Copyright©Yogesh Patel & all respective copyright holders of the material published
In my eyes, a rainstorm gathers,
I write you a poem.
Your body burning on the pyre
lights a fire in my pen.
Your kiss reached
my lungs, I lost my heart.
Your touch burned
my words in the Indian summer.
How can I fill
the vacuum in my life
with anything else?
I press my fingers
against your memory—
the curse of being a poet,
feeling everything so deeply.
I miss you
for years after you are gone.
© Sweta Srivastava Vikram
‘Craving You,’ a poem essay, originally appeared in Sweta Vikram's poetry book: Wet Silence (Modern History Press: July 1, 2015. ISBN-
Sweta Vikram
Craving you
I felt inspired to use Sweta’s own words to convey the richness of this collection, and I do so in my two 'found' poems, which are offered below. These will, I hope, speak for themselves and do justice to her fine collection.
For
An Achievement of Excellence as a Poet
Sweta Srivastava Vikram (www.swetavikram.com), featured by Asian Fusion as ‘One of the most influential Asians of our time,’ is an award-
Her latest book, Wet Silence, is a full-
To
Sweta Vikram
Patrons: Lord Parekh & Lord Dholakia
Please click on the covers to order the books
To order please click on the name below:
"Sweta Vikram captures bold raw passion, poignant reality and crafts a powerful voice for the voiceless."
-
Wet Silence bears moving accounts of Hindu widows in India. The book raises concern about the treatment of widowed women by society; lends their stories a voice; shares their unheard tales about marriage; reveals the heavy hand of patriarchy; and, addresses the lack of companionship and sensuality in their lives. This collection of poems covers a myriad of social evils such as misogyny, infidelity, gender inequality, and celibacy amongst other things. The poems in the collection are bold, unapologetic, and visceral. The collection will haunt you.
To order, please click on the name below:
We have all lost a dear one at some point in our lives. Grief, depending on the relationship with the one deceased, affects us differently. I feel my Dada and Mausi's absence every single day for disparate reasons. But these two losses have taught me that their time had come. And that life is about celebrating those alive and not just mourning those who have moved on. Optimism and faith are the keys to overcoming the roadblocks life puts in our way. This book tries to state that there is always hope for anyone coping with grief. No one can tell us exactly how; the voyage has to be undertaken by each of us individually.
Learn more about the author at www.swetavikram.com
Two Poem to Honour Sweta Vikram by Brian G D’Arcy
I felt privileged when Yogesh invited me to comment on Sweta Srivastava Vikram's latest collection Wet Silence. It is good to be welcomed back to Word Masala e-
Immediately on first reading I found myself on an emotional rollercoaster ride. Sweta explores the glory and the pain of lost but enduring love, and the pain and darkness of love betrayed. And she does so with both a searching gaze and an unforgiving candour. As with any rollercoaster ride, it pays to keep your eyes open or, in this case, your eyes, heart and mind. The forty-
I felt inspired to use Sweta’s own words to convey the richness of this collection, and I do so in my two 'found' poems, which are offered below. These will, I hope, speak for themselves and do justice to her fine collection.
Guest Editor Brian G D’Arcy’s Comment
WMP Award for Excellence
BELOVED
My longing for you hasn’t ceased.
Solitude is my partner in bed.
I run my hands over your contours in my mind,
prowl through memories of our sweet days,
the warm memories of our togetherness
when I wasn’t forced to wear a black mask
and drape my trembling torso
in a white cotton sari.
I didn’t ask for this silence.
I am still trying to understand.
BETRAYAL
I am broken.
I don’t harbor illusions that my name was on your last breath.
You left me feeling like a
freshly dug grave
as wet silence became my friend.
I didn’t plant roses in your memory;
Some promises dissolve in the rain,
emerge as poems.
I’ll indignantly rise, and sing songs of freedom.
And I’ll come back smelling of jasmine.
Note: Both 'found' poems rely entirely on lines taken from Sweta's Wet Silence collection.
About the Guest Editor
Brian G D’Arcy is a prize-
Ghost Horses Dancing by Brian G D'Arcy
£7.95 ISBN 978-
To order this book at DISCOUNT please contact Yogesh at Word Masala.
Ghost Horses Dancing by Brian G D'Arcy
£7.95
ISBN 978-
To order this book at DISCOUNT please contact Yogesh at Word Masala.