Routes by Rhiya Pau
ISBN 9781913665715
published by Arachne Press/Books Go Social
A lovely collection of poems inspired by bother inner and outer journeys. Listening to the stories of her elders, who immigrated to the UK from South Asia and found ways to keep their identities while learning to fit into their new culture, the poet was inspired to consider their lives and her own as she travels herself to find her own way of being in the cultures of her grandparents.
In the preface she states, 'Conversations with our elders suggests that they...have compartmentalized fragments of their identities in order to survive. For me, writings Routes has been a process of holding these fragments up to the light, laying them down on a page and acknowledging the overlapping narratives and the silent spaces in between.'
I like the play on words in the title--Routes (as I pronounce it) could just as easily be Roots.
These poems are very accessible and brought me along with the poet as she explored these themes of belonging, cultural unfamiliarity, and self-discovery.
6 comments:
It's been quite a while since I read a book of poems.
Yes, reading your post I too was thinking roots and routes!
All the best Jan
A friend visited yesterday and brought a few of his late wife's school books for me to look at. He thought I might like to see what kind of textbooks they were using in Ireland around 1950. He was right. One is a book of poems. I will read that one--handling with care, of course. They are a little fragile.
It's a good play on words--root/route--at least for people who pronounce them the same! :-)
That sounds like a fascinating bit of poetry. I agree- Routes and Roots both apply to this piece of work. Hugs- Diana
I like accessible. Poetry often falls flat for me but I have the desire.
Diana--in addition to being an enjoyable read, it did make me think, which is always good!
Linda--I know what you mean. I get a few poem-a-day kinds of emails and sometimes I just wonder what is going on. I remember years ago, my grad school office mate was frustrated because she was taking a poetry class to meet a requirement. She came back from a class grumbling because they'd been analyzing a poem that was basically a (grocery) shopping list. She was thinking, 'It's a shopping list. Milk, eggs...' All around her people were talking about what it meant, the symbolism, what the poet was saying and all of that. Personally I do better with more straightforward work. I think it's just how I'm wired.
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