Book review | An Ode I Owed by Jishnu Venugopal

 

Author: Jishnu Venugopal

Genre: Poetry

No. of pages: 95

Published by: StoryMirror 

Published on: 14th July 2021

Format: Paperback

My rating: ★★★★☆

"An Ode, I Owed" is a collection of poems that revolves around society, trauma, people, mental health, home, hope, strength, romance, courage, gratitude, you and me, all told with a tincture of crude satire.

some stories, some outcries,

some melodies and some dramas

purposefully textured with some obscurity

blended with oxymorons and tautologies

we are so many, yet at times we're so lonely

we're all the same, yet we're all so different

our thoughts are not confined

our dreams are ours to define

some things said, leaving the rest for you to comment

i welcome you to a series of experiences

the lines, the rhymes

a mixture, I would love for you to give a try

With an amalgamation of various topics and concepts, Jishnu Venugopal's brings a feel-good and bittersweet poetry book. He explores love, nature, relationships, mental health, and many other things.

Divided into 6 parts— the poems categorized under each part complements certain emotions. Like the first part is dedicated to the matters of heart and soul, dedications poured to a lover or be it the Irish Whisky. The second part is dedicated to the poet's questions for himself. But my favourite of them all is the part where the poet straight up gives you poems about nightmares and unconventional tragedies.

Some of these poems come with a twist. So you will be smiling to yourself after the twisty realization. The poem "Figuratively - Pluck Yew" criticizes everything that is wrong with the society, the poem "What a pity" talks about domestic abuse, while the poem "Persistent Procrastination" is a comedic take on procrastination and us pushing work for the next day.

Some of these poems are the author's musings, some are beautified and heartfelt dedications, some tell you a story, meanwhile others go deep and dark. In just 90 something pages, the poet covers a myriad of themes. Reading this poetry collection was like a roller-coaster ride. It was fresh and interspersed with the poet's doodles which made me muse about the poems and the doodles.

I received a copy of the book in exchange of an honest and unbiased review.