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Eugene Hyon

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Quaking Cantos

by Yuyutsu Sharma (Goodreads Author)

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read in August 2016

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Eugene Hyon said: " The Earthquake Poems and the Spiritual Message of The Teacher/Poet

Having been in Nepal once in the early 1990s on an expedition to the base camp near Annapurna in the Himalayas, I can relate to this unique country and its equally unique harmonious bl The Earthquake Poems and the Spiritual Message of The Teacher/Poet

Having been in Nepal once in the early 1990s on an expedition to the base camp near Annapurna in the Himalayas, I can relate to this unique country and its equally unique harmonious blend of ethnic and religious people. At that time, and I didn't know it, I had entered Nepal during the eve of a civil war between the Maoist rebels and government forces. It was tense to say the least.

The Nepalese people have a long history of putting up with wars, invasions, government corruption and ineptitude, crushing poverty and starvation, and last but not least, catastrophic natural disasters, with hand-to-mouth daily existence occurring in spite of everything else.

The poet/teacher, Yuyutsu Sharma, gives us his poetic, first-hand, and deeply emotional reportage of what happened in his hometown of Kathmandu, Nepal after that country's most recent devastation from an earthquake. This catastrophe wreaked havoc on a people and its cultural heritage the likes of which had not been experienced in a long, long time; they're still recovering, slowly but surely to the present. Through the author's words are the unmistakable cries and sobs for the loss of friends and family, and the destruction of many familiar religious and cultural sites that are integral to his personal experience. As Sharma moves painfully through his recollections, he manages to summon the resolve to provide meticulous detail of Kathmandu and its surroundings after the earthquake.

His poetry is journalistic and epic in scope, from the most minute memories to the sweeping visual landscapes of the city to the country of Nepal itself. What makes Sharma's poetry so compelling is that his strength of character as a human being and his skill as a writer and teacher has been largely shaped by the trials and tribulations of living in a country like Nepal where life itself is a precarious proposition. If the country of Nepal had a nickname, it would be "Adversity." Nepal and its people know what adversity is and they know what it is to appreciate life, and Yuyutsu Sharma understands that.

At the core of his poetry is a high degree of spirituality, never taking one's own life for granted, being as productive as one can be, and being grateful for what one has. These are worthwhile values for people around the world. ...more "

Aug 12, 2016 05:27PM · see review