CONVERSATION WITH RAM KRISHNA SINGH

Silencio Inocente Blanca Desconfianza

Contaminado con Oraciones/Critica Literaria

AGAINST THE WAVES /CONTRA LAS OLAS

KNOCKING VISTAS AND OTHER POEMS It is a privilege to feature  the lastbook of our beloved writer R. K. Krisnah , a collection of 35 regular poems and over 250 micro poems, mainly haiku and tanka,in an experimental mode. It is a journey, a voyage into the realms of the human heart and mind, the natural world, and the spaces in between. Each three-liner and five-liner, even if artificially linked, is a vista, a view into a moment, a feeling, a thought, an experience. KNOCKING-VISTAS- AND OTHER POEMS 17 March 202 Ram Krishna Singh, born on 31 December 1950 in Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh, India), has been writing poetry in English for about four decades. He has authored over 160 academic articles, 175 book reviews, and 56 books. Well known as an Indian English poet, haikuist and ELT/EST practitioner, Dr Singh retired on 31 December 2015 as Professor (HAG) at Indian Institute of Technology--Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad (India).

Es  un privilegio presentar aquí el último libro de nuestro querido escritor R. K. Krisnah, una colección de 35 poemas regulares y más de 250 micropoemas, principalmente haiku y tanka, en modo experimental. Es un viaje, un viaje a los reinos del corazón y la mente humanos, el mundo natural y los espacios intermedios. Cada línea de tres y cinco líneas, incluso si están unidas artificialmente, es una vista, una visión de un momento, un sentimiento, un pensamiento, una experiencia. VISIONES DE IMPACTO  Y OTROS POEMAS Ram Krishna Singh, nacido el 31 de diciembre de 1950 en Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh, India), escribe poesía en inglés desde hace unas cuatro décadas. Es autor de más de 160 artículos académicos, 175 reseñas de libros y 56 libros. Conocido como poeta indio inglés, haikuista y practicante de ELT/EST, el Dr. Singh se jubiló el 31 de diciembre de 2015 como profesor (HAG) en el Instituto Indio de Tecnología - Escuela India de Minas, Dhanbad (India).

