Taboo: Poems

by Melizarani T. Selva

“Woman, what are you fighting for?”
Whether for peace
Or for your pieces to be returned to you
Whether for the world
Or waiting for the world to fight for you.

“Watching Melizarani perform on stage is like witnessing the manifestation of a goddess: dazzling, heart-stopping and vitally inspiring.”

– Ng Yi-sheng, Singaporean poet and activist

Genres: Poetry

110 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2015

Reviews

[Georgette · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading so much garbage poetry books that seem to be the one making all the money, Melizarani is refreshing to the fellow spoken poet's soul. This book peels back the layers around the world of a Malaysian Indian woman with both keen word-fu and an unapologetic candidness. Her pieces about issues faced by the country and our people strike a chord.

And yes, it really did take me this long to finish this book. I started and stopped because I was in one of my reading ruts. Things only started taking off a week ago when I realised that I've been holding on to my friend's copy for a ridiculously long time and should really see about returning it. I gave it another shot.

Right away 'blank' struck a chord. A commentary on the Allah controversy, Melizarani talks about having to substitute the A-word with a blank. Being from Sarawak, I am fortunate to live some place where everybody agreed how ridiculousness of this controversy is, even if they don't personally believe in either deities popularly associated with that name. Or even if, like me, their Blank really is blank.

'my country is a man' puts a whole different, sexy spin on how to talk about Malaysia; while 'to the macha who got away' made me put the book down halfway through the piece because one stanza made me laugh so hard I was unable to immediately continue. 'hero' was a beautiful use of Superman as a metaphor; I wish I wrote that.

There were little pieces in between the longer ones that will make connoisseurs of instapoetry happy, but I barely remember any of them. I look at them again when I get my own copy.

[Fadillah · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Woman, what are you fighting for?
whether for peace,
or for your pieces to be returned to you
whether for the world
Or waiting for the world to fight for you”
- Taboo by Melizarani T. Silva
.
.
I bought this book simply because i saw Melizarani T. Selva’s Ted Talks video in the youtube. She recited one of her poems called ‘Indiantity’ and i was sold instantly. The way she read it with so much clarity and in tune with her words, the way she carried her intonation but did not lose the attention of audience, it was truly a great performance. Melizarani T. Selva is Malaysian through and through especially when she described her potential mate in ‘Macha that got away’ : “I took one last look at you knowing there would be one else to share my biryani, but there are 8.9 million Indians in this country, a few doctors and plenty of deejays, Some as bald as Dataran Merdeka, Some as hairier than Taman Negara”. ‘Macha’ term might be defined differently in Tamil as this was referred in the Malaysian context. This book also described her experience of being a Malaysian Indian which at the same time is also a minority. For example , in ‘Indiantity’ : “Do i need to eat on Banana Leaves with my hands, to pledge allegiance to the ‘Anne’ next to me Or will i be forever condemned to being the minority of the minority Who would rather order Thosai in Malay because i can barely count to three”. Her thoughts on her race is bold and brave when she wrote this line in ‘The Woman’ : “I am the woman whose figure is shaped by reality not magazine covers, Whose spirit is toughened by Unreasonable silence and rejection letters, my combination of being Indian and woman is now cursed to fail and deadly. You see, my master’s degree and youth sacrificed work experience ; are just mere words that fill a column in the CV”. In ‘Blank’ she revealed how Diverse Malaysia is and even credited her father on educating her about other religions : “ The only attention I was vying for was from my father, who was upstairs taking a shower, who educated me and explained that islam is a profound religion, whose worshippers need no location of worship to worship, just a direction. And cautioned me to never trample on Hungry Ghost offerings and sidewalks, taught me that Christman is more than Santa Claus and if we lit candles by the Altar, we would be blessed and that every temple is a GPS, An antenna that gives us better reception of the higher power”. There are 5 elements featured in her book, the first one is Aditi, followed by Aphrodite, Helen, Eve and last but not least, Atlas. There is feminism undertones in many of her poems by highlighting the patriarchy in her culture and tradition - One of them is in ‘Fashion Nonsense’ : “ Red Pottu or Black Bindi, you are either married or biologically ready. But if there is no dot on your forehead. It means that you are quite horny. Your forehead is the guide for men to decide, so choose wisely and remember, you are merely the image bearer of the the breadwinner, the mirror reflection of his economic stature”. I cant decide which poems i like the most - Obviously, Indiantity is my first choice because thats what convinced me to read her other poems. Second, Draupadi. It is insane why people prefer Sita than Draupadi. Seeing Melizarani wrote about Draupadi is a cheff kiss. Another 3, i would choose ‘Courage’ which is dedicated to her grandmother, the other one is ‘Maharani’ - which really reminded me of Priyanka’s chopra film : 7 Khoon Maaf. Last but not least is ‘My Country is A Man’. Overall, a solid collection of poetry. I would highly recommend this ❤️

[farahxreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rarely read and actually enjoy poetry but wow, Taboo by Melizarani T. Selva is really good, man. I just loved it.

