"Ambrosia Sides" | A taste of poetic freshness
Abhijita Kulshrestha’s poems delve into the depths of human existence by tracing the nuances of creation, love and destruction, writes Ashu Shukla
In the realm of poetry – less if often more. It is here where geometry and aesthetics of warp and weft of words matter, and where deliberately interspersed silence speaks volumes. Once in a while comes poetry among a multitude of works in prose, and catches fancy with its parallel lightness and depth.
Ambrosia Sides is a collection of poems by Abhijita Kulshrestha [published by Har-Anand Publications], which encompasses compositions on diverse themes that have been categorised into the Trinity construct of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. There is a palpable exploration of femininity and the female psyche throughout the book. The section titled Brahma is all about creation and birthing – the agony and ecstasy that is ironically a part of this process…
“It’s only my baptism,
A folded love note
I must gather it
from the Earth’s throat...”
Some compositions are disturbingly beautiful and touch upon the difficulties that impact evolution in a warped environment…
“A new scarf to hide my shame
A new blouse to drape a heartache
New pants for a stifling morality
New bags for more baggage.”
It forces thought and it spawns feelings that can challenge resignation and consider what must be done.
The poems under the section titled Vishnu are juicier and carry emphasis on love – the primary energy of preservation. Refrains of longing, desire and fulfilment through human connection are explored in a rather appealing way. The language is quite visual and offers subtle texture to emotions.
“...Salty memory, of tears kissed
the crisp break, of a pretzel heart.”
One can take many a quiet breaks to savour the lines in silence. The beauty of poetry is such that so much can be said in pithy, short compositions!
The last section titled Shiva is about the undoing of a world built carefully, it is about heartbreaks and endings. There are explorations of identity, exhaustion, plateaus hit in relationships of dissolution...
“...Wave upon wave
as a crash into the rocks
as a lie awash on the sands
as I retreat into the liquid beyond…”
Ambrosia Sides, is just that – a delicious mouthful to savour with the main course of life. It is a delicate treat for the senses!
It is a brave and interesting first collection by the poetess Abhijita Kulshrestha, who is a trained media and communications professional with previous stints at The Times of India, MICA and RKSBBDO, but is now a full time Vedic astrologer and Gemologist interpreting cosmology by day and engaging with prose and poetry in spare time. She is also a Director of the famous Gemstone e-Commerce portal ww.gemstoneuniverse.com.
