prison window

the softness of the wings

of a butterfly

Haiku Foundation Workplace: Theme Looking out the office window, 27.9.2017 (Ed. Jim Kacian)

https://www.thehaikufoundation.org/2017/09/27/haiku-in-the-workplace-looking-out-the-office-window/

Review of the book, "Ripples of Resonance" by Pravat Kumar Padhy, Authors Press, 2017

Resonating Ripples of Poetry by Pankajam K Ripples of Resonance by Pravat Kumar Padhy Authorspress, New Delhi ISBN 9789352075478, Pp 100 / Rs.250, $ 12 The book ‘Ripples of  Resonance’ is the fourth collection of poems by P K Padhy, a petroleum geoscientist by profession. This book contains 77 poems, mostly short poems in unrhymed free verse form. Thorough observation of happenings and people around, a poetic mind that finds stuff in mundane subjects, unique expressions and originality seem to be trade-mark of the poet. ‘A Lost Human’ is a poem on the evolution of the earth and is didactic in nature, no wonder the poet being a geologist by profession. Morally the less intelligent divides man Into blindfold cracks. Lust imprisons The hope of tranquil stars Behind abhorrence of the dark clouds. Perhaps his mental calamity Awaits to swallow himself. (p.14) ‘Old Age’ is a look back at times bygone and the speaker of the poem reminisces about his/her footprints of strength which are stored as memories. Under the dusty sandstorm Time struggles To sink me behind the twilight sun. (p.15) In ‘Denouncing Death’, with suffering, pain and grief when the inevitable or the predictable end converges to the darkness of death and at this the humans’ struggle to surpass it is the subject dealt with . The grief reads the alphabets of past As time awaits to snatch away the living image Denying the wind of hope in the battle. ……. Within the immovable wall of silence, Death tries to extinguish the flame of light.(p.16) ‘Slaughter House’ is a multi-layered poem where the readers can read between the lines and interpret their thoughts to events or occasions according to their own understanding or analysis. To what length the wisdom of sacrifice Drains the blood so pure. I wonder if it ever could lit Candle of softness To conquer the darkness Of the graveyard Overriding the vicious void. (p.19) ‘The Social Artifact’ is a poem which shows the pathetic picture of poverty and neglect in no soft words. It is hard to miss the poet’s eye for the sufferings of the poor and the influence of money in all and everywhere. The body, lying in the slum, Breathes his last agony. The Himalayan silence sleeps In this noisy social crowd As money manuscripts The Mantra to thrive. (p.21) Life-II is a poem that depicts the wretched state of a woman in peril, who surrenders to the vulnerability without any option, which puts the readers’ senses to grieve. The devilish face plants Loud mischievous smiles. In the Dooms-Street Her womb sprouts another life. (p.22) In poem titled ‘Economic Disparity’, the subject matter as the title indicates is economic disparity itself. As we all know we live in a country where there is huge difference between the haves and have-nots, who live side-by-side. The poet subtly puts it like this: . The rich sings the songs of flow, The poor carries the muddy Pebbles of cries. (p.26) Poem ‘Broken Bangles’ , I quote in full here The poet equates broken bangles to the lost dreams of the lady in the poem.. This is a poignant poem which quietly transmits the protagonist’s state of mind to the readers. She stands like a wall Veiling silence in her face. In loneliness Her voice dries out Under the mid-day grief. The branch is severed, Roots tortured, Hopes in the growing plant shed Unseasoned tears of falling leaves. In white shades, she gathers Her broken bangles: The lost dreams of her memories. (p.28) The over-indulgent money making attitude of modern day people put all the relationships at stake. One cannot miss the mockery in the poem titled ‘For a Better Living’. I