Allusions to Simplicity

by Koshy AV

My first solo collection of poetry and fourteenth book with my name on the cover.

112 pages, Paperback

First published May 4, 2016

Reviews

[Reena Prasad · Rating 5 out of 5]

The cover of Dr Koshy’s new book of poems “Allusions to Simplicity” published by Authorspress is disarmingly easy on the eye and matches the book’s title to a T. The ocean and tan colors and clean, simple lines give it a quiet elegance.
The poems, from the viewpoint of a reader who reads poetry for its pure pleasure, are plain-spoken narratives incorporating - and being - complete experiences in themselves, without resorting to dazzling readers with poetic histrionics. Their feel and sentiments endure way past the page and the book, and sear. "After Rilke" opens the innings and remains a firm favorite over time.
The poet succeeds completely in defying the trend of Indian-English poet-aspirants writing a great deal of ‘ephemeral’ poetry which looks beautiful but when you read it aloud kills the poem (and sometimes the reader too) because of its sheer absurdity.
Let me quote a few verses randomly:
“I won’t do what you did, though/Enough for me to fade away, Vincent /like a mist on a morning that gets hotter”(How to Make Myself Vanish)
"Anna" startles because you don’t expect to hear such an honest thought said aloud and for once feel glad that you have no company.

"Between all the usual, worn out phrases/ The writing remains, fragile and tenuous
You give not knowing what you gave/ and take not knowing what you took/ till you are no more/
and something remains if it is meant to/or does not."(from Images Disjunct (2))
One can take such verses and apply them to wherever one is, with regard to writing or to life and they hold good. Many of the poems demonstrate a willingness on the part of the poet to experiment with form, topic, style, and to share emotions and thoughts without reservation thus putting them in a class of their own with their own brand of striking imagery

"The crow picks up the beads of its red eyes/ Its red maw caws once/
The child shudders/and closes her eyes/She vanishes in a puffy haze/
without a trace/from the crow’s eyes"
(A Crow Hops on the Tracks)

And there is no dearth of beauty in poems like When Musanda Thickly Covered My Green Stems, Eyes We Dare not Meet in Dreams and many more
The third and the best part of the book (IMO) is a fascinating romp through heavily allusive thought fields. The rhymes and rhythm are thoroughly unconventional but make music even more readily. I am actually a bit appalled to find that even a veiled threat of violence manages to be so thrilling.
"Destroy you and the whole earth. I swear.
Storm petrel. Awakening."
(I Will Not Leave Anything Unrazed, My Love)
Aria and Africa are some of the other treats in this collection, unrivaled in their range and gamut of emotions that disturb as much as affirm and cause outrage while they provoke thought.
At the very end of the book is the poem that led to the Pushcart nomination, now retitled as ‘Shayer’ and at ‘Shatarupa’ when I left the book, I realized that there is a deep pleasure in getting access to a vast field that exists in a poet’s eye—and it has been such a joy to loiter there and be totally inspired. Great poetry…sigh!
-Reena Prasad.

[Smitha Vishwanath · Rating 5 out of 5]

Allusions to Simplicity' has poems for poets. There is a mix of poems, some simple, others complex, some direct and others that must be read between the lines. But, I found one thing common for all poems; they are all deep and thought-provoking. There are poems that I enjoyed very much because it is the kind of poems that I write and those that I appreciated as a literature enthusiast because they are unique in their style.

In the preface, AV Koshy says, 'The poems were written at a time when the world was already becoming disturbed. The disturbance can be seen in them, as well as the reactions and the escapism. They are in free verse and heavily allusive to literature and the classics, hence the title.' This preface sets the tone of the book and must be kept in mind while reading the poems.

The book is divided into three sections with a total of 67 poems, some as short as four lines and some two pages long. But it is not the length of the poem that matters if it stirs the heart, shocks one's sensibility and makes one question or ponder.

In section 1, I liked the simplicity of some of the poems,

'why are you sad, one asked to the other
if the one you love leaves you
won't you too be sad?asked the other
I am always sad, said the first
I am always the one left behind
in love'
From the poem, 'Conversation'

n the second section, 'Poems from two phases', I enjoyed 'Graffiti Love', ' The Girl in the Moon', 'I drift away', 'Weather Vanes', 'I set sail', 'Suddenly One Day just like that...', 'Your hair catching fire in the setting sun'.

'your hair catching fire in the setting sun
the breeze blowing through the gap between
your hand on your hip and your torso, full
your black silhouette.

In a collection of poems, there will be some poems that will resonate with the reader, and there will be some that will not. I felt the same about this book, and it is not because the poems that did not resonate with me are not good. It is just that they were not the kind of poetry I read or write. It says of my ability and not that of the writer. This book is for those who are serious about poetry and who like appreciating and analyzing it.