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Bored? Try poetry
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Poetry can be a wonderful way to de-stress and attain instant nirvana, writes Srividya krishnamoorthy
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INSTANT GRATIFICATION: That's verse for you. Photo: K. ANANTHAN.
Ink runs from the corners of my mouth.
There is no happiness like mine.
I have been eating poetry.
Mark Strand, "Eating Poetry", Reasons for Moving, 1968
Depending on which side of the fence you stand, this quote may either disgust you or delight you. Poetry does that to people; there can be no middle path with it.
In this world of instant gratification, nothing gratifies as instantly as poetry. You might have to read an entire book or sit through an entire movie to be moved by it. But with poetry, all it takes is a few lines. You can laugh, cry, turn thoughtful or simply look at something in a completely new angle.
Mahadevan, a school principal, describes poetry as "a piece of emotion". Among his favourite poems are William Wordsworth's The Solitary Reaper and T.S Eliot's Four Quartets.
Seetha, a teacher, says poetry is the expression of your innermost feelings. Her sister, Shantha Ramaswami, also a teacher, has a more catholic view of poetry. "Poetry in any language can be an uplifting experience," she says, and quotes from Malayalam literature. Poetry often makes such an impression that it lingers in the mind to resurface years, even decades, later, bringing with it the same magic as the first time. SK Gowri, managing director, Learning Initiatives, loves Robert Frost's Stopping by the woods one Snowy Evening. In this she is not alone. Krishna, a businessman, confesses the indelible impression the last few lines (The woods are lovely, dark and deep, but I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep... ) have made on him. Like it did decades ago on statesman Jawaharlal Nehru.
"Uncertainty is the constant companion of a businessman and these lines always instil confidence in me and tell me not to quit," he says.
Gratification from poetry comes not only in the reading aloud but also in the writing about. Adults use poetry as a vehicle for expressing their innermost thoughts when being politically correct is the done thing. "Poetry is catharsis, a venting of anger, frustration, hurt and helplessness," says Sangamitra, a trainer.
The beauty of poetry lies in its ability to inspire. "What better example than the Thirukkural?" asks K Ramkrishnan, Chartered Accountant. For his wife Parvathi, poetry is beautiful and moving.
Ask Chitra Balajee about her favourite poem and she says without hesitation, Tranquillity.
You scramble through your woefully inadequate knowledge of poetry to make a connection and are about to give up when Chitra steps in with a quiet smile and says that it is one of her own creations.
For management consultant Shaan, poetry is best typified in Edward Lear's The Owl and the Pussycat and the works of Ogden Nash and Nissim Ezekiel.
Her husband, Dennis, readily admits to not understanding poetry.
Remembering fondly the rhymes he learnt in school as his only exposure to the form, he firmly believes that his wife is the most beautiful poem he knows!
The bottom line is that no matter what the length or language, poetry moves people. And therein lies its triumph.
All-time favourites
Daffodils
The Solitary Reaper
The Village School Master
The Buried Life
Stopping by the woods one snowy
evening
Poetry of Dylan Thomas and Vikram Seth
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