Tag: Poems

Gossamer Whispers – My first solo poetry collection in print

You’ll find poems that dance between the tangible and the abstract, exploring the alchemy of emotions, the resilience of the human spirit, and the bittersweet nature of memory. From the frosty whispers of winter to the fiery blooms of summer, from the digital realm of modern love to the timeless ache of longing, these poems traverse the landscapes of human experience.

📚✨ Exciting News! 📚✨

I’m thrilled to announce a major milestone in my author journey: the release of my first solo poetry collection 📖 Gossamer Whispers. Available now in both paperback and ebook formats, this book is published by BookLeaf Publishing.

You can find Gossamer Whispers here:
– Paperback: https://amzn.in/d/52Rk7LB
– Ebook: https://lnkd.in/gvN56G_p

Gossamer Whispers is a collection that has been years in the making, born from fleeting moments, vivid dreams, and the quiet contemplation of life’s intricate tapestry. As you turn these pages, you’ll find pieces of my soul scattered like delicate cobwebs across the verses—fragile, yet holding fast to the corners of existence.

I’ve always been fascinated by the power of scent to evoke memories, how starlight can ignite our imagination, and how the simplest moments can carry the weight of eternity. In this collection, I’ve attempted to capture these ephemeral experiences, to bottle them in words as one might capture fireflies on a warm summer night.

You’ll find poems that dance between the tangible and the abstract, exploring the alchemy of emotions, the resilience of the human spirit, and the bittersweet nature of memory. From the frosty whispers of winter to the fiery blooms of summer, from the digital realm of modern love to the timeless ache of longing, these poems traverse the landscapes of human experience.

Pick up your copy today to read more and join this journey with me. 

– Paperback: https://amzn.in/d/52Rk7LB
– Ebook: https://lnkd.in/gvN56G_p

Early reader impressions

I received the book in mint condition. The book is very thin so you might think that you can binge on it and move on to the next book but as you start reading Aneesha’s poetry you realise that it’s written with so many layers of deep thoughts that comes from the mind and the heart. It makes you wonder, ponder. It’s a slow read meaning that you need to read each poem with patience because every word used has been chosen with so much thought that it lingers long after you have finished reading it. Luminescence is one of my favourites from the collection.

“Gossamer Whispers ” is a delightfully engaging compilation of poems. The title of the collection itself indicates how effortlessly the poet leads the reader into the realms of her inner world which means much to her. The images and metaphors used are apt and bring forth meticulously the ideas she desires to portray. The poems point towards her love for nature as she takes utmost care to portray with precision certain minute details. Childhood memories occupy her repeatedly. A major attraction in these poems is the display of a wide array of colors as if she is using her pen as a brush to paint an exquisitely charming picture. Sensuousness adds lustre to her thoughts.

What a beautiful collection of thoughts! Loved the progression from thinking about nature to our daily routine to life-altering decisions.

“Gossamer Whispers” by Aneesha Shewani is a scintillating as well as an engrossing collection of selected poems. Each poem is so captivating that one stops only after ruminating through the whole. The poems encase a wide variety of themes projeceted through remarkable poetic devices. The use of free verse is perfect with Eliotine touch while images, symbols and metaphors abound in every page.A refreshing device is Transferred Epithet which adds to the charm of the poems. Most of the pieces proclaim nostalgia and a sense of loss which, however, provides universality and post mordenism to the collection: lt is indeed a truthful reflection of the contemporary life. Still there are refreshing and sanguine poems like ‘ Summer in Waiting’ and ‘Summer’. Nature abounds in the entire Collection with Adjectival perfection and several nuances of meaning. The Collection is worth preserving to be read again and again.

Masquerade

#NaPoWriMo #GloPoWriMo Day 4

Book cover of Das unheimliche by Felix Schloemp Buch

Darkness whispered to me
Secrets from the ghastly depths
A smirk on her lips
A spectre of disdain
She laughed at my troubles
Amused at my failures.