wonder If there is any substitute Of the modern money For a better living. (p.33) ‘A Way of Searching’ is about rampant corruption everywhere. The poet states that the authorities ignore or just forget to examine the roots, instead they just cut-off the leaves and fruits, which is inept to eradicate the origin. Seeds of corruption Grow into elephantine trees. We examine the thorny fruits, Test the tawny leaves Under tight security. With intense care We dissect the reasons But forget expertly Where exactly the root sleeps. (p.35) Even though some subjects are written endlessly, they don’t lose prominence nor become superfluous. One such subject is feminine woes, especially that of widows. ‘The Widow’ here is a sad poem where the poet explores the mind of a widow. How much deep the tear drops Only the void of separation Can measure. The loneliness she inhales Only absence can sense. (p.45) ‘Integrity Lost’ reflects the universal truth when the poet says: Beauty lies in one’s inner mirror Reflecting the original So much pristine and pure. (p.46) ‘We Divide’ is a powerful poem on fragmentation of the society based on skin colour and the poet says that it is better to be born as an animal rather than human. (p.53) In poem titled ‘Life Circus’ we see the enigma of a labourer who detaches himself from his erstwhile dogma in search of a new ray of light dawning the realization that he is alienated from the economic structure, which prompts one to think of the nucleus realities hidden from the phony layers of illusion. The poem ends on a positive note: His life circus slides A new screen For him On the stage of his LIBERATION JOURNEY. (p.62) ‘The Living Lines’ is a poem most of the writers, especially poets, can relate to as they converse with themselves most of the times. The conceived subjects/themes run at the back of their minds till they mature enough to be converted into black and white. To myself I converse often And thus Carefully translate my feeling Into some stretched lines That incessantly struggle to live. (p.71) ‘Idleness’ is a short poem giving a piece of advice to keep us brisk, so that we stay young and energetic forever. Quite often I feel I am lonely inside. As long as I am busy Even for a while, Curiously I tighten the time Or else When blankness wraps around, I fear Time surprisingly Ageing me away. (p.72) In poem titled ‘If I Were An Ugly Girl’, the poet tries to redefine ‘beauty’ and asks: ‘Won’t moon look more beautiful ornamented with black spots on its face?’ This poem in first person is a fine piece of writing. I would never mind for it As beauty comes from within, Nectar secretes not from outside But from the unseen inner inn. …….. I would make a mirror of myself And watch until I make my Quavering inner self mingles with it. And he goes to conclude the poem with: “Dust is the vision of dawn Odd is the beginning of even Imperfection is the part of perfection And vacuum is the venue of accumulation” (p.77) In poem ‘Contrast World’, the poet tries to show two different worlds, one of poverty and the other of affluence side-by-side and concludes the poem with the following lines: Money is for wine and life, To enjoy beyond its meaning. For them the sinking life of poverty Is an unknown metaphor of the script. (p.91) In poem ‘The Heart Speaks’, we see an old mother grieving over her only son’s death who laid his life in war, glorifying the sacrifice of our Jawans. The inscriptions Submerged with tears As the old mother Gently caresses Over the tomb nourishing The wounds of war Of her lonely son. (p.95) Space Deficiency, The Burial Ground, Daily Labourer, An Orphan, Street Sweeper are all poems on mundane subjects reflecting the social concern of the poet and his empathy for the down-trodden and the marginalized. Investing in a book of poems like this will not be without gain to the lovers of poetry and I wish Mr. Padhy a worthy poetic journey ahead.
17-Sep-2017