Against the Waves and Knocking Vistas: R. K. Singh as a Poet for Our Times ---R. P. Sinha What is eligible poetry? The issue has been deliberated vicariously without an eventual verdict. The idiosyncratic irresolution sets the arts apart from the certitudes of dry, objective science, by inviting uncertainties and inferable leaps of individual, autonomous imagination. Poetry is a ritual, a lingual hypothesis in the religion of emotions, a fluid coding and decoding of grief and desire, passion and fervour, an afterlife of impressions. Frost's belief is that it is the detritus of translation, which it is indeed, for it requires the skill of an impersonator for appropriating identities and sentiments, as well as an ear and a pen for euphony. R. K. Singh possesses these foundational capabilities in plenty, has been writing poetry for more than three decades and is well-known the world over for his cryptic and acute, as well as diffuse and protean poetic comments on the real and the surreal. His choice of technique and form is heterogeneous, from free verse to haiku and tanka, from a poetry of radical demurrals to doctrinal consent. His unconventional cache of metaphors and symbols resurrects a synoptic tedium of a disillusioned generation. If I had to tag the two recent collections of R. K. Singh, Against the Waves: Selected Poems (Authors Press, 2021) and Knocking Vistas and Other Poems (Authors Press, 2024), in a terse phrase, I would use an Eliotian effusion, "bitter tastelessness of shadow fruit." (Four Quartets 4: Little Gidding, Eliot) Singh's poems function on an amorphic cerebral plane of the abstract, intriguing and teasing, daring and adventurous, with a stubborn predilection for bucking out of the paddock. The themes in the two collections hover along four fundamental regrets-collapsing libido, inadequacy of religions, poignant self-pity and shape-shifting of ecumenical values. Alongside, one can see several incremental motifs of politics, individual and collective suffering, the aftershock of the Covid outbreak, etc. The aggregate impression is that this poetry manifests a testament of a soul tackling the zip locks of physical and mental containment. The characteristics are evident as the reader negotiates the enticing maze of the first volume, Against the Waves, which extends into serious reflections on the nature of the passage of time, as well as its influence on identity, and relationships, unified by the transformative power of extraordinary poetry. The intersection of thought and emotion is visible prominently in each of the poems in the volume, accentuating Singh's faculty for cathartic purges by means of powerful self-expression. Many of the poems in Against the Waves are about the devastating impact of Covid when it loomed into a pandemic, upsetting journeys, sojourns, and emotional mainstays. Singh's poetic statements surge from his personal realization of the deficits in human contentment. Poems like ‘Test' and ‘Third Wave' communicate the ferocity of devastation that the disease escalated, "virus more mighty / thank God in politics" (Test), and "no burial, no third day / total lockdown, here and there." (Against the Waves, Third Wave, 37) Religion is an abscess and disillusionment not only in this volume but also in the succeeding one. Be it ‘Mahakaal', ‘Homa' or ‘Anointment', a singularity fuses them together. Following the humanistic epodic tradition, Singh appears to deliberate on the inadequacy of religion and God ostensibly but deep down, each of these poems takes off to the domain of collateral inferences- sickness, corruption and real life practicalities, e.g. when priests go on strike and lock the temple, "trustees warn / sacking them if not / returned next morning." (Against the Waves, Strike, 69) Singh being a sentient poet, echoes of contemporary politics resound periodically in his verses written in this period, mirroring political polarization on self-fed rubrics: They don't hear the silent screams of millions tired of misfortune play games of convenience innocent voters sordid life- nation's destiny heaven-fed (Against the Waves, Post-Election, 15)   Literature often systematizes social values into well-defined categories, however, it also covers the gray areas, where good and evil interchange. It is not only the good but also the evil that fosters the best plots in the world. It has an ascendant value in the present times. George Battaille appropriately argues that "...literature is not innocent" (Literature and Evil, 84). The prescript applies to poetry too. Singh's notion of evil in the Indian political system lays bare the narratives concocted by the political parties for wresting victory, "they invent new lies with periodical distractions". (Against the Waves, Weird Chains, 22) The crossway between life and intellectuality is reflected from the very first creation in the other anthology, Knocking Vistas and Other Poems. The title derives from the two longish poems at the end of the volume-one is a five-liner bender while the other one is a three-liner sequence. The three-liners are in effect a launch from the haiku Singh has been producing prolifically. A haiku is a sort of poetic abbreviation, summarizing human experience through condensed expression and a terse defining in the third line. The spirit bolsters Singh's "Knocking Vistas" I and II:  rioting flames  witches dance in a cave-  strawberry moon. (Knocking Vistas, Three-Liners, 72)  The paradox of Singh's three-liners is that they are open-ended despite the conclusive rounding-off that a haiku usually demands in the last line. Such hefty momentum wrenches open a portal of myriad prospects of vision as one hikes through the interconnected, disparate conclusions, in the units stringing together this extended poem.   The tanka, a Japanese verse form like the haiku, is a five-line poem. Once again, like the haiku, it is dependent on a system of syllables. The pure tanka consists of two syllable patterns. Similar to the sonnet, the second syllable pattern inverts what has been articulated in the first pattern. However, with the passage of time, any five-liner poem is now dubbed a tanka. Singh pursues the liberal scheme.   The five-line stanzas in the other poem by the same title each conjure a narrative birthing from a limber observation of the moments of animated world-weariness, for example: Manikarnika: he collects warm ashes searching gold to live by country liquor or bread for starving wife and children (Knocking Vistas, Five-Liners, 64) The reader, if familiar with the macabre spectacles at the cremation ghats of Varanasi, will forthwith descry the options of livelihood and profit a cremation offers to the folks engaged in the profession of corpse burning. Morbid scenes recur in the volume with a duality of discovery-external world determining the sentiment, and lexical preference. The imagist spirit lives on in the succeeding stanzas with legitimate ferocity. The two anthologies surface as a reassessment of the self, often dangling on the edge of the confessional. They are a voluntary disclosure of angst and debilities, a concomitant rebuttal of a world once opulent to the poet, justifying the uniqueness of the imagery. The language is beautifully evocative, accentuating the bittersweet encounters of growing old and waning physical vitality. The twin volumes are a subtext of core personal values turning sour. Each of the verses is a nuance in itself, calibrating Singh's pivotal thoughts, fears and desires, as in ‘On His Suggestion to Write a Memoir', "how much should I strip / in public / poems already say / too much to digest." (Knocking Vistas, 40) An outstanding feature of the poetry in the two volumes is a candid portrayal of sexuality. It challenges ageist stereotypes-a kind of reclaim over one's body and desires. The arch connecting tender reminiscences, youthful passions and intimacy in old age celebrates the enduring vitality of sexuality, as opposed to motet celibacy: I love Sharon Old's spark erect in sleep for his God (Knocking Vistas, Love, 31) her vision of Pope's member Likewise, "Melting Elements", ‘a long experimental poem' in Singh's subtitle, is an exploration of physicality and human relations. It moves on the bearings of experiments in carnality and an arcane permutation of words: adventure between the thighs-k tailored deal (Knocking Vistas, 43)k Carnality, as a word, does require certain clarifications in the poetic sense because it differs categorically from the religious one. The religious connotation of carnality is that it satisfies the flesh but starves the soul, however, in Singh's poetry, the connection between flesh and spirituality is always pertinent, sublimating in the apparel of soft romance. The grace of his verse is that his expression may sound vulgar if considered in isolation but when weighed in the context of the entire poem, it becomes a sentiment universally satisfying: her beauty smells the soil that sings grace in look: I whisper my heart and chase the glow her shadow spreads (Knocking Vistas, Melting Elements, 43) The comprehensive quality of Singh's poetry is difficult to capture in a single critical estimation-there are so many facets of life he touches-disillusionment, old age, social suffering, et al, besides the themes mentioned earlier. From conclusive hallmarks of imagination to poignant reflections on intimacy in old age, the collections celebrate the enduring vitality of human tenacity. The poet grapples with the inevitability of aging with a modicum of resentment, confronting mortality with the binary of acceptance as well as defiance. Through vivid imagery and expressive language, the poems capture the fleeting nature of life and the misgivings of growing old, weaving a tapestry of experiences that resonates with readers of all ages. The collections stand as luminous beacons in the landscape of contemporary poetry, putting Singh on the pedestal of the foremost poets in the current times. Works cited Bataille, G. Literature and Evil. Marion Boyers Publishers, 2001. Eliot, T. S. Four Quartets. Penguin, 2000. Singh, R. K. Against the Waves: Selected Poems. Authors Press, 2021. Singh, R. K. Knocking Vistas and Other Poems. Authors Press, 2024. Author-Bio: Dr R.P. Sinha is the Head, Dept. of English, Annada College, Hazaribag (Jharkhand), India

