Book Review A Penny And Some Poems For The Thoughts Left Unsaid

Amid the cacophony of life, did you just hold back from screaming out another thought into the blank universe, expecting someone to hear? Relenting one such howl is author Soumya Mukerji’s debut book and collection of poems, Cries.Most people carry within them words they never quite articulate. Then there are those who painstakingly yet passionately keep infusing life into those thoughts because they know no other way but to hold on to their ‘life-giving elixir’. Mukerji belongs to the latter, yet different, for it is certainly easier to become a writer than a poet.With a yelp, the first section of her book, Cries of Us, unfolds to position poetry as a cure for the inexplicable. Seasons make their appearance emphatically; they fall and then dance with the rain. The verses are both soothing and supportive in the poem Seasons of Self that read: “at first you are the rain... then you are one with the rain.”Next, the reader hears the Cries of You in the middle segment, where rhyme takes over reason in all its glory, yet looks Beautiful ugly. The circus of felt emotions performs wonderfully as readers of this section would read and feel compelled to relate their own narrative to the writer’s idea. From Self-destruction to the High of the imposter, there is a verse of acknowledgement for every poetry lover, whether in quagmire or not.And then comes the finale with Cries of I, the section that openly pens the woes of every Seeker and their Shrieks as well as their Sounds. It’s here that the musings make way for some smiles as Mukerji turns street-smart, weaving her life experiences through poems that only a few may fully fathom to decrypt.Throughout this book, the poet pays an ode to the rain that feels welcoming and nostalgic. But what’s stranger than the word ‘after’, as confessed in the Afterword, is how the writer gives full disclosure to the opening sentiment that “perfection is plastic” and comes out unbeaten.Title: CriesAuthor: Soumya MukerjiPublisher: Westland BooksPrice: ₹350For more, follow @htcity.delhijunction