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The voice of a woman
I Have Seen That Face Before Buddha is a short poem,
a tribute to the person who inspired her to read Rumi to ‘find’ herself. In
Who Am I, nature is beautiful. ‘The blue and pink hue/Of setting
sun/Behind the brown mountain.’ She loves nature, however, in the end, says:
‘Should I wait/Should I enjoy.’ House brings out riot of colours.
‘One wall red/Other green/next to it yellow’. But are these colours riot of
emotions, vibrancy or confusion? The poems Lotus, The Window, Beautiful
and Simple bring out the beauty of nature, which stuns senses. The pink
sky and the sea bathed in each other’s colour in the evening are gorgeous,
while the sun flower blossoming in front of our eyes, with yellow petals
opening, surprises us. The morning sun entering from the window casts a magic
spell, with its rays playing around. Rain pours ‘aimless boundless/in
its own rhythm/with the rhythm of life,/endless. In The Stars, she
remembers her childhood when she too had desired to touch the stars as other
little kids do. In Soul, she addresses God that as human beings we brag
so much when create something but He has created the whole universe and is
cool. Kiss describes the desires in a woman has, when she wants to be
loved by her beloved. ‘Kiss me wild/Inflame me, with your rising
spirits/Transform me into a true woman with/every breath of your/soul and
unblemished/desire. ‘ In With You, she describes the presence her
beloved. ‘Your presence, intoxication of spring/offers me peace/in mind,
spirit and soul,/engulfs me;/do I need to be with you ? The Answer
beautifully answers her question. 'I asked him, why did you/come to me?' He
touches her knees, arms around shoulders, very softly feels her lips, and 'A
deep breath comes out from his senses/mingled with mine;/I got my answer.' The
poems The Game Love, Want, Solitude and Peace bring out the deep
desires of the body in a magical way. The Woman hits out at today's
women who are busy sitting, gossiping, partying, rearing children and serving
husbands but have lost individuality. She asks why we can't find women who know
themselves, and know who they are. She doesn't find the form of Durga and Kali,
'the woman, who teaches/us what we should be'. In a poem, Swami, a famous
character in the stories of eminent writer R. K. Narayan, reminds her of her
son, Rik, who does all type of work for her like Swami. Shomshukllas poems
have sensuous qualities, and quite appealing, too. The sensitivity of thoughts
and emotions has been brought out well through words, colours and images. The
language is simple, which makes her poems enjoyable.
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Soft,
sensuous and sensitive poetry touches the heartstrings, while aesthetics in
poetry brings transparency of emotions, desires, and attracts attention towards
what poet wishes to convey. IHave Seen That Face Before by Shomshuklla is a collection of 50 poems,
in which she brings out myriad colours of emotions. Though in few of her poems,
she seems to be in a meditative mood, thinking of her childhood memories, at
times confesses about her deep-rooted desires.