Oceanic. So divine in its presentation of work that you forget you are reading this for a class! But no seriously, how beautifully articulate is this book in its expression of the oceans endless take on sea life or just about anything "oceanic" really.
I have to admit, I struggled with reading this because I often felt like most of the poems were not finished? Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed every single piece in this collection, I just found myself wanting more when I realized a poem (or several) ended abruptly. I went back for a few of the poems and admired them for what they are and understood that maybe it was meant to be written that way or maybe they only sounded abrupt to me so I changed my attitude and tone. I would never criticize any artist work because at the end of the day, the art was purely formed from there eyes and we just may never see it that way.
The entire collection embodied characteristics of the ocean from sea animals and their beautiful way of expressing life in the ocean to the depths of the ocean and its symbolism. I enjoyed the pureness of this work, we could take any poem and think of anything else outside of the ocean and it would work out fine. Imagine this, for example, take any poem from this book where Nezhukumatathil expresses a scene of life in water and turn it into your own metaphor, what does it mean to you know? Does the climate of the poem change? It has much room for interpretation and keeps an open door for imagery of all kind.
"Two Moths" (pg. 13) was one that reminded me of one poem from "If they come for us" by Fatimah Asghar. The two authors bring in the narrative of what the young girl or woman are reaching out for. Asghar goes onto a praying tone, saying (excuse me, I don't quite remember the lines too well) "may we be the last to wake up and the first to eat - may we lie in bed with men who are not strangers." Similarly, Nezhukumatathil does the same by bringing light to discussions such as this, "Some girls on the other side of this planet - will never know the loveliness - of walking in a crepe silk sari." This serves as the opening line of the poem and already sets the tone of seriousness and claiming some of our privileges. Quite ironically, "Dangerous" (pg. 39) reminded me of a saying my parents would say all the time, "The blind one is giving the crazy one a tattoo and the deaf one is listening." Please forgive me for some of the language that translate to English, that is the literal translation for the saying. For some reason, I felt reminded of this saying by the poem "Dangerous" when it starts us off by saying, "The rooster talks to the donkey. The turtle whispers to the rabbit. The mouse conspires with the lion." I know it is on two very different spectrums but the rhythm of the old saying and this poem flowed the same for me.
In going back to my emphasis of this collection being pure, I enjoyed reading "This Sugar" (pg. 47) because it was such a playful tune for everything else we have read. Nezhukumatathil speaks on some of the most important need-to-be-discussed factors, just as all the writers we have read so far did, and just like those writers, she includes some playfulness to her work. "This Sugar" gave me valentines day vibes and first dates that feel like an "ocean" in your stomach. It is one of the poems I feel ended so early, leaving you wanting more but you re-read it and admire it just the way it is. Honestly, we needed some Aimee Nezhukumatathil and this book is everything to love.
I, too, was left wanting more of Nezhukumatathil's words. But at the same time it made me appreciate each word when a poem was short, and I definitely got the feeling that each and every word was intentional. I also feel like Nezhukumatathil did an amazing job, as you said, exploring themes of ocean and of nature while also giving us so so much more. It seemed like each mention of nature, ocean, or creature had layers and layers of meaning, possible interpretations. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts!!
ReplyDeleteThank you for discussing "Two Moths" and for the comparison to Fatimah Asghar's poem "If They Come For Us." It is reminiscent of something Ashgar would write, both in form and in content. The form is light and delicate as it flutters down the page while the content is dark and heavy. Moths are drawn to the light and the final line of the poem, "Will rim/the waterline/of her eyes/with kohl pencil/until it looks like/two popinjay moths/have stopped/to rest/on her exquisite/face," is a reminder that moths are drawn to the light, and even through the darkness of that child's circumstances her light and beauty are still there. They have not been extinguished by the pain and ugliness forced upon her. She is still a beacon of inner and outer beauty in the world.
DeleteI also sensed this abrupt end to Nezhukumatathil's pieces. I don't feel they gave me this sense of unfinished but rather it had an affect of continuous conversations that followed. I have no idea if that makes sense but I just found myself speaking to myself and others about each poem and its message. I feel my conversations were filled with the imagery of the Ocean in her pieces and the way those vivid shots assisted with the construction of her message. I also really appreciate your connection to Asghar's text, I think the comparison was very powerful because it brings into consciousness that these texts carry traumas that overlap. All the texts we have read this semester connect in one way or another due to this need to voice what has been ignored by colonial lenses.
ReplyDeleteMaybe rather than unfinished, they were floating? this is a really good response, perhaps your best to date--which helps a lot.
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