SEXLESS SOLITUDE AND OTHER POEMS: A REVIEW BY Y.S.RAJAN
The title may perhaps create an impression of painful loneliness, in mind and body. R K Singh is a daring experimenter. He has explored the human (more of men’s) mind in the area of sexual thoughts which are enjoyed as gossips or fantasies or vulgar jokes in small groups but never admitted openly. The intellectual and creative poet in him has not stopped at the cross level in which men often enjoy their sexual thoughts.
Using those similes, metaphors and imageries, he has in fact explored the whole of contemporary life: the human dilemmas; the decay of current day academics; nature; political satire; and also deeper aspects of philosophy of life. I liked all poems but some of them tease me with puzzles that is because they give multiple imagery. The economy of words gives a crisp reading, though at times it can become a brain teaser.
The poem PEACE MISSION is relatively straightforward :
... so much of corruption
in the system
of world peace
As he goes on in two small stanzas, the narrator rises with UN peace keeping system in dollars and earnings
…”while I worry about
freedom in Congo
untamed humans
safe sojourn”
This is a poetry without any sexual imagery. There are several such poems in this collection.
Then one comes about the plight of the academia with the title Abusing in Sleep” with bed imageries:
“…smashing
the academia that care
a tuppence for native
geniuses that unmake
the imported mates who
dovetail media to flourish”
The whole poetry poignantly brings out the slavish mentality with which the entrenched academia deal with native Indian English writers.
The satire on Human Rights activism is very insightful.
“Eyeless Jagannath” is a masterly poem, which ends as :
“……. Don’t blame the poets;
there is too much emptiness
and gloom to ignore”
R.K.Singh has explored such emptiness and gloom in many of his poems in this collection. Sexual imagery comes in handy. Some poems which I like very much include e “Broken Wishes”, “Group Dance”, “Liberation”, “Sexless Solitude”, “I Hang Nobody’s Picture”, “Portraits We Fear to See”, “ Body: A Bliss”, “Orgasm”, “Sodomy”, “Nude Origin”, “I’m Different”, “Perfumed Bar”, “Realisation”, “God, Sex and the World”, and “Shiva’s Third Eye”. There are also some painful parts of life e.g. about the blind in “Too Painful” and some mind probing ones, as in “Is This All”:
“With prayer’s cocktail
live animal existence
and boast, is this all?
in self-same cocoon
fungus of illusions grow
toadstools of damned tract”
The poem on “God” is an excellent philosophical and insightful one, with seven, three-line stanzas. Similarly, “Holi” brings out the contemporary human dilemmas with rituals which span all religions.
“I am No Moses” and “I am No Jesus” are very thought provoking. The later with seven stanzas begins and ends with:
“I am no Jesus
but I can feel the pains
of crucifixion”
These are the pains of the sensitive mind and a creative genius exploring the emptiness and gloom of the contemporary world.
“Wisdom” is a remarkably hopeful poem though it starts of with the travails of a sensitive soil.
There are also some nuggets about nature, “River’s Song”, “Snake”, “Rainbow”,
containing societal metaphors. The poems “Nirvana-1” and “Nirvana-2” delved deep into philosophy of life in simple words but rich imageries.
“When I Stopped” is another poem that looks like an autobiography of many Indians. It has a beautiful hopeful ending as also the poem “Long Trip” at the end.
The last poem “It Hardly Helps to Teach” is a beautiful assertion of self-reliance in life:
“no one learns from others
and it hardly helps to teach”
It is such a truthful boldness of expression that sets apart R K Singh from many others. He has no fears. He is incisive in searching and exploring and bold in expressions. He is also blessed with sweetness of the language.
When you read this book neither will you feel sexless nor will feel a solitude. It will invigorate you to live a full life.
Y S Rajan
22/8/08
Dr Y.S.Rajan, Principal Adviser, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Plot No. 249-F, Sector 18, Phase IV, Udyog Vihar, GURGAON 122015.
Using those similes, metaphors and imageries, he has in fact explored the whole of contemporary life: the human dilemmas; the decay of current day academics; nature; political satire; and also deeper aspects of philosophy of life. I liked all poems but some of them tease me with puzzles that is because they give multiple imagery. The economy of words gives a crisp reading, though at times it can become a brain teaser.
The poem PEACE MISSION is relatively straightforward :
... so much of corruption
in the system
of world peace
As he goes on in two small stanzas, the narrator rises with UN peace keeping system in dollars and earnings
…”while I worry about
freedom in Congo
untamed humans
safe sojourn”
This is a poetry without any sexual imagery. There are several such poems in this collection.