Contra las olas y las impresionantes vistas: R. K. Singh como poeta de nuestros tiempos ---R. P. Sinha ¿Qué es la poesía elegible? La cuestión ha sido deliberada indirectamente sin un veredicto final. La irresolución idiosincrásica distingue a las artes de las certezas de la ciencia árida y objetiva, al invitar a incertidumbres y saltos inferibles de imaginación individual y autónoma. La poesía es un ritual, una hipótesis lingüística en la religión de las emociones, una codificación y decodificación fluida del dolor y el deseo, la pasión y el fervor, una vida futura de impresiones. La creencia de Frost es que se trata de los detritos de la traducción, y de hecho lo es, ya que requiere la habilidad de un imitador para apropiarse de identidades y sentimientos, así como oído y pluma para la eufonía. R. K. Singh posee estas capacidades fundamentales en abundancia, ha escrito poesía durante más de tres décadas y es conocido en todo el mundo por sus comentarios poéticos crípticos y agudos, así como difusos y proteicos, sobre lo real y lo surrealista. Su elección de técnica y forma es heterogénea, desde el verso libre hasta el haiku y el tanka, desde una poesía de objeciones radicales hasta el consentimiento doctrinal. Su alijo poco convencional de metáforas y símbolos resucita el tedio sinóptico de una generación desilusionada.Si tuviera que etiquetar las dos colecciones recientes de R. K. Singh, Against the Waves: Selected Poems (Authors Press, 2021) y Knocking Vistas and Other Poems (Authors Press, 2024), en una frase concisa, usaría una efusión eliotiana: "Amargo mal gusto de la fruta de la sombra". (Cuatro cuartetos 4: Little Gidding, Eliot) Los poemas de Singh funcionan en un plano cerebral amorfo de lo abstracto, intrigantes y provocadores, atrevidos y aventureros, con una obstinada predilección por salir del prado. Los temas de las dos colecciones giran en torno a cuatro arrepentimientos fundamentales: el colapso de la libido, la insuficiencia de las religiones, la conmovedora autocompasión y el cambio de forma de los valores ecuménicos. Al lado, se pueden ver varios motivos incrementales de política, sufrimiento individual y colectivo, la réplica del brote de Covid, etc. La impresión global es que esta poesía manifiesta el testimonio de un alma que se enfrenta a las cerraduras de la contención física y mental. Las características son evidentes a medida que el lector recorre el tentador laberinto del primer volumen, Contra las olas, que se extiende a reflexiones serias sobre la naturaleza del paso del tiempo, así como su influencia en la identidad y las relaciones, unificadas por el poder transformador. de una poesía extraordinaria. La intersección del pensamiento y la emoción es visible de manera prominente en cada uno de los poemas del volumen, acentuando la facultad de Singh de realizar purgas catárticas mediante una poderosa autoexpresión.  Muchos de los poemas de Against the Waves tratan sobre el impacto devastador de Covid cuando se convirtió en una pandemia, trastornando viajes, estancias y pilares emocionales. Las declaraciones poéticas de Singh surgen de su comprensión personal de los déficits de satisfacción humana. Poemas como 'Test' y 'Third Wave' comunican la ferocidad de la devastación que la enfermedad intensificó, "el virus es más poderoso / gracias a Dios en la política" (Test), y "sin entierro, sin tercer día / bloqueo total, aquí y allá". " (Contra las Olas, Tercera Ola, 37) La religión es un absceso y una desilusión no sólo en este volumen sino también en el siguiente. Ya sea 'Mahakaal', 'Homa' o 'Unción', una singularidad los fusiona. Siguiendo la tradición epodica humanista, Singh parece deliberar sobre la insuficiencia de la religión y de Dios aparentemente, pero en el fondo, cada uno de estos poemas se dirige al dominio de las inferencias colaterales: enfermedad, corrupción y aspectos prácticos de la vida real, p. cuando los sacerdotes hacen huelga y cierran el templo, "los administradores les advierten / los despiden si no / regresan a la mañana siguiente". (Contra las olas, Huelga, 69) Como Singh es un poeta sensible, los ecos de la política contemporánea resuenan periódicamente en sus versos escritos en este período, reflejando la polarización política en rúbricas autoalimentadas :ellos no escuchan los gritos silenciosos de millones cansados de la desgracia jugar juegos de conveniencia votantes inocentes vida sórdida- el destino de la nación alimentado por el cielo. (Contra las olas, postelectoral, 15) La literatura a menudo sistematiza los valores sociales en categorías bien definidas; sin embargo, también cubre las áreas grises, donde el bien y el mal se intercambian. No es sólo el bien sino también el mal el que fomenta las mejores tramas del mundo. Tiene un valor ascendente en los tiempos actuales. George Battaille sostiene apropiadamente que "... la literatura no es inocente" (Literature and Evil, 84). La prescripción se aplica también a la poesía. La noción de Singh sobre el mal en el sistema político indio deja al descubierto las narrativas inventadas por los partidos políticos para arrebatar la victoria: "inventan nuevas mentiras con distracciones periódicas". (Contra las olas, Cadenas raras, 22) El cruce entre vida e intelectualidad se refleja desde la primera creación en la otra antología, Knocking Vistas and Other Poems. El título deriva de los dos poemas más largos al final del volumen: uno es un