By Neena Singh, SambhavnaPrakashan, 2020, 168 pages (Hardcover); ISBN:978-93-81619-12-4 Price: Rs.300, Available at Amazon
Reviewing Editor: Pravat Kumar Padhy
Neena Singh’s maiden collection of Japanese short forms of poetry, ‘One Breath Poetry” includes poems of varied styles. Brief head-notes on haiku, senryu, tanka, and elegant black-and-white monochromatic photographs on five seasons add richness to the book.
As she experiences different stages of life, she tries to reflect these through changes of seasons: exhilaration in spring, abundance in summer, revival in rain, a fall or loss in autumn, and a sense of solitude in winter.
Spring is the season of rebirth and joy. As if she recalls the famous quote by Algernon Charles: ‘Blossom by blossom the spring begins …’and writes:
so many flowers
in the spring breeze
a butterfly flutters (p. 18)
She blends cultural layers with subtle allusiveness as the moon reveals its sublime presence amongst thick foliage.
the full moon
hides in the garden all night:
is it a leprechaun (p. 37)
Her haiku at places are alliterative in nature as she unfolds the abundance of summer and senses the sound in the stillness of noon:
sun and sand
burnish skin to gold
an unending summer (p.66)
The fading away of ducks after sunset, “Green lake Park /ducks paddle and fade/ into the sunset” (p. 65), is a captivating visual snapshot by the poet. Interestingly, the impression resembles that of Basho’s magical creation:
The sea darkens/ and a wild duck's call/ is faintly white
Her poetic reflections corroborate with life-related aspects. The reference of ‘revival’ during the rainy season is artfully captured in one of her haiku:
after the downpour
garden choir – in crescendo frogs and cicadas (p. 74)
She is a believer in complementary nature (yin-yang). Metaphorically, through shades of autumn, she explores the sanity of life with philosophical allusion.
back to earth
by a gardener’s broom--
dry leaves crackle (p. 90)
She embraces solitude and experiences the life sketch towards the very end:
leafless trees draw on the skyline a charcoal sketch (p. 110)
bony arms
hold the sky
life’s winter (p. 122)
Reconciling to reality, she wishes to stay calm and often finds solace through humour:
barefoot again -
the dog asleep
on my slippers (p.141)
Faith, love, emotion, and philosophical penchant have been reflected in her tanka. She derives zen-feelings when she visits places of pilgrimage and expresses her deep reverence for the lotus sutra ‘Nam-myoho-renge-kyo’. She cherishes the flourishing life of her companion. With time gone by, stepping into the world of solitude and melancholy, she inks:
an acorn, a red leaf
reminders of our walks together
when you said “hurry”
hands in pocket, touching them
I walk alone today… (p.154)
The metrical exhibition, imaginative blending, and lyrical exposition are embedded in her tanka as she portrays both joy and anguish:
the long wait over
my son becomes a father
hugs his son skin-to-skin
oceans apart, grandma's heart
misses a beat to connect forever (p. 155)
The book is worth preserving in the personal shelf of haikai compendium.
