It is indeed rare for me to pick a poetry book out of choice because I prefer to read longer narratives in fiction and creative non-fiction, being a writer of those mediums. However, in the past, I have read and reviewed poetry written by friends, and I’m back with another review today – that of the recently published ‘When All You Are is Change: Poetry by Ambica Gossain’.
All those interested in reading poetry, will appreciate this review. So, here goes:
About the Poet (Taken from the book):
Ambica is a writer, poet and an all-around celebrant of life’s unexpected moments. She graduated from Oberlin College, USA, with a Bachelor’s degree in biochemistry. Her decade long journey as a poet began in the least glamorous way possible – through sheer sleep deprivation after the birth of her second child. What started as an effort to stay awake during diaper changes morphed into an all-consuming passion. Resulting in a collection of over a thousand original poems and ultimately inspiring Ambica to found @heartofquill, a poetry platform dedicated to uplifting diverse poetic voices, at the start of the COVID pandemic.
She is a two-time winner of the People’s Choice Award by A.B. Baird Publishing. Her poetry has been featured in multiple publications including Baird’s poetry anthology ‘Like Frost on the Winter Garden’, Arboreal Magazine, Gypsophilazine Magazine, t’Art Press, 100 Subtexts Magazine, Querencia Press, Sunday Mornings at the River, and The Wingword Poetry Prize.
The Description:
Taking a leaf from the description provided in the poetry book itself, I will quote a few lines from Ambica’s ‘About the Poet’ section.
“Ambica’s works explorer the beauty and chaos of the human experience, weaving together themes of love, loss, healing and the quiet art of surviving one’s own thoughts. Through writing and teaching, Ambica hopes to remind others that while life may not come with a manual, it does come with poetry. And that is almost the same thing.”
“When All You Are is Change: Poetry by Ambica Gossain” is a poetry collection about the inevitability of transformation, the subtle forces, both known and unseen, that shape our trajectories in life, and trigger the art of adapting to circumstance and situation no matter how perfectly parabolic they may seem.
Quote by Jacqueline Simon Gunn, clinical psychologist and author, on the poetry book:
“Powerful and thought provoking. Ambica confesses truth between the lines and within, every word scrupulously placed in prose that’s delivered with such ease you almost believe its accidental. The use of language and metaphor is nothing short of brilliant. You can’t help but recognise that honesty is a contradiction.”
The Commentary:
Self-published with Notion Press, ‘When All You Are is Change: Poetry by Ambica Gossain’ is divided into six sections titled ‘Path of Persistence’, ‘Roads to Somewhere’, ‘A Matchless Flame’, ‘A Higher Power,’ ‘Questions to Revelation’ and ‘Volume of Self’.
Considering her poetry seems deeply self-reflective, these section names are perhaps meant to indicate a separation between themes. However, that was not easy to catch. Her poems seemed to flow from one to another without thematic difference. This is not a negative point, it’s just an observation.
Ambica quotes Halliday, David, Resnick, Robert & Walker, Jearl Fundamentals of Physics, Wiley 9, with the following quote at the beginning of her book:
“A parabola (n) is the trajectory of an object in free fall under uniform gravity, neglecting air resistance. Its path curves symmetrically, with a highest point (vertex) where upward motion transitions to downward motion.”
The dichotomy highlighted here aptly sets the tone for her poems. It is her way of preparing the reader to experience a tumult of emotions while reading her work.
The poems range from minimal four-sentence structures to long verses spread across pages, displaying her familiarity with the medium, her creative provenance, and ability to switch depending on the message she is keen to share. From disturbing to thought-provoking to loving – an entire gamut of sentiments is covered in her work.
I’ll share a piece that I was particularly struck by, knowing that it was influenced by the recent and untimely demise of her father. Titled, ‘Apple Watch’, it goes thus:
“I’ve laid claim to my dead father’s watch.
Apple.
It pulsates a warmth on my wrist
the way it must have hugged his.
Records my heart skip multiple beats
when it last recorded his heart.
Stopping.
It transports me back in time.
Dorothy, flailing in a tornado of
coffee, cologne and cigarettes.
En route to the paternal Wizard of Oz
“If wishes were horses, beggars would ride,” my
wristwatch warned.
…..
My son’s present nose
burrows deep into my fabric.
And for once I don’t resist and pull away.
Letting him indent the only kind of memory
a heart imprints.
After everything else is long gone.”
I haven’t reproduced the entire poem – for that you should purchase and read the book yourself – but I wanted to highlight her pithy turn of phrase here. A poignant line that I haven’t shared above, but which describes so much in its succinctness is: “Instinct reaches to dial his syrupy thick coat of morning throat.”
The book is quite unusual and interesting in its layout too. Each section is divided with personal black-and-white photographs which have been artistically shot and perhaps seek to convey the poet’s feelings visually.
The Verdict:
Now that you have read about the poet and the description of her book, I’m sure you are keen to read the review of ‘When All You Are is Change: Poetry by Ambica Gossain’. I found the poetry compelling and fascinating. Ambica is an expressive writer, and she is unafraid to lay her emotions bare for the world to read.
It was certainly an act of courage to publish her poetry and for this Ambica must be lauded. The poems are easy to read, yet thought-provoking. They can be read at once in a sitting or savoured over many reads to suit differing occasions and emotions.
I liked it, despite not being very big on poetry in general, and I recommend you read it too.
Link to Buy When All You Are is Change: Poetry by Ambica Gossain: https://amzn.to/3GLFIsC
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This blog post is part of ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla.
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