Editor

“Poetry is an echo, asking a shadow to dance.”  ~ Carl Sandburg

In “As I Cross The Bridge,” Prof. Molly Joseph presents readers with a sublime collection of poetry that is nothing short of an aesthetic delight. Each poem within this anthology flows like a cascading waterfall, immersing the reader in a whirlwind of sheer poetic beauty and intoxication.

Prof. Molly’s words not only captivate the mind but also stir a desire to journey deeper into the realms of metaphysical, spiritual, and ethereal bliss. As the anthology progresses, the simplicity of her poetic diction reaches mesmerizing levels, leaving the reader ensnared within the web of her artistry, much like the mythical Penelope of the postmodern era.

The poetess ingeniously portrays her thoughts and emotions as a flower pot, where every poem blossoms like vibrant flowers, each word germinating with an allegorical essence. One such masterpiece, “As I Cross The Bridge,” contemplates the unpredictability and uncertainty of human existence, likening life’s tumultuous journey to a boat floating over waves, navigating the broken bridges of circumstance. With each verse, the human experience is unveiled, evoking contemplation upon the existential terrains we traverse.

Prof. Molly’s subsequent poems bear an almost apocryphal essence, as their arresting simplicity reverberates like cascading waterfalls, refreshing and invigorating the reader’s soul. Works like “Sediments,” “Life Within Death,” “We are One,” and “Dance” are akin to goblets of invigorating wine, drawing the reader nearer to the revelatory world of postmodern literature envisioned by the eminent critic Ihab Hassan.

In “As I Cross The Bridge,” the poetess masterfully weaves words and flesh into an intricate matrix of human emotions and experiences. Each fiber of our being, every nerve, and feeling encountered during the boat-ride across the River Of Life is brought to life by her arresting and charming poetic cadence. Joseph assures us that amidst the broken bridges of life, there is always a boat to carry us through.

With “Valentine’s Day,” the poetess kindles the Lamp of Love in human hearts, yet beneath its radiance, the poem delves into the sweet sorrow and tenderness that inundates the human mind, turning the day of love into a revelatory, almost comic experience of existence.

As we journey through this poetic tapestry, pieces like “Covid,” “Ethics,” and “Mother India” resonate deeply within the reader’s psyche, eliciting profound emotions and introspection. The more simple and arresting the diction, the more entranced the reader becomes.

“We are one,” “Nature,” “November 1st,” “Dance,” “Moments,” “Mothering Woes,” and “Be Like the Sun,” among others, showcase Joseph’s ability to evoke a kaleidoscope of emotions, tugging at the very strings of the reader’s mind and soul. Each poem becomes a multicolored pulse, painting vivid portraits of the human experience.

The entirety of “As I Cross The Bridge” can be aptly labeled as Prof. Molly’s Creative Sacrament of her Heart and Soul. Within these verses, she bares her innermost thoughts and emotions, offering readers an intimate connection to her poetic legacy. Her ability to merge the ephemeral with the eternal, the metaphysical with the tangible, is a testament to her poetic prowess and depth of expression.

In conclusion, “As I Cross The Bridge” is a literary masterpiece that will undoubtedly leave a lasting impact on anyone who delves into its enchanting pages. Prof. Molly Joseph’s poetic brilliance shines brightly in this anthology, and her words will continue to resonate in the hearts of readers for generations to come.

“Sea Flutterings” by Dimitrios Karousis is a captivating and enchanting bilingual poetry collection that continues to immerse readers in the mesmerizing world of the sea. As a sea lover and poet, Karousis draws upon his profound experiences to speak directly to the hearts of those who cherish the liquid element. Symbolizing the beginning of life, the eternal flow, and the generative force, the sea also represents the untamed nature of existence, presenting formidable obstacles in the form of insurmountable and ultimately fatal waves. Karousis guides readers on a journey akin to that of a skilled captain in the storm, reminding us of the need to overcome these challenges in our own lives.