doblador de cinco líneas mientras que el otro es una secuencia de tres líneas. Las tres líneas son, de hecho, un lanzamiento del haiku que Singh ha estado produciendo prolíficamente. Un haiku es una especie de abreviatura poética que resume la experiencia humana a través de una expresión condensada y una definición concisa en la tercera línea. El espíritu refuerza "Knocking Vistas" I y II de Singh: llamas alborotadas brujas bailan en una cueva- luna de fresa. (Knocking Vistas, Tres líneas, 72)  La paradoja de las tres líneas de Singh es que son abiertas a pesar del redondeo concluyente que un haiku suele exigir en la última línea. Un impulso tan fuerte abre un portal de innumerables perspectivas de visión a medida que uno recorre las conclusiones interconectadas y dispares, en las unidades que unen este extenso poema. El tanka, una forma de verso japonés como el haiku, es un poema de cinco versos. Una vez más, como el haiku, depende de un sistema de sílabas. El tanka puro consta de dos patrones de sílabas. Al igual que el soneto, el patrón de la segunda sílaba invierte lo que se ha articulado en el primer patrón. Sin embargo, con el paso del tiempo, cualquier poema de cinco versos ahora se denomina tanka. Singh sigue el esquema liberal. Las estrofas de cinco versos del otro poema con el mismo título evocan cada una una narrativa que nace de una observación ágil de los momentos de animado cansancio del mundo, por ejemplo   Manikarnika: él recoge cenizas calientes buscando oro para vivir por licor de campo o pan para esposa e hijos hambrientos (Knocking Vistas, Five-Liners, 64) El lector, si está familiarizado con los macabros espectáculos de los ghats de cremación de Varanasi, descubrirá de inmediato las opciones de sustento y beneficios que ofrece la cremación a las personas dedicadas a la profesión de quemar cadáveres. Las escenas morbosas se repiten en el volumen con una dualidad de descubrimiento: mundo externo que determina el sentimiento y la preferencia léxica. El espíritu imaginista sigue vivo en las estrofas siguientes con legítima ferocidad.    Las dos antologías surgen como una reevaluación de uno mismo, a menudo colgando al borde del confesionario. Son una revelación voluntaria de angustia y debilidades, una refutación concomitante de un mundo que alguna vez fue opulento para el poeta, que justifica la singularidad de las imágenes. El lenguaje es maravillosamente evocador y acentúa los encuentros agridulces del envejecimiento y la menguante vitalidad física. Los volúmenes gemelos son un subtexto de valores personales fundamentales que se están volviendo amargos. Cada uno de los versos es un matiz en sí mismo, que calibra los pensamientos, miedos y deseos fundamentales de Singh, como en 'Sobre su sugerencia de escribir una memoria', "¿cuánto debo desnudar / en público / los poemas ya dicen / demasiado para digerir". " (Vistas llamativas, 40) Una característica destacada de la poesía de los dos volúmenes es un retrato sincero de la sexualidad. Desafía los estereotipos discriminatorios por edad: una especie de reclamo sobre el propio cuerpo y sus deseos. El arco que conecta tiernos recuerdos, pasiones juveniles e intimidad en la vejez celebra la vitalidad duradera de la sexualidad, en contraposición al celibato del motete:   Me encanta la chispa de Sharon Old erguido en sueño para su Dios (Knocking Vistas, Love, 31) su visión del miembro del Papa   Asimismo, "Melting Elements", "un largo poema experimental" en el subtítulo de Singh, es una exploración de la fisicalidad y las relaciones humanas. Se mueve sobre la base de experimentos con la carnalidad y una permutación arcana de palabras: aventura entre los muslos-k oferta personalizada (Knocking Vistas, 43)k   La analidad, como palabra, sí requiere ciertas aclaraciones en el sentido poético porque difiere categóricamente del religioso. La connotación religiosa de la carnalidad es que satisface la carne pero mata de hambre al alma; sin embargo, en la poesía de Singh, la conexión entre la carne y la espiritualidad es siempre pertinente, sublimándose en la vestimenta del suave romance. La gracia de su verso es que su expresión puede sonar vulgar si se la considera de forma aislada, pero cuando se la pondera en el contexto de todo el poema, se convierte en un sentimiento universalmente satisfactorio:   su belleza huele la tierra que canta gracia en la mirada: Susurro mi corazón y persigo el brillo que difunde su sombra (Knocking Vistas, Melting Elements, 43) La calidad integral de la poesía de Singh es difícil de capturar en una sola estimación crítica: hay tantas facetas de la vida que toca: desilusión, vejez, sufrimiento social, etc., además de los temas mencionados anteriormente. Desde rasgos concluyentes de la imaginación hasta reflexiones conmovedoras sobre la intimidad en la vejez, las colecciones celebran la vitalidad duradera de la tenacidad humana. El poeta lidia con la inevitabilidad del envejecimiento con un mínimo de resentimiento, confrontando la mortalidad con el binario de aceptación y desafío. A través de imágenes vívidas y un lenguaje expresivo, los poemas capturan la naturaleza fugaz de la vida y los recelos del envejecimiento, tejiendo un tapiz de experiencias que resuena en lectores de todas las edades. Las colecciones se erigen como faros luminosos en el panorama de la poesía contemporánea, colocando a Singh en el pedestal de los poetas más destacados de la actualidad.