http://www.boloji.com/index.cfm?md=Content&sd=Articles&ArticleID=49924

An Oasis

I revisited my old diary and the letters kept at a remote corner of my home. My swollen eyes glanced through and I felt myself swept in reverse flow of time. The youthfulness, the sweet remembrance and the articulated writings relentlessly murmured in my ears. The fragrance of memories glided me to a different garden……. for a moment I felt the wilted flowers blossomed afresh again.

A sudden cold wind gushed inside and I carefully folded my memories, but the breeze hardly I could seize.

flapping wings

through the sunlit day--

sudden darkness

Scryptic,  Issue 1.2 September 2017 (Eds: Stephen Chase Gagnon and Lori A Minor)

http://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/396b91_67cf53eca1214166a314de87ffbfdd9d.pdf

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Atlas Poetica, Issue 29, 2017

The Garden of Blooming Flowers: My Experience of Tanka Writing

Pravat Kumar Padhy

Human values embedded within the framework of natural beauty influence my poetry writings. At an early age I wrote both longer and shorter versions of free verses. Some of my poems are characterized by aspects related to social issues. I am more comfortable in writing shorter version of poems. This has given an additional avenue for writing tanka. The article, ‘The New Short Lyric Poem’ by Denis M. Garrison inspired me a lot.

I wish to do experimentation by assimilating the essence of scientific fragrance into the petals of poetry. Recently I have coined an idea of “Astro-Poetry” assimilating the essence of scientific entities in literature. In one of my poems titled “The Other Being”, I wrote in Poetbay in 2010:

At times I wonder

Perhaps we are the

Living images

Of distance cosmic rays

At an imaginative focal length.

I write shorter version of poem with philosophical touch. Initially I was not knowing these poems are close to Tanka. Later I read some of the classical articles on Japanese poems by Jane Reichhold. Indeed the age old literary cadence manifests excellence of humanism and emotional behaviour. ‘Tanka’ means ‘small song’, and originated in 7^th century AD in Japan, when it was known as waka. Originally tanka was known as uta (song in Chinese). The waka has been written on seasonal subjects (kidai). Waka literature, popular during 7^th century AD, represents the classical Japanese aesthetics of Man’yoshū, Kokinwakashu, and Shinkokinwakashu eras. The earliest rich collection, Man’yoshū (Collection of Myriad Leaves), consists of 4496 poems out of which 4173 are waka poems. The schemata or mora patterns follows 5-7-5-7-7 (known as ‘sanjuichi’). Original structure was in 5-7, 5-7, 7 and subsequently became 5-7, 5-7-7 during the Man’yo period.

The pre-existing format 5-7-7 was known as katauta. This format was preceded by a number of 5-7 couplets composing the long poem known as choka. Later waka was widely known as tanka, a five-lined short song (post Meiji period), named by Masaoka Shiki in 19^th century. The Japanese poet, Jun Fujita, adopted tanka into English in 1923 (Tanka: Poems in Exile).The tanka is divided into two strophes. The first three lines of tanka is known as kami-no-ku and the last two lines is known as shimo-no-ku. Sometimes there is rare composition of three strophes. The pivot line or swing line (zeugma) is the main organ  that distinguishes  tanka   from the five-lined free verse. Tanka contains two parts, the inner and the outer scene, in terms of rhythm structures and each of about one breath length. The break or swing line formats the tanka in 2/3, 3/2, 1/4, or 4/1, simple sentence with each line having concrete image as suggested by Kala Ramesh. Generally line 3 serves as pivot line and swings away the art of expression from the three lines above from the  prominent lines below  imparting an expression of poignancy to poetry. This pivot (kakekatoba) links one way with the lines before it and equally links and reads with the lines after it.

In contrast to haiku, tanka embodies subjective judgment rich in lyrical intensity, musicality and with emotional emancipation. Tanka does not necessarily deal exclusively with nature. It embodies wide thematic values of human expression: pathos, anguish, emotion, romanticism and other reflection with poetic elegance and musicality. Poetic essence (honi) or exhibition of personification or anthropomorphism, use of metaphor, similes, metrical exhibition, etc, are highly embedded in tanka writing. It is associated with imaginative blending of alliteration and assonance.

There has been many subgenre of tanka like kyoka, gogyohka, gogyoshi, zuihitsu, etc. Tanka sequence and tanka string with the expression of poetically connected theme have been dealt with in detail by M. Kei. Different techniques  of tanka writings  have been illustrated by Jane Reichhold (Teika’s Ten Tanka Techniques,’ (2010).

