New Book Alert: Rising Petals by Ashwini Rath; Beautiful Lyrical Poems of Conflict and Emotion

New Book Alert: Rising Petals by Ashwini Rath; Beautiful Lyrical Poems of Conflict and Emotion




By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews


Ashwini Rath's poems in his book, Rising Petals are brief but they are beautiful. Like the petals of the title, they are small pieces that one by one peel off to reveal their lyrical sensory imagery to form one whole beautiful object of deep emotion and social conscience.



In his introduction, Rath explains that his poems are meant to put his Readers into a stronger level of emotion, interconnectivity, and thought and he does it well. "Rising Petals is an anthology of poems that reflect the anxiety of anybody yearning for the next stage of evolution as an individual and a society without disruption or bloodshed," Rath wrote.



The poem, "Blink" captures those all too brief ephemeral moments. The Speaker muses "Bang! In a blink-/The song of thrills/Echoes once more/And resonates/With each last song and forever."


Rath's writing finds comfort in the simplest things that help give comfort and rejuvenation during uncertainty and tiredness. The poem, "Coffee" finds meaning in a simple cup of coffee. It says "Collapsed at desk/In a big open hall/Among many dead people-/With animated limbs/Busy in boring acts/Away from life,/Waiting with glee/For a sip of coffee."


The poems create lovely sensory word pictures as in "Evening." Rath uses sight, sound, and thought to capture a peaceful evening. "As shy cats meow/And macho dogs bark/The sunlight fades/And the world turns dark/It's an evening/When life gladly rumbles/And stares back.


In his poem, "Mirage," Rath expertly uses the word mirage as an extended metaphor of the illusions of freedom and life. "Turning back/When I glance/At a long path covered/Plenty of time spent,/Many following behind-/Thirst to quench/To seed a life/Of truth and light/In myself, in others/Beyond this illusion."


Many of the poems suggest for a world in which people look inward for peace, awareness, and kindness towards others. The poem "Query" is such an example. "May we live/Through gloom and darkness/With our resolve/Ignite grit within/And be led by reason."


Rising Petals is a masterful work of emotion and beauty in a troubled world. Surely, Rath did as he suggested in his final poem, "Epilogue": "Fuel (his) hope/As (he) stands alone/To stand, struggle, and hum."