ONE MORE POEM   I don't long for the past that swings and rings I don't care for the future I colour  with empty wishes prayers and meditation dream's dark inspiration carves the present I suffer more at night than in the day breathe hell seeking freedom in the body through friends in spirit turn sanguine despite the tricky degeneration in shared life one more day passes one more poem born

UN POEMA MAS   No añoro el pasado que se balancea y suena No me importa el futuro que pinto con deseos vacíos oraciones y meditación La oscura inspiración del sueño talla el presente Sufro más de noche que de día Respiro el infierno buscando la libertad en el cuerpo a través de amigos en espíritu se vuelven optimistas a pesar de la complicada degeneración de la vida compartida  pasa un día más nace un poema más

HERE AND NOW   I don't deify poets or politicians nor trade in faith for bread   I don't sell gods and goddesses spirit is not my profession   nor do I give moral discourse for life in the next world   I am a man like millions who dream struggle and die }  and nobody mourns my drifty silence   hidden in darkness flecks of light   enough to weigh down here and now

AQUI  Y  AHORA  No endioso a poetas ni a políticos  ni cambio la fe por pan   No vendo dioses ni diosas El espíritu no es mi profesión   no doy discurso moral para la vida en el próximo mundo   soy un hombre como millones que sueñan luchan y mueren   y nadie llora mi silencio a la deriva escondido en la oscuridad   motas de luz suficiente para estar   aquí y ahora

WAR IN GAZA Unchanged human nature eternity passed with each prophet spirit's realms in rumbles... how to search peace in depths of tunnels through misery and degradation?   Wounded humanity hears denials of fire without reason enemies of ages without water   light   gas   medicines crying   dying   neonates   aged mothers   cursed Gaza awaits a miracle to rise a new phoenix to exist with Israel despite the devil's designs for perpetual desolation

GUERRA EN GAZA   La naturaleza humana sin cambios La eternidad pasó con cada profeta. los reinos del espíritu en estruendos Cómo buscar la paz en las profundidades de los túneles a través de la miseria y la degradación?  La  humanidad herida gime bajo el  incendio sin motivo sin agua luz gas medicamentos llorando van moribundos neonatos ancianas madres La Gaza maldecida espera un milagro para levantar un nuevo fénix existir con Israel a pesar de los designios del demonio por su extinción perpetua

POLITICS OF DECEPTION   Roaring guns and flying bombs pronounce total death on earth  the world withers away with the suns of science   challenging   the universe and time with cankerous creations  viral revolution racial elimination   structures of deception media and power traps  in the name of faith and past bullying the masses seek   fresh promises   renewed enthusiasm wrapped in  a dream scroll mythologized to spotlight a Trump   Modi  Putin   Xi   Netanyahu tap national consciousness  for divine descent to make life happen once again

POLÍTICA DE ENGAÑO Armas rugientes y bombas voladoras pronuncian muerte total en la tierra  el mundo se marchita con los soles de la ciencia desafiantes el universo y el tiempo con creaciones cancerosas revolución viral eliminación racial estructuras de engaño Los medios y las trampas del poder en nombre de la fe y del pasado intimidación que las masas buscan nuevas promesas renovadas entusiasmo envuelto en un pergamino onírico mitificado para destacar a un Trump Modi Putin Xi Netanyahu aprovechar la conciencia nacional para que el descenso divino haga la vida sucede una vez más

DUBIOUS GOSPELS   Power politics in the name of faith and god - racist invectives  ranting the other through media violence shaping consciousness  all day from within rear an impolite system-- pose neutrality and foment hatreds n official settings  singing anthems of progress - dubious gospels shun each resistance pave long-term darkness

EVANGELIOS DUDOSOS Política de fuerza en nombre de la fe y de dios - inventivas racistas despotricando contra el otro a través de la violencia mediática dando forma a la conciencia todo el día desde dentro criando  un sistema descortés-- plantear neutralidad y fomentar odios en configuraciones oficiales cantando himnos de progreso - evangelios dudosos contra  cada resistencia creando la oscuridad a largo plazo

ETERNAL TERROR   The right wing radicals a threat to peace and morality: IDF Chief Rabbi says Torah allows soldiers to rape Arab women to boost morale and success in war Americans support like Iran backs Hamas or Hezbollah blamed for rape and murder of Jews in their land racist violence and ethnic cleansing the new norms to salvage nation's past in the name of God they ruin future rallying support for eternal terror

