Poetry is a genre that connects with the musings of the heart. Only emotional beings can connect with the author’s imagery because it is the art of telling a lot in a few words. Due to the same reason, poetry is a genre that has a niche reader base. Being a book lover and poetry lover for that matter, I have always had a soft corner for poets and their works of art. One such piece of literature that touched my heart is Mukul Kumar’s Rhythm of the Ruins.
What the book tells us – Blurb
Poetry is truly said to be the rhythmical creation of beauty, a beauty that emanates from enchantment and hideousness, ecstasy and agony, castles and ruins. But the redemptive bliss from the poetic phenomenon of ruins assuming rhythm is a divine experience. As I present the work, my sensibility rings with the words of Oscar Wilde- ‘The artist is the creator of beautiful things… No great artist ever sees things as they really are. If he did, he would cease to be an artist.
Rhythm of the Ruins by Mukul Kumar – Review
As I was acquainted with the author’s craft, through his previous books, I was privy to the finesse of his work. The way he maneuvres, and the plot of his novels, are the pointers of the mastery of words possessed by the author. From the first poem that speaks about his father and his heart-to-heart connection with his father, the author’s musings have a captivating magnetic pull that holds the reader’s heart lingering to the words.
Each poem holds a deep meaning to it and each time you read the same poem, you will find a new metaphor or analogy. The author leaves the readers widening the horizons of their imaginations. While each poem urged me to read them again and again, I Spilled The Missing Breast Milk is the one that brought me close to tears. A mother’s pain while living a life in the perils of poverty and unable to feed her child is heartbreaking and the author has portrayed it with utmost sincerity.
Dichotomy and The Cloud of Tears also touched me deeply. The former is a different take on relationships and morality at large. The author has always been bold in portraying different shades of emotions and relationships. Here also the same is reflected deftly. The cloud of tears is a stupendous play of metaphor, which if interpreted literally gives a beautiful take on how we are forgetting our responsibility towards the environment. If we look into the analogy it is a brilliant take on life.
Philosophy and spirituality have been intertwined with the right proportion of each added into the musings are a testimony to the author’s creative talent. However, there were some poems that did not keep up with the impeccable standards set by the author. The eponymous poem is surprisingly one of them. More so because there was a repetition of themes or ideas. However, the name Rhythm of the Ruins has music to itself which tempts the reader to try the book once. The book cover has been set in a subtle tone which makes it a classy piece.
