Sunday, April 7, 2002		Books

Emotions, expressed freely
M.L. Sharma

Thorny Petals
by G.C. Mago. Writers’ Group, Jalandhar. Pages 72. Rs 100

THIS is Mago’s latest collection of poems written on a variety of subjects ranging from anger, love and woman to God and earth, the soul and religious damsel. The book covers 70 poems written almost in blank verse though not lacking in musical flow.

His style is an admixture of Romantic poets’ diction and of modern poets like T. S. Eliot, Auden and Stephen Spender. He is mostly psycho analytic and his hallmark is psychological study. He puts his experiences in verse form that are delightful to read and inspiring. At times he is bohemian, as in the poem, The Teenage.

In Spiritual Discourse he becomes sarcastic and takes an indifferent view of spiritual guides and modern gurus.

One of the finest poems in the anthology is Woman. Herein he uses his psycho analytical mind to go deeper into the pathos and feelings of women. Using a striking simile he muses:

Thou sob and smile/Like an instant coffee/ To a grimmer or lighter mood/ And murmur to intrigue.

Then he draws attention to the gossiping nature of the fair sex and goes on to describe in a stream-like flow other facets of her personality: You woo and hate/ Like a hopping sparrow/ To make man sure/ Of love that is not/ Thou deck to fill an inherent want/ Like an actress before the camera/ To attract each passing gaze/ A romantic blush on praise/ Thou hunger for applause/ Like a cunning politician/ To remain in feminine stream/ Hollow but necessary for survival.

The imagery of a retail counter on Dewali (sic) does not seem to fit in well and is not a good expression when he says : Thou glitter with gold like a retail counter on Dewali. The poem Wordly Attractions is also quite interesting but does not take us to higher realms of muse.

Complain to a Beloved is in the vein of Urdu ghazals, complaining against her fascination for a rival and leaving the lover in lurch, pining for her in "mournful ditties". Female Dancer is throbbing with emotions and thrilling like the measures of a dander’s feet. It is one of the most charming pieces. This nicely printed anthology of 70 poems is quite absorbing and delectable to read. Like Anita Duhan’s book, Act of Living, this collection is also bohemian and uses extra- bold sensual expressions. Mago is author of Anger – How to Transcend It, is an educationist of repute and known well to the TV viewers for the quiz programme Bees Sawaal.