TERROR ETERNO   Los radicales de derecha son una amenaza a la paz y la moralidad: El Gran Rabino de las FDI dice la Torá permite a los soldados violar a mujeres árabes para aumentar la moral y el éxito en la guerra Los estadounidenses apoyan como Irán. respalda a Hamás o a Hezbolá, acusado de violación y asesinato de judíos en su tierra  violencia racista y limpieza étnica Las nuevas normas para salvar el pasado de la nación. en nombre de Dios arruinan el futuro reuniendo apoyo para el terror eterno

NOISES   I can't hear my self their noises erase my world choices are denied-- questions of being wound me courage and strength fade away¿ noises mute my voice distract us from the truth crowns change with the wind and they play chess with our live they feed us dust and potions in their new temples arouse their magic deities make us yell loud and hang us upside down

RUIDOS   No  puedo oirme a mi mismo sus ruidos borran mi mundo Se niegan las opciones preguntas de ser herido  el coraje y la fuerza se desvanecen los ruidos silencian mi voz me distraen de la verdad las coronas cambian con el viento y juegan al ajedrez con nuestras vidas nos alimentan con polvo y pociones en sus nuevos templos y sus deidades mágicas nos hacen gritar fuerte y colgarnos boca abajo

LET THEM LIVE   There's no room for politicians' sordid game in the dark or light of kitchen or bedroom what happens there stays there - lovers' spreadsheet fucking sounds is music too to arouse the soul in pleasure sucking bodies in sweet perfume of sweat and spices go well with memories of ecstasy let them live their dreams without fear of what others might think when they embrace all their parts in curves figures equations and text and raise their own temples and mosques

DEJENLOS VIVIR    No hay lugar para el sórdido juego de los políticosen la oscuridad o la luz de la cocina o el dormitorio lo que pasa ahí se queda ahí - hoja de cálculo de los amantes Los sonidos coitales también son música para excitar  el alma en placer gozando cuerpos en dulce perfume de sudor y especias  bien van con recuerdos de éxtasis déjalos vivir sus sueños sin miedo a lo que otros podrían pensar cuando se abrazan  en curvas figuras ecuaciones y texto y levantan sus propios templos y mezquitas

