New Delhi Love Songs: Poems

by Michael Creighton

A sensational debut collection of poems by a fresh new voice ‘In these whimsical, deeply affectionate poems, New Delhi is both context and protagonist, alive in its dust, smog and everydayness, in the vibrant colour of the first lychees of the season, in the mysteries that lie between “city and sprawl”. The city finds an ardent archivist in Michael Creighton—one who stoutly keeps the faith that “warm rains” will always “come to clear the dust”. Suffused by rare tenderness, these poems return through the welter of streets and residences to an address that remains at the abiding centre of this book—the place that the poet terms “the place I imagine my heart to be”.’—Arundhathi Subramaniam ‘New Delhi Love Songs is a collection abounding with shakarkandiwalas, jasmine-sellers, FM radios and cyclists, the Ghaziabad flower market and Moolchand flyover; the Delhi all around us, the Delhi of “your flesh, your seeds, / your skin”, of “sweat and soil / mixed with clover, sun and wind”. Unusual, deeply affecting in their attentiveness to life that seldom makes headlines, these poems reinforce the skeins of humanity that sustain us. They are tender and droll—two qualities we desperately need, in the capital but also elsewhere—yet steadfast in their eschewal of easy sentimentality and facile observations. New Delhi Love Songs makes the heart ache; but also sing, from time to time, for this is where “even a dead river looks lovely”.’ —Karthika Nair

Genres: Poetry

115 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 10, 2017

Reviews

[Soumitro Roy]

Songs of the city street, longing and love: New Delhi Love Songs

 [Year 2017. After an hour of discussion on poetry the Englishman from Portland, in his friendly voice, asked if we had any questions for him. I gathered courage and asked: “Sir, what is that one thing you would suggest young poets to follow so that their writing becomes better?”. He replied: “Just look around.”

So simple. Just-look-around.

At the end of the session when he was preparing his bag to leave he put down a bundle of little booklets(made of a single paper folded)out on the table. The name caught my eye. It said ‘cashless’. I saw poems in them. So I asked him and took one. I read the tiny booklet in a go and was blinded by the style and simplicity of the poems. The first poem was “ New Delhi Love Song” and the poem was an ‘English Ghazal’. (Yes, an English Ghazal! And I have never read an English Ghazal anywhere by that time) all the 8/9 poems in that booklet was so fresh and all I wanted to ask that man now was if he had any book of poems published. Because by then I was addicted to his poems and wanted a collection of his poems in my hand. But later he said that he still don’t have any book.]

And one year later this book comes out!

(This book needs to be discussed cover to cover!)
From the cover art (leaves of dry grass with blue sky in the background ) to the beautiful fonts to the contents inside everything makes this book a piece of art.
Reading the poems and turning through the pages I felt as if I was handling a photograph album that belonged to Creighton yet I could relate it to be mine. The poems were photographs of what the poet had seen or lived in the streets of New Delhi and other places and has clicked them and saved them in his album. Filled with fresh handmade metaphors the poems are personal, yet, they carry smell of universality in them. Every poem is a moment and throughout this book the lines of the poet echoes:

Some moments are fulcrums
on which a whole world swings:

The book starts with “ New Delhi Love Song” and ends with “ Garhwal Ghazal” creating a loop as both are a ghazal in English.

Another theme that echoes through the poems is the sense of longing. be it the longing of the poet for his love, parents or kids or be it the longing of the shakarkandiwaalas, ice-cream sellers or truckers far away from their home thinking of their family or their love. The poet writes his poem to a lot of ‘you’s. Sometimes the ‘you’s are his wife, kids, his most loved cycle mechanic in Portland, or his students in India, or unknown people he met on the road or during his visits to a certain place.

There is also a subtlety of observation in his poems that tells us that our little act can cause a change in the face of something great. In the poem stones he advises his son:

Choose your stones carefully,
my son. We are changing
the face of something great.

It rarely happens that you love and connect yourself to all the poems in a poetry book. Creighton debut work is one such rare thing.
However the two poems that stood apart in this collection for me are “Stopped” and “Brother”

In the end I would steal some lines from the poets work and say that:
The poet saw something is happening. He stepped back, looked and listened.

[James]

This book is sweet, almost innocent, and I mean that in the kindest possible way. Soft, lovely poems. New Delhi Love Songs lives up to its title. Each poem is a love song to New Delhi even with dust and sewage, grit and poverty. The author has been living in India about fifteen years and clearly has tucked himself into the nestle of the culture and found it to be home.

Creighton has no harsh words for anyone. This is a book of love and he has many loves: wife, children, New Delhi, sunsets through the dust, his bicycle mechanic. A quiet book that only wishes to offer you peace. Accept his offering.

The author seems fond of ghazals which, after all, has been one of the most popular poetic forms in India for hundreds of years. I don't care much for that poetic form but if you do then you'll like this volume even more than I do.

[Paridhi]

"It’s hard to be original with Delhi, agreed. New Delhi Love Songs, however, makes your heart ache — about a city that still clings to its mythology, people who still survive on daydreams, and seasons that arrive, depart, and leave with them the promise of more to come. It’s hard to have faith, as the future becomes more mysterious and uncertain by the moment, but as Michael believes, warm rains will always come to clear the dust."

I wrote a review of New Delhi Love Songs on Medium, it's a book that deserves all your attention and love - here's something about how much I loved it.

https://paridhip.medium.com/new-delhi...

[Soumya]

New Delhi Love Songs is a collection of brief, nostalgic, and poignant poems. As someone from the city itself I genuinely enjoyed every single one.
While I'm writing this review, Delhi along with the rest of the country is facing one of its biggest health disasters. Reading this was in many ways an attempt to hold onto what I know of this city, it's people, and it's eccentricities. It's safe to say this book gave me hope.
Definitely recommend it if you're looking to be introduced to Delhi or even for a trip down memory lane.

[Aakanksha]

Yawn. Gives Typical-White-Man-Writing-About-Delhi.