Nabina Das in Kritya

I agree with Nabina Das that writing about poetry is difficult. I also think it's a great challenge. As one ages, one's understanding of the possibilities poetry offers grows. What one says about poetry can reveal more about oneself than it does about poetry - depending on who one's reader is. Ms. Das has done some nice work in writing about poetry in her essay 'Poetry as Observation: from Notes to Lyrical Creations' (Kritya poetry journal). Here is an excerpt:

It is tough writing about poetry. Our understanding about poetry is diverse and always evolving. From ancient theories of Bhartrihari's "Sabdatattva" to Derrida's "differance" in spoken and inscribed language, poetry has shown possibilities that we are still exploring. As our observations about the world around us gets stratified, condensed and co-opted, our poetry grows like vines over old or new structures, whether as part of our conscious landscaping or willful neglect.

What can we do in the name of poetry? Very simple things, almost un-esoteric and rather commonplace until it turns into a rhythm guiding us deeper inside our own selves and making us see the external world as a magnanimous companion to our variegated existence. Here's a list I once made about what we could or I could do in the name of poetry:

She goes on and comments on poetry written by Rabindranath Tagore and Kay Ryan. Read the full article.

Nabina blogs at The River Underground.