no use writing more to reveal my meanings: brief is beautiful to make an eternity...   AN in detail review  Knocking Vistas and Other Poems    (R.K.Singh, On His Suggestion To Write A Memoir)  Knocking Vistas and Other Poems (2024) by Ram Krishna Singh vouches for the poet's expertise and experience in his craft. It is his latest poetry book, which consists of 34 regular poems and over 250 micro poems, mainly haiku and tanka, in an experimental mode. It is a journey, a voyage into the realms of the human heart and mind, the natural world, and the spaces in between. The poet's genius lies in expressing himself through precise and tricky use of words.  In this collection Singh explores the myriad possibilities of existence with the amalgamation of blessings and adversities. This includes longing for the past, wobbly politics, monotonous life, pain, love, sex, creation, nature, and evils such as witchcraft and injustices of all sorts.   The work comes out as highly experimental in the process of meaning-making. Stylistically, the intentional omission of comma and full stop (and use of double space instead of commas) bestow readers with the opportunity to create his/her own rhythm and meaning of the poem. Readers can choose his or her own pauses according to their understanding, and make meaning. The poet, an internationally recognized voice in haiku and tanka writing from India, has also confidently and successfully experimented with the traditional Haiku and Tanka forms. He writes free-form haiku and tanka, in varying syllable counts, as in "wintered sadness/ different dimensions-/ nature's cycle/ unable to cope/ Zen meditation" (‘Knocking Vistas', p. 59). Further, the enjambed lines in most of the poems heighten the sense of urgency and also help in creation and continuation of rhythm.  The book begins with the poem ‘One More Poem' in an oxymoronic tone, suggesting rejection of nostalgia and disengagement with future and ends with parallelism emphasizing on creation.  The first-person speaker of the poem whispers in the ears of the reader that he does not long for the past, but the past ‘swings and rings.'  Nor is he worried about his future for which he is deliberately making ‘empty wishes prayers and meditation' which contradicts the earlier assertion of not caring for the past and future. The use of present tense in the poem makes it more relatable to the reader, making them engage in contemplation.  Poems on Politics  There are several poems on politics. Politics is an opportunity for politicians to lead, guide and bring development for people. It is to enhance democracy which is a government ‘of the people, by the people and for the people'. Politics and democracy aim at uniting people, transforming society, respecting people and providing equal rights and opportunities for citizens of a country.  But unfortunately, present day politics has degraded to a mere profit-making business in the hands of populist leaders who are fuelling hatred, division and destruction.  Through the poems like ‘Consecration' (p. 14), ‘War in Gaza' (p. 17), ‘Politics of Deception' (p. 18), ‘Eternal Terror' (p. 21) etc., the poet gives us the picture of the political scenario of the world. He rejects the politics of hatred in the guise of the shabby cloak of religion. In ‘Consecration', the poet questions the "consecration on the ruins" reflecting on the events happening in the country. The poet does not take any side but subtly interrogates and condemns destruction and ‘wounded humanity' in his poem ‘War in Gaza'. He is hopeful about the rebuilding of Gaza and its coexistence with Israel. He writes: "Cursed Gaza awaits a miracle to rise a new phoenix to exist with Israel despite the devil's designs For perpetual desolation" The cynical tone of the poem ‘Politics of Deception' draws on manipulation for political profit of leaders. The images of ‘roaring guns,' ‘flying bombs,' ‘total death on earth' in the poem suggest the hanging of the sword of Damocles over the head of humanity. Also, the metaphor of ‘sun of science' warns about the slippery nature of science. Environmental Issues The concern for the environment has drawn attention around the globe. Human activities harming nature is not a sudden crisis. The rise of industries and the pollution it causes in the name of development have been a major concern. This concern for the environment is captured in the poem ‘Loss' (p. 20). The ecological exigency has further been connected with the interrogation of power and politics for their act of silencing. The images of ‘chimneys', ‘black spots', ‘smoke', ‘wildfires', ‘gas emission' in the poem put emphasis on the degradation of the natural world.  Singh questions the larger silence, as he writes: "they have their priorities mission to rewrite histories climate change is no excuse to mould the mind of Gen-Z in face of imminent doom: stay quiet at morass of loss" Women's Exploitation In this collection, the poem ‘Cry of a Mother' (p. 12) resonates with women's issues, mainly gender and sex. The poem is basically a reflection on the condition of women in India and elsewhere. The metaphorical use of the word ‘clitoris' underscores women-half of the population is simply ignored. No one wants to talk about them, neither lovers nor doctors. "Why do they ignore the clitoris when half of the world has it? / the lovers don't care  the doctors don't talk". The ignorance or denial of the existence of women, or the refusal to empathize with their dreams and desires are not a natural process like that of a leaf but is an ill-constructed male practice.  The reference to the chocolate, "a chocolate remedy," is an allusion to the novel, Chocolat (1999) by Joanne Harris which talks about the emancipation of women by drawing a contrast between pleasure and denial. Notably, the novel was adapted for an award-winning film with the same title in 2000. Singh writes: "denial is the way of the life be it desire emotion or frailty for conformity unity and control" Moreover, the image of ‘redness' of the sun suggests the intensity or passionate nature which juxtaposes it with the image of ‘drab colours' of the clothing of priests. This is suggestive of resistance of incorrectly accused practices such as witchcraft against the narrow mindedness of religious authority. He writes: "who accuse of heresy witchcraft or immortality/ to shut the so called hotbeds of sedition".  The poem ends with the images of resistance against the dominating male attitude that forces ‘spinning wheel' of women, their daily domestic chores and family responsibilities, and their love and sex,  ultimately "condemned to nursing home" to suffer in loneliness. The first line and the last line join together to build the argument of the poem.  Also, a support for the criticism of the Pope can be found in the poem ‘Love.' The poem seems to be is inspired by Sharon Olds' short poem ‘The Pope's Penis'. The rejection of old conventions and establishment is presented through clever wordplay in the poem. The speaker of the poem denies to worship the ‘ancient lies' and expresses doubt against division and domination. In appreciation of anti-establishment imagination and vision of Sharon Olds, the poet says, "I love Sharon Olds' spark her vision of Pope's member erect in sleep for his God" Sum up The question of self and monotonous life, pleasures of sex and spirituality, blessings of companionship, struggle against disease and age, and rupture in relationships are also explored in various poems.  Knocking Vistas and Other Poems can be capsulized as a collection which amalgamates the pain of living with the moments of joy with its immensely rich usage of images and metaphors that aim to tickle and comfort readers. Rich Murphy rightly observes: "the energy in this collection of confessional poems later in life promises the experienced readers that the "end of the season" is a metaphor after all. This reader clicks his "heels together: secret code" that requests another collection soon." Works Cited: Singh, Ram Krishna. Knocking Vistas and Other Poems. Authorspress, 2024. The Hindu. "Why This Degradation? A Look at the State of the Political Discourse." April 06, 2014. Accessed, April 07, 2024. Murphy, Rich. April 06, 2024. LinkedIn. <https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/comment-my-knocking-vistas-other-poems-ram-krishna-singh-vebwc/?trackingId=PxuNoDUjQaO8TzbQlpWyfA%3D%3D>  The poems in the volume are in continuation of the experiences and spirit one may notice in my books Against the Waves: Selected Poems (New Delhi: Authors Press, 2021) and Poems and Micropoems (Sierra Vista: Southern Arizona Press, 2023). While there is concern for something or other in the depressing contemporary human condition and chaos, there is also an exploration of who we are and what we are, with search for sense in senselessness. The snippets of our complicated existence find images rooted in nature and physicality with whispers of the soul.   Acknowledgement is due to the editors and publishers of the following online and print journals that carried some of the poems, including individual haiku and tanka that make up the linked version, presented here:   Scarlet Dragonfly Journal; The Bamboo Hut; Creative Flight Journal; International Writers' Journal; Setu; Better Than Starbucks; Minuto De Poesia; Creation and Criticism; The Pan Haiku Review; VSANA; New Academia Journal; Haiku Universe; World Micro Poetry Journal; Failed Haiku; Spillwords; Edge of Humanity; Poleart; seashores; Das Literarisch; Lothlorien Poetry Journal; Haiku Zbornik Ludberg 2023; Samobor Haiku Meeting; Rendition of International Poetry; Kelaino; Poetcrit; Writers Editors Critics; and International Journal on Multicultural Literature,   Literary Magazine Ave Viajera. Colombia.   Some poems have also been anthologized in Diverse Voices: An Indian Poetry Anthology (ed. S. L. Peeran. New Delhi: Authors Press, 2023); Home For the Holidays Anthology (ed. Paul Gilliland. Sierra Vista: Southern Arizona Press, 2023), and The United Haiku and Tanka Society 2022 Anthology: Songbirds Online (ed. an'ya).   I am indebted to Sri Sudarshan Kcherry for readily agreeing to publish this collection of poems under the imprint of Authors Press. 01 March 2024