“I struggle with my identity,
or shoud I say Indiantity,”

These first two sentences grabbed me and kept me in the poem til its poignant end. The collection is very unique and has a refreshingly fresh touch - it deals with one’s sense of identity, love, marriage and infidelity, and even religion. What I love most about this collection is how defying and unapologetic it sound.

My favourite excerpt from the collection:

“I was tired of all these ordinary men
so I went to the palace to become the Sultan’s courtesan
He loved my dancing
ruled the country, at the tap of my feet
I was his queen to be
Then, he said he had to marry another woman
because I was not made from noble blood
not the heir to the throne
just the heir to his lap
So, I stabbed, him twenty five times
one for every year of my life,”

If you haven’t read it, you should.

[Jason Lundberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a phenomenal poetry collection! I had the very good luck to finally meet Melizarani at the 2017 George Town Literary Festival (after knowing her a bit online) and have her sign my copy of this book. Her writing has such heart and honesty, and her turns of phrase often elicit reactions of unexpected delight. I sincerely hope I get to see her perform spoken word sometime soon, because I was wonderfully transported by these poems. And "The Afternoon Affair" is worth the price of the book alone.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Courage is proud though she never says much
for love is best shown than said.

and Courage will encourage you when you need Courage the most
Courage will come to visit though she may have to go but if you see Courage, say "Hello"
because you need Courage more than you know.

[Shivanee Ramlochan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've chosen Melizarani T. Selva's Taboo (Perfect Binding), because I felt it necessary to reach for the bright activation that lives always in language. At the heart of Taboo's poems is a crystallized flame of *living*, whether it's woman's rage or love's excess or identity's wail at being fractured, reassembled by heartsthread. If you spend time with these poems on the page, I encourage you to find Melizarani performing them: so many of them were written for performance, which you can hear, unspoken, echoing brilliant and feral and giddy in your interior victrola.

"But a woman is not a woman until something happens to her
and you want to know what happened to me."

1/31
#TheSealeyChallenge

[Komukill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Melizarani writes so beautifully! Her poems are so unique and engaging. I especially love her choice of words for they come across really fresh. This is one poetry book that I am glad I picked up after rooting for it for a long time.

[علي الفقيه · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first English poem book that I have ever read. Usually, I would read in Arabic.
This book can be understood better if you are Malaysian or from the region. As I am living in Malaysia for my high learning purpose, I could under it well enough.

[Aliff Awan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poetic dan kemas. Suka beberapa sajak Melizarani yang konsisten.

[Sammi Lim · Rating 5 out of 5]

but there will always be
laughter,
love
and whipped cream fantasties
From The Afternoon Affair
by Melizarani Selva

Congrats, Melizarani. Yours is the first book of poetry (and god knows I've tried) that I managed to finish (devour, more like)... And in one sitting too!

[Chitra R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this might be the first poetry book I will quote from, reread and even purchase for my closest friends who are mostly modern Indian woman - all our hang ups, our idiosyncrasies whether justified or not, are laid bare for all to read - hedonistic, unapologetic and heartfelt.

Loved her corrective couture pieces!

[Hann Min · Rating 4 out of 5]

Go listen to one of her spoken poetry sessions to make it a five...there are many instances, blind angles and hidden spots that are hinted at, would have to be in her shoes to fully understand and appreciate, the nuances

[Nadine · Rating 4 out of 5]

spoken word poetry is best performed live than read (the phrase 'spoken word' itself is already a good indication, no?), but I *reaallly* enjoyed some of the longer ones.

[Farah Izzah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw Melizarani T Selva perform at Incitement KL two years ago, sixteen at the time then, an avid spoken word fan at my first poetry show. I was entranced with Melizarani T Selva's performance the moment she walked from the audience to the stage, saying repeatedly that loud voices are more important, and then going on to recite the poem i, that starts with, "I gloss my lips with the Sedition Act", and from that moment on I was sold. Seeing her performing live, in the flesh, is definitely one of my favourite memories.

And reading her words on paper is mesmerizing as ever.

My favourite thing about her poems is how unapologetic it is. Her, being a woman. Her, being an Indian woman in Malaysia. In every single one of her poems, you wouldn't be able to trace an apology for her existence, and I wish I could emulate that someday. Her poems are passionate, erratic and at times erotic, brimming with soul and never without her identity. She's definitely one of my writer crush now, and I would love to see her live again.

Excerpt from one of my favourite poems from the book:
'and we make stories in the dark.
but you are shadowed by a boy
and I am just a shadow
of a girl
in the closet.'