Anjali Yadav, Mid-Term Assignment
Prompt I: Repetition
1.
1.
Lavender
i signaled an auto
only to end up
booking a cab.
air conditioned, cozy
packed in fragrance of Air Wick.
The driver’s smiling eyes read,
“Lavender”.
we passed my favorite seekh kebab corner.
mellow smoked mutton
wrapped around those hot bars.
but all I smelled was
Lavender.
a kilometer later
we turned into a potters colony.
i saw clay seducing the potter’s wheel
but all I smelled was
Lavender.
likewise came a furniture shop
and a butcher’s shop after.
but instead of the pungent wood varnish
and odor of the leftover meat
all I smelled was
Lavender.
suffocated in this goodness
i dropped the window of cab at a traffic signal.
a few nostrils flickered on the scooter beside –
expanded, contracted
in fullness
of
Lavender.
2.
2.
Chipped Memories
Lazing in the winter morning sun,
seduced by the recollections of past.
when you were
by my side – complaining
about idle mornings turning into evenings.
I sit even now
with the same chipped tea mug
which has now become a vessel
to empty the void you created.
remember,
you broke its handle one dainty evening
while pecking kiss on my cheeks?
you said, favorite things fall apart
so that new favorites can be made.
I sit even now.
resting my feet up on the table,
exactly how you disliked it.
I've reserved mornings for you(r)
memories,
knowing how much you hated
me, memorizing memories.
I sit even now,
when you are gone.
remembering, how in bouts of coming
and going
you are
actually gone.
Prompt II: Line breaks
Bought
Candidness
a few occasional plunges into
candid moments
of unknown people.
moments
which enthuses me to
gawk at things endlessly.
I examine
why
the boy in blue
chooses to take a selfie
instead of photographing the monument.
I smile, I
smile
looking at the beaming face
of a photographer after
seizing the tombstone onto a paper.
I admire how candidly
the newly-weds pose in front of the grand structure.
I like these small moments of unfamiliar people.
because
it renders them
familiarity in my little world.
2.
Home-washed Shirt
The shirt which Maa washes at home
smells
different.
Even in a city far away
it carries a fragrance
of home.
I try
I try to imitate
the way she washes –
picks up the same brand of detergent
or even the same
fabric
comfort … err.
uncertain, whether
for the clothes
or this
discomforting heart of mine.
Prompt III: Visual Illustration for my poem.
Visual illustration for the poem 'Home-washed Shirt'.
 |
| Home-washed Shirt. Anjali. |
Hey! Your poems are amazingly well-written. The way you've made use of objects and fragrances of everyday, that we witness, and never pay much attention to, is beautiful. Autos, cabs, chipped-tea cups, a shirt washed at home, and even detergent, all are woven into poetry so perfectly ! Who could have thought that detergent, would ever be able to evoke such deep feelings ❤️❤️ Keep writing, love your work!
ReplyDeleteHi Anjali! I really really like all of your poems. Particularly liked the word play on comforter and uncertainty in 'Home-Washed Shirt'. You even used purple as the font colour for the title of 'Lavender'!
ReplyDeleteLoved the word play in "comforter". The poem evoked a sense of familiarity. You write beautifully.
ReplyDeleteI really liked your poem "Home-Washed Shirt" and the use of line break particularly here "or even the same fabric / comfort … err. / uncertain, whether". It is a familiar feeling to many people, I assume, but still the poem contains a surprise and wanting to know that keeps you going from line to line. I only thought that what is subtle when you go comfort ... err., which then turns to uncertainty loses its subtlety when you say "discomforting" heart, perhaps you can think of another adjective that could also refer to something else in the poem? Like "washed away" or "washing" or something about homesickness... But otherwise, I really liked the poem.
ReplyDeleteMy favourite is the poem we discussed in detail in class, "Chipped Memories". I like how the repetition of the poem is parallel to the kind of repetition the memories of this person are for the poet, "how in bouts of coming / and going / you are / actually gone." The ending is also interesting because, it may not be a final closure, but it has a certain breathing out and letting go, the poem seems to trace a journey of grieving a person leaving, with peace.
I praise the choice of words in “Home-washed Shirt” every time I read. Your writing style is simple yet different. Great.
ReplyDeletei really liked the lines from brought candidness, "a few occasional plunges into
ReplyDeletecandid moments
of unknown people.
moments
which enthuses me to
gawk at things endlessly"
Also i loved the illustration that you made for home washed shirt