Japanese poetry is syllabic by nature and is not metrical or rhymed in style. The equivalent syllables would be more in English. The Japanese long poem  choka, is structured 5-7-5-7-5-7-5-7-5 . . . 7-7 onji in line length and may even exceed 100 lines. Onji refers to counting of phonetic sounds. The katauta is known as the basic unit of Japanese poetry. In the choka, the 5-7-5 or 5-7-7 (17 – 19) onji pattern is widely seen. In early days the preference for ending Japanese poetry was with the 5-7-7 onji pattern. The 5-7-5 onji ending has become more prevalent as of now.

Tanka is constructed by 5 lines or units or phrases each odd in number of onji, and ending in the traditional 7-7 onji pattern. Makoto Ueda gave details on the reform and modernized review of tanka elaborately in his book Modern Japanese tanka. Of late we adopted tanka in five lines (s/l/s/l/l) without stressing the syllable count.

Tanka genre has a wide scope of poetic expression on broad spectrum, as described by Jane Reichhold, based on  mystical expression and loneliness (yugen tei), gentle expression (koto shikarubeki), exotic beauty and elegance (urawashiki tei),  human feeling, love, grief (ushin tei),  grandeur  (taketakaki tei), visual description (miru tei), witty  with conventional subject (omoshiroki tei) having complex imageries. Sometimes the subject matters may be described with unusual poetic concept (hitofushi aru tei) or narrating  in precise details with complex imageries (komayaka naru tei). Some tanka, in contrast to elegance or balanced narration, exhibit strong diction in style of expression. This is classified as demon-quelling (onihishigi tei or kiratsu no tei).

The Wind Five Folded School of Tanka by Jane Reichhold, scholarly essays published in Atlas Poetica, Tanka Online; The classical tanka archived in ‘Aha Poetry’ site, Tanka Teachers Guide, MET Publication, 2007; AtlasPoetica.org,  and others are the storehouse of rich tanka literature.

I derived a lot of poetic inspirations from the enriched essays written by Stanford Goldstein, Jeanne Emrich, Michael McClintock, Kala Ramesh, Beverley George, Michael Dylan Welch, Jane Richhold, Richard MacDonald, Robert W. Wilson, J. Zimmerman, Max Verhart, H. F. Noyes, Karina Klesko, John Daleiden, Carmen Sterba, Larry Kimmel, Elizabeth St. Jacques, Richard Gilbert, Randy Brooks and others. The article ‘Introduction to Tanka’ by Amelia Fielden, ‘Sensing Tanka’ by David Terelinck, scholarly articles by Danis Garrison, and Robert D. Wilson have been very beneficial in understanding the age old classical Japanese genre. Later I got a lot of encouragements  from Marilyn Hazelton, H. Gene Murtha, Kirsty Karkow, Aurora Antonovic, Sonam Chhoki, Susan Constable, Tokido Kizenzen, Robert Epstein, Miriam Wald, Don Miller, Liam Wilkinson, Lorette C. Luzajic, and many others.

I composed three five-line poems and sent them to Anglo-Japanese Society. I was new to the traditional style and syllabification of tanka writing. However, Dr Hisashi Nakamura, President, Anglo-Japanese Tanka Society, UK was quite appreciative of the philosophical underline of the  poems, though it did not strictly follow the s/l/s/l/l schema. I made  minor edits of the poems at a later date. Primarily these tanka reflect mystery and depth (yugen tei).

A few selected compositions, given below, express the mystery with metaphoric overprint blending with unusual complex imageries.

he searches

in the kingdom of darkness

for a ray of light

the sun remains always

in hide for the innocent blind

Indo-Anglo Tanka Society, UK, 2010

at life’s shoreline

the sands of time escape

from many gaps . . .