POEMS  BY© Ghanishtha Verma PHOTOGRAPH The cloud of Photographs rain old memories At times it's aroma makes earthlings feel over the moon, and the very next moment a sudden cacophony of thunder pushes us down in deep! A moment of caesura we want some PIXIE DUST!   CURSE   Curse are those educated uncivilized folks who through words of wisdom spread unrest. Have heard smudge arouses disgust So do their worthy words.   WORDS   Words once uttered or scribbled are reflection or distortion Of ideologies hidden and conspicuous self.        VOICES    Ah voices! A voice heard in submarine under the blanket of stars reminiscence of someone's presence in past and soon the slumber turns past to present. The talks, laughs, fights flicker and showers skin and pillow beneath, strongly the heart holds  Of dateless dark dreams, the tranquil loneliness decree.      I'M A TERRORIST   Yes you heard it right I'm a terrorist! Not because I have blood in my eyes, gun in my hands, or poison hanging around my neck. I'm a terrorist Because I'm not an echo but a voice and have books in my hands.   SAGA   Death, don't come. Yes, not now. Agreed, the landscape of the soul is tainted, words are becoming unintelligible, voices are coming to as noise, the dead bodies are on roads and friends are turning foes. When said "non est dulce et decorum pro gente mori" They threw stones and demolished homes, and thought they succeeded in burning souls.   O death! ask your winged chariot to wait I need to live long as I have a saga to share.   DOTS AND KNOTS   Dots, here and there. Knots everywhere. Period, comma, parentheses Still Stories misunderstood.  Memories, experiences trauma and violence buried beneath exuberant speeches!  Children read and learn glorifying history. Once innocent minds, now noxious smiles.           In Custody  Read, read, read... the custodian of history. Write, re-write Veiled unveiled history.  The passerby wanders in much trodden pathway; and           momentarily contemplates            the black beaked bird sitting in a bargad tree           of demolished building: Cawww, Caawww, Caaaawwwww it sings a melancholic symphony of forgotten history.  Passerby excavates an old story of long lost love  an amateur.  RECONOCIMIENTOS   Los poemas del volumen son una continuación de las experiencias y el espíritu que uno puede notar en mis libros Against the Waves: Selected Poems (Nueva Delhi: Authors Press, 2021) y Poems and Micropoems (Sierra Vista: Southern Arizona Press, 2023). Si bien hay preocupación por una cosa u otra en el caos y la deprimente condición humana contemporánea, también hay una exploración de quiénes somos y qué somos, con una búsqueda de sentido en el sinsentido. Los fragmentos de nuestra complicada existencia encuentran imágenes arraigadas en la naturaleza y lo físico con susurros del alma. Se agradece a los editores y editores de las siguientes revistas impresas y en línea que publicaron algunos de los poemas, incluidos los haiku y tanka individuales que componen la versión vinculada, que se presentan aquí: Diario de la libélula escarlata; La cabaña de bambú; Diario de vuelo creativo; Revista Internacional de Escritores; Setú; Mejor que Starbucks; Minuto De Poesía; Creación y Crítica; La revisión de Pan Haiku; VSANA; Nueva Revista Academia; Universo Haiku; Revista Mundial de Micropoesía; Haiku fallido; Palabras de derrame; Borde de la Humanidad; arte polar; costas; Das Literarisch; Revista de poesía de Lothlorien; Haiku Zbornik Ludberg 2023; Reunión Samobor Haiku; Interpretación de poesía internacional; Kelaino; Poetacrito; Escritores Editores Críticos; y Revista Internacional de Literatura Multicultural , Revista Literaria Ave Viajera Algunos poemas también han sido antologizados en Diverse Voices: An Indian Poetry Anthology (ed. S. L. Peeran. Nueva Delhi: Authors Press, 2023); Antología Home For the Holidays (ed. Paul Gilliland. Sierra Vista: Southern Arizona Press, 2023) y Antología 2022 de The United Haiku and Tanka Society: Songbirds Online (ed. an'ya). Estoy en deuda con Sri Sudarshan Kcherry por aceptar publicar esta colección de poemas bajo el sello de Authors Press. 01 marzo

Poder Político en el nombre de la  Fe y de Dios- invectiva racista despotricando contra el otro a través de la violencia mediática dando forma a la conciencia todo el día desde dentro, criar un sistema descortés- plantear neutralidad y fomentar el odio en entornos oficiales evitar cada resistencia allanar la oscuridad a largo plazo cantando himnos del Progreso- evangelios dudosos.

A DECADE OF POLITICS IN INDIA Power politics in the name Faith and God- racist invective ranting the other through media violence shaping consciousness all day from within rear an impolite system- pose neutrality and foment hatred in official settings shun each resistance pave long-term darkness singing anthems of Progress- dubious gospels-