26 Verses and 26 Prose Notes on 26 Lofty Topics- Book Review

Reflective poetry cum prose by Rajeev Moothedath

A collection of 26 poems along with a deeper insight into the verses, in prose, this #BlogchatterEBook by Rajeev Moothedath makes you reflect on life and the myriad experiences we go through on a day-to-day basis.

In my experience of writing poetry over years, I have come across various types of readers, especially regarding verses. While one set of readers prefer lyrical verses loaded with vivid imageries and metaphors, the other set prefers straightforward lines that may come as a close contender with prose. The best part is every reader finds a book and every book finds its reader.

Now, this book, which is a mix of poetry accompanied by prose will have a greater appeal to those who prefer straightforwardness in verses with perspectives held within.

Delighting in the good, no matter where and to whom it happened
Ignoring the evil, not dwelling on it to give it power
Is perhaps the sure fire way to be happy, peaceful, contented

The author has chosen a particular word for each letter of the English alphabet and reflected upon it in verses of 5 lines in each poem. It amazes me to see how well he has managed to maintain the same structure all through his poems.

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To make it easier for the reader, he has shared his insights on the verses as in what experiences got him to this and his perspectives in prose. This is an added advantage for those who are taking to poetry freshly. It helps them comprehend the poetry well.

I particularly loved the way the poet has connected the pieces with examples from real life. Like the one on ‘Delight’ where he points out that in the newspapers of Israel the first few pages are always about positive things, emphasising on a state such as,

Anything, as long as the front page of mind is always in delight!

His perspectives are fresh when he pens on the topic- ‘Ethereal’, finding power and strength in things delicate or when he writes about winning over ourselves.

Open your window to aesthetics- Love for art, poetry, music, culture

But he has also not shied away from talking about the cliched ‘money’ or ‘religion’. Despite being a cliched topic, it does catch the reader’s fancy, because no matter what, a few things need to be hammered on our heads to get the impact, no matter how many times.

One of my favourites from the collection is this poem, on ‘Karma’, where the poet expresses that Karma acts as an anchor for living life in moderation.

Do not fear Karma, nor pooh pooh it
To the extent of declaring "I just don't care..."
And give in to indulgences and cruelty
Just be sufficiently aware so as to not take
Two steps forward and then four steps backward!!

Also, not to forget the piece on “X-ray” that came as a surprise towards the end of the collection with a very fresh dimension to it. I really look forward to the M-ray (keep guessing or just grab the book!).

I just wished a little more time and attention could have been given to the cover design. A single stand-alone pic/graphic/abstract art would have looked better than a collage. Anyways, that didn’t hamper the reading experience though.

Cheers to the reflective poems with perspectives old & new!

To grab a promotional copy of the book, click here.

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This review is part of the #BlogchatterEBook carnival, 2022.

‘I’m participating in the #TBRChallenge by Blogchatter’.