4.5 stars