Building upon the success of his previous work, “Flaming Sea,” which garnered acclaim both domestically and internationally, Karousis invites us once again to delve into the depths of poetic exploration with “Sea Flutterings.” This collection serves as a transformative escape from the stagnant waters of routine and everyday life, enabling the soul to take flight like a free bird, soaring far away into the boundless blue depths. Through its eloquent verses, the collection provokes deep introspection, evokes daydreaming, and provides nourishment for the mind. The fusion of the sea’s blue with that of the sky, both timeless and endless, magnifies the sense of wonder and possibility. Within this celestial canvas, Dimitrios Karousis captures his dreams, experiences, and concerns, mirroring the majesties of life and inviting readers to embark on their own personal voyages, overcoming difficulties with courage and dignity, and forging unique paths.

At the heart of “Sea Flutterings” lies a profound aspiration for a free and peaceful existence, where universal values such as justice, fraternity, equality, altruism, magnanimity, and forgiveness prevail. These values, when embraced, lead to spiritual upliftment, self-awareness, and ultimately contribute to the betterment of humanity for present and future generations. Karousis’ poetry, owing to his immense psyche, spiritual-philosophical background, and social sensitivity, possesses a subtle yet profound didactic quality. It serves as a guiding light, benefiting and instructing the new generation, while also setting an inspiring example for imitation.

Undoubtedly, “Sea Flutterings” will be embraced and cherished by readers, much like Dimitrios Karousis’ previous works. Its highly experiential subject matter touches upon various cognitive fields, making it a compelling prospect for literary research. The collection can be rightfully regarded as a philosophical essence, a visionary portrayal of life that conjures vivid imagery and opens up vast horizons of thought. Through its poignant verses, “Sea Flutterings” lays the foundations for introspection and action, urging readers to delve into the depths of their existence and contemplate life’s profound questions.

In conclusion, “Sea Flutterings” is a captivating and profound poetic voyage that takes readers on a transformative journey through the enigmatic realm of the sea. Dimitrios Karousis’ exquisite craftsmanship and profound insights allow his words to resonate deeply within the hearts and minds of his audience. This collection is a testament to his literary prowess and his ability to create a lasting impact through the beauty and power of his poetry.

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As a poet Dr. Molly Joseph, I believe, declares her credo in a short poem titled “Poet” in her previous anthology of poems Songs of Silence. She writes: “Life touches … / You script it out / immersing / not in ideas, but / in things / slowly / subtly / becoming / everyone/everything…” The desire not to immerse in ideas, but to be everyone and everything, slowly and subtly, signifies the poet’s desire for non-theoretical and non-judgmental participation in the life of things rather than her being a mere detached observer. This is true of Dr. Molly’s poetry too as it demands an immersive response from us, that is, her readers. The intensity of her poetry, leaving no alternative to the reader, demands enraptured immersion in its life. The reader enters the life of her poems, and becomes the poems s/he reads, slowly, subtly and unselfconsciously.

Such a response constitutes the opposite end of the reading spectrum which Toby Litt in his text Mutants (2016) terms as ‘disenchanted reading’, the kind of stylistic reading promoted mostly in academic poetry workshops. Litt calls stylistic reading as ‘reading done by a low-grade computer.’ One can add to it the fact that poetry itself compels the reader to respond in a certain way, and Dr. Molly’s poems elicit enraptured responses from us. This is despite the fact that the very typography of her poems draws our attention to their textuality, to the words and their very arrangement.

How does one respond to this kind of typographical arrangement that claims its poetic status? How does one respond to the dancing, playful words on a page, words polyvalent and gesturing tentatively into multiple directions, words – to borrow the very title of Dr. Molly book – that are ‘voices over waves’ containing sea-deep secrets that are transmogrified into silences and blank spaces on the page, each word prismatic like the rainbow-coruscating droplets in a misty spray when the fervent waves strike against a rock, words musical with their intermittently sustained and syncopated rhythms, words magical performing the miracle of the love of life on the page, words endeavouring to go beyond their own quiddities, and words that make us wonder at the richness of life beyond words, that life which the words themselves bring alive?