I collect memories

embedded in sediment

The Notes from the Gean, Vol. 3, No.1,2011

Often I try to follow simple expression on conventional aspects. Tanka unfold the inner beauty with gentle expression (koto shikarubeki). The followings are some examples:

I watch

the black, white and brown

short and tall

all variances and varieties

in the garden of beauty

Magnapoets, Issue 9, January, 2012

warmth

in the winter cold

reminds me

of my mother

lulling me to sleep

Red Lights, June, 2012

in starlit sky

the beggar counts

the coins

just enough

for a Christmas cake

Ribbons, Fall, 2012

I deeply appreciate Kathabela Wilson’s poetic support when I published a tanka-art based on an image sent by my daughter, Smita, from USA with a concept of elegancy in expression (Urawashiki tei).

the poet scripts

her well-lit voyage

ripples of love

the darkness paints

gently on the silken edges

‘Poetry Corner,’ColoradBoulevard.net,May 2016

The followings are some examples based on elegance and poetic essence (honi):

rows of trees

along stretched seashore

remain speechless

perhaps the oceanic vastness

interacting in deep silence

Simply Haiku, Vol. 10 No. 1, Summer, 2012

fragrance of flower

from far off distance

our relationship

I narrate and mail her

through the gentle wind

The Bamboo Hut, Vol. 1, No. 3, 2014

The narration of the above tanka endures graceful and melodious expression with musical note (sonority).

Most of my tanka are primarily focused on emotional expression (ushin tei). I felt privileged on inclusion of the tanka given below in the Special Feature at AtlasPoetica.org, ‘Snipe Rising From A Marsh – Birds in Tanka,’ edited by Rodney Williams, April, 2012.

the sparrow

leaves its message

coming home

the old man still awaits

son’s return from battle

One can stretch the pathos of the old man on receiving the telegram bearing  the sad news.

with telegram

awaits the old man at post office

the grief soaked paper

sends the message to darkness

over the coffee mixed with tears

Simply Haiku, Vol. 8, No. 2, Autumn 2010

the rainbow

slowly disappears

into the sky

the stain of separation

drenches me with tears

A Hundred Gourds,Vol.4, No.4, September 2015

The phrases, son’s return from battle, coffee mixed with tears, the stain of separation, portray  deep solitude. In the tanka, the rainbow,  nature is intertwined with human emotion (jo). Ron Moss, touched by sorrowful manifestation of the poem, portrayed a tanka art.

Tanka with creative interplay of imageries exhibit the style of grandeur expression (taketakaki tei).In such writing, influence of metaphorical components are  often seen. In the following tanka, the phrases like  taste of salt, colour of the wind, gap of the emptiness spell out the splendour and musicality of tanka writings.

wave after wave

on an incessant journey

another sunset

when I long to change the taste

of salt, the colour of the wind

Skylark, Vol.2,No.2, Winter 2014

black and white

paintings on the pot

the transgender

searches the streak of colors

to fill the gap of the emptiness

 ‘Chiaroscuro LGBT Tanka’, Special Feature, AtlasPoetica.org, August 2012

Spontaneity of tanka writing quite often expresses the visual imageries (miru tei).In the following tanka,  the common observation such as penguins in Antarctica, climbing of spider, stillness of mountains create images of moment with poetic essence (honi). 

white-land of Antarctica

a serene gathering of penguins,

the veteran leads the mass

to the curvilinear point

where ice meets the sea

Atlas Poetica, 6, 2010

the spider climbs

up the corner edge

on stepping stones

the handicapped boy

aims towards the starlit sky

Ribbons, Vol. 9 No. 2, Fall, 2013

for million years

the mountains in stillness

her remembrance

spells the perennial presence

within vast space of my rocky silence

Whispers, 10.2.2017

I portray some compositions which are common and witty in expression (omoshiroki tei).

my shadow

lengthens towards light

the cry of owl

reminds me in dream

it is still midnight

Atlas Poetica 18, Summer, 2014

under the shadow

our twisting lasts for long…

tossing the stone

I return in the evening

carrying the half-moon of love

Neon Graffiti, Keibooks, 2016

The above tanka are suffused with humour. The phrases such as the cry of owl and  half-moon of love are replenished with poetic amusements.