“I saw it die a thousand deaths
Ages ago it heaved its last breath
Goodness is a cadaver
Goodwill a misnomer
It’s the time of the Black Serpent
Slithering on slippery slopes
In and out of its slimy scales;
Let me teach you the spells
From the bowels of hell
To charm Beings of the Night
For they are all that survived.”

I embrace the inky silhouette,
“My dark friend, I heed your advice.”
I summon them from within
Pettiness, dishonesty, slyness –
Throbbing, waiting to be spawned
I befriend the shady shadows
Blind like the bats betrothed
To deepest caverns and gallows
They tell me how to don a mask,
This masquerade I join with pride,
Of the deceitful who have thrived.

Poetry inspired by the book cover of Das unheimliche by Felix Schloemp Buch. Munich: Georg Mueller, 1914.

The selection of a sacred strawberry

Writers often lament writer’s block and procrastination as colossal hurdles to a regular writing practice. While both hold a genuine place in the writers’ list of woes, it is my experience that nothing is a bigger enemy of the creative journey than ill-disposed mental health. One can create masterpieces in sorrow and carve out brilliant art in happiness but it is hard to get a grip on artistic pursuits when one is stressed or anxious. 

A stack of books and an open notebook

Since mid-November 2022 until now I have been struggling – first with a long spell of flu that lasted for a month and a half. Then, somewhere during this difficult time, debilitating worry and paranoia found their way into my life. I was trapped in a maze of repetitive thoughts and stress-induced negativity. I tried many things to heal my mind but it was a lonely journey.

The biggest casualty of my mental ill-health was my poetry. I realize how delicate a device poetry is. It demands total dedication. A disrupted mental frame cannot do justice to the pursuits of the poet. 

One of the tools recommended for mindfulness and healing is journaling. I do vouch for its benefits but that is a post for another day. What I discovered amidst these trials was that for me story writing is closer to journaling.

As my physical health gradually recovered after Christmas, I came across the Penfluenza 3.0 contest by WriteFluence. I decided to start writing because the theme of Ritual called out to me. Each day, I poured a lot of love and care into my draft. It slowly became a healthy diversion. My mind would be at ease at least in those crafting moments. The story itself was therapeutic.

My efforts were worthwhile because when the contest results were declared, I was glad to know that my short story was one of the winning entries. Today, I received a heartwarming message that the anthology that contains my short story is now available for purchase. Read about The Selection of a Sacred Strawberry.

Meanwhile, I tried to go back to my favorite daily activity of writing for poetry prompts. It didn’t happen. Thoughts arrived wrapped in imagery but the words wouldn’t manifest. I felt for my forsaken blog but when you are broken, you can’t create a piece that is as fragile as poetry. Short story, in my case, was the sturdier sibling of the poem!

This weekend, I returned to my blog to publish a book review. Some words formed and then they started to string together. I am not sure if I will be able to write frequently because unresolved issues still camp in my mind space. But I am trying – each day – to let go of what I cannot control and to get a grip on the things I can create.

Coffee makes everything okay

#FromOneLine 268 ☆  Friday Challenge

The Friday Challenge #FromOneLine prompt is apt for a coffee lover like me.

She liked her coffee sweet
With a dash of cinnamon spice
Flavored with the sleepy silence
Of a pristine day peeping out
Of the blanket of dawn light
A tender sip awakens the soul
With a potion offering succor
In this moment, warm with hope
It does not matter that
The world was made of ice

Growing Old

This weekend, I wrote for a new poetry prompt and experimented with AI- generated visual art. Here is what I created:

#VisualArt generated using Wombo Dream AI for the #poetry #prompt #LoveLetters – In woven wool and frosted cap

In quiet slumber
Warm against the fireplace
Memories of a lifetime wrapped
In woven wool and frosted cap
Frayed edges of time, heaving
In tandem with the seasons
A love that often whithered,
Bloomed again but never drowned
In destiny’s torrential rains