Dr. Molly Joseph’s poems come to us with such interesting queries and proposals. The poems cast their spell, enthral us with the life throbbing in them. The poem “Life” in the present anthology gives us ample evidence of the author’s preference for a pulsating life of becoming: “Life … How you pulsate / the vital / energy/coalescing/cascading / in an / upsurge / to upend / aspirations, / always / in the / tumult / of creative / confusion. . . life pulsates / unbeaten / in forms/variant / in shifting / shadows / that play / endless / hide and seek . . .” Apart from the dynamism of life, this poem conveys, the most significantly operative image in it is that of the throbbing, thrumming, continuously changing life that upends all aspirations. This is how, with a consummate economy of words, the poet underscores the mercurial nature of life. In suggesting that life is unpredictable, real and unreal (a shadow) at the same time, and is outside human control and structuration, the poet reminds the reader to give up their grand Faustian aspirations to control life. Thus, the deeper message is not obtrusive as the poet does not don the robes of a preacher.

Dr. Molly’s themes are varied; they are supratemporal though they refer firmly to the present times. For example, her love for nature does not exist in a temporal vacuum, rather it has a distinctly contemporary ring to it. She questions the very idea of progress we are so much besotted with in the poem “Hmm… Progress!” The very colloquial-sounding title ending with an exclamation mark itself announces the ironic aims of the poem. The poem lays bare the fact that what we call progress is pitted against nature and by pursuing this chimaera we are depriving green rights to future generations. The poem “Freedom” voicing similar concerns about the idea of progress weaves into its rich tapestry the intolerant and anti-democracy thrust of contemporary politics dominated by demagogues and rabble-rousers who nurse their vote banks by dividing the gullible with their desperate ‘isms’.

She yearns for oneness with nature as is evident from her poem “My Moon.” The poem begins with a sense of regret at the moon’s aloofness: “Oh, moon, my moon / up above you stand/refusing to land…” But it concludes with an entreaty: “O moon, / up above, / come down… / together / we can stretch / selfless, silent, smooth / over meadows we tread / mindscapes that spread…” She also knows that this is just a dream, but then poets are dreamers! However, this poem foregrounds how the human will has no way with or control over nature. Nature is what it is, beautiful and life-affirming but evanescent like the last flicker of the setting sun that lends its golden glow to the evening shadows in the poem “The Last Flicker.”

Feminist concerns reverberate in Dr. Molly’s poems. The poem “Woman” begins with a sense of wonderment: “Where else is a better poem / than you!” The woman is a poem that bears all the pain to give birth to a new life. This metaphor of a woman being a poem actually expresses the wonder of being a woman, a poem: “You need no acclaim, / space special doled out / since you are born special/unique, rising from ashes / resilient, rejuvenating, / with the seed power /of creation…” like the Mother Earth. Thus this metaphor of woman as a poem is a highly condensed trope in which creation, poetry (as creation), nature (as Mother Earth) and woman comingle. Another poem “When you give bath to your newborn…” is a beautiful, delicate poem which adds a spiritual dimension to a very quotidian act of a mother giving a bath to her newborn daughter. The mother messaging the neonate with coconut oil she has extracted herself from the grated coconut juice is a sculptor carving “out a future/beauty / of feminine / charm …” This poem appears to be symbolic of Dr. Molly herself sculpting new realities and universes with her words in her poems – her babies, in a way – like the mother carving out a future for her newborn daughter. In her poetic micro-worlds, Dr. Molly is able to weld memories, thoughts, and experiences with very keen observations on contemporary issues in a language bare and simple. The easy flow and uplifting lightness of her verses coax the readers to inhabit these micro-worlds, make these small universes their home and live in them.

I am sure the Voices above the waves will find an echo in the minds of the readers and they will respond with the same gusto with which these voices have been sculpted.

Prof. Swaraj Raj
Professor of English, SGGSWU University Fatehgarh Sahib,
Punjab, India