Poetry In Bloom

[messenger]

Hello to you all..

So here it is… My interview with our own Arya…! I'm so happy that she finally said ok to it and  grateful to her for her time and labour. Thank you Arya.  I've wanted to volanteer to do this for a while now, I can’t believe the idea didn’t occur to me till I caught myself talking to my sandwitch one afternoon … Anyways... here goes...

Q. I’d like to start with an observation instead of a question, and then