Occasionally I have composed tanka with unusual poetic concept (hitofushi aru tei)  to evoke socio-cultural underlines.

we feel proud

being descendant of Neanderthals

on the flow of time

living here, adjacent everywhere

as a part of the long human-ware

Diogen, February, 2012

from a ball of flesh

Queen Gandhari brought forth

her Kaurava clan . . .

science celebrates the birth

of test-tube baby, Louise Brown

 ‘Myths and The Creative Imagination’, Special Feature, AtlasPoetica.org, April 2015

Note: In the Mahabharat, Queen Gandhari sprinkled water over a ball of flesh, which was divided into a hundred and one parts about the size of a thumb. These were then placed in pots with clarified butter and kept at a concealed spot under guard. In due course, a hundred brothers and one sister were born, known as the Kauravas.

the temple steps

lead to the corner end . . .

with Ardhanarishvara

the devotees divinely sense

the softness of the stony carvings

‘Yin, Yang, and beyond’, Special Feature, AtlasPoetica.org, October 2015

Note: The name Ardhanarishvara means “the Lord whose half is a woman.” In Hinduism and Indian mythology many deities are represented as both male and female, manifesting with characteristics of both genders, including Ardhanarishvara, created by the merging of the Lord Shiva and his wife Parvati.

Scientific quest and mythological concepts have been interpreted in the above tanka. Unusual topic and typical word phrasing have been used to spell out poetic expression.

In some of my tanka, I try to narrate in details with complex imageries (komayaka naru tei).

a lone myna

high in the sky

the kite

descends on its weight

holding the silent wind

Cattails, April 2017

my gleaming mother

shares her pleasure

with twin buds

I sense ripples of sound

of the swimming clouds

They Gave Us Life Anthology, 2017

The phrases such as holding the silent wind, swimming clouds are the depiction of art of exquisite imageries.

I have written one or two tanka with dictated strong tone (onihishigi tei or kiratsu no tei). Such type of writings expresses anguish of the socio-political issues.

stormy night

deep darkness tears through

whiteness of woman

silencing everyone else and

letting moon to set in shame

Lynx, Vol. XXVIII, February, 2012

argument

and counter arguments

I pile up like dust

it is all in the street

the wind you can not seize

IRIS International, 2, July, 2016

The phrases like, “letting moon to set in shame”, “the wind you can not seize” are sort of dictated statement.

Poetry creates a fabric of resonance to transmit the human essence into our surroundings and further into the greater space. Japanese art of poetry writing spells the aesthetic values of  nature. It inspires to unfold the spiritual wealth  of nature, even in the dust particle.

The mystic of art and literature delightfully reveals the kaleidoscope of science through colourful flair of human aspiration. It  amalgamates the spiritual romanticism and intellectual cadence in the perennial journey along the corridor of nature’s  blissful beauty. The essence of poetry lies in the fragrance of flower, simplicity of flow of river, gentleness of the trees and calmness of shadow.

Science is the composite reflection and poetry is its genetic soul. Let us put poetry to thrive in time and anti-time, in matter and antimatter. Let poetry remain immortal  enlightening the lamp of humanism and brotherhood.

I wish to conclude by citing my tanka published in Atlas Poetica, 6, 2010.

tomorrow man may

fly to Mars and beyond

I wish all to settle

and flourish as human alone —

no caste, no religion

~ India

Brief-Bio:

Pravat Kumar Padhy, Scientist and Poet, hails from Odisha, India. He holds Masters in Science and Technology and a Ph.D from Indian Institute of Technology, Dhanbad. His literary work cited in Interviews with Indian Writing in English, Spectrum History of Indian Literature in English, Alienation in Contemporary Indian English Poetry, Cultural and Philosophical Reflections in Indian Poetry in English etc. His Japanese short form of poetry appeared in various international journals.

His haiku won Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival Honourable Mention Award, Canada, UNESCO International Year of Water Co-operation, The Kloštar Ivanić International Haiku Contest, Creatrix Haiku Commendation Award, IAFOR Vladimir Devide Haiku Award and others.