Then one comes about the plight of the academia with the title Abusing in Sleep” with bed imageries:
“…smashing
the academia that care
a tuppence for native
geniuses that unmake
the imported mates who
dovetail media to flourish”
The whole poetry poignantly brings out the slavish mentality with which the entrenched academia deal with native Indian English writers.
The satire on Human Rights activism is very insightful.
“Eyeless Jagannath” is a masterly poem, which ends as :
“……. Don’t blame the poets;
there is too much emptiness
and gloom to ignore”
R.K.Singh has explored such emptiness and gloom in many of his poems in this collection. Sexual imagery comes in handy. Some poems which I like very much include e “Broken Wishes”, “Group Dance”, “Liberation”, “Sexless Solitude”, “I Hang Nobody’s Picture”, “Portraits We Fear to See”, “ Body: A Bliss”, “Orgasm”, “Sodomy”, “Nude Origin”, “I’m Different”, “Perfumed Bar”, “Realisation”, “God, Sex and the World”, and “Shiva’s Third Eye”. There are also some painful parts of life e.g. about the blind in “Too Painful” and some mind probing ones, as in “Is This All”:
“With prayer’s cocktail
live animal existence
and boast, is this all?
in self-same cocoon
fungus of illusions grow
toadstools of damned tract”
The poem on “God” is an excellent philosophical and insightful one, with seven, three-line stanzas. Similarly, “Holi” brings out the contemporary human dilemmas with rituals which span all religions.
“I am No Moses” and “I am No Jesus” are very thought provoking. The later with seven stanzas begins and ends with:
“I am no Jesus
but I can feel the pains
of crucifixion”
These are the pains of the sensitive mind and a creative genius exploring the emptiness and gloom of the contemporary world.
“Wisdom” is a remarkably hopeful poem though it starts of with the travails of a sensitive soil.
There are also some nuggets about nature, “River’s Song”, “Snake”, “Rainbow”,
containing societal metaphors. The poems “Nirvana-1” and “Nirvana-2” delved deep into philosophy of life in simple words but rich imageries.
“When I Stopped” is another poem that looks like an autobiography of many Indians. It has a beautiful hopeful ending as also the poem “Long Trip” at the end.
The last poem “It Hardly Helps to Teach” is a beautiful assertion of self-reliance in life:
“no one learns from others
and it hardly helps to teach”
It is such a truthful boldness of expression that sets apart R K Singh from many others. He has no fears. He is incisive in searching and exploring and bold in expressions. He is also blessed with sweetness of the language.
When you read this book neither will you feel sexless nor will feel a solitude. It will invigorate you to live a full life.
Y S Rajan
22/8/08
Dr Y.S.Rajan, Principal Adviser, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Plot No. 249-F, Sector 18, Phase IV, Udyog Vihar, GURGAON 122015.
posted by Ram Krishna Singh at 10:42 PM
3 Comments:
Getting Clean And Sober
Getting clean and sober.
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Tired of all the beatings and the hatred of the people for the poor and homeless man
Working and justifying all eye am.
Working for a FIVE DOLLAR bill to get more beer.
Becoming drunkard was the plan.
Time will not erase all the alcoholic waste of time in meaningless meetings like AA.
The day the day had come to come unwound to come apart to find the help of GOD above.
Eye packed a bag eye took some food but not enough to survive for more than just that DAY and eye did FIVE.
FIVE days into the desert and eye was not alone for the SON OF GOD
Who sits upon the THRONE was watching me.
Eye did my time in the desert sun just walking without home
And aimlessly beginning mye new life in sobriety.
Eye survived mostly by pure luck and the SPIRIT of the SON
Who would not depart from me and eye found GOD again
Inside of me and even in the people around about me.
COLD TURKEY is a song but also an attitude and if it gets the JOB done
Than that is what ALL of you should DO.
Eye am sober TODAY because of JESUS and some time spent in agony
Sweating out my alcohol and getting clean and sober.
LISTEN unto me the LORD has heard my prayer and never will eye need another drink
Eye made a VOW to GOD above to drink no more alcoholic beverages until eye am with HIM in glory inside of HEAVENS door.
Please understand that a VOW it must be kept there is no further going back
COFFEE at my elbow and sodas when eye sleep
There is no more booze for homeless hobo to drink.
http://poetrypoem.com/cgi-bin/index.pl?poemnumber=794623&sitename=charlax&password=&poemoffset=0&displaypoem=t&item=poetry
Sir This is ajay.I'm also one of your student.I was wondered by seeing your blog.its really great .i want to share this blog with all my friends on web and also ism .
Sir This is ajay.I'm also one of your student.I was wondered by seeing your blog.its really great .i want to share this blog with all my friends on web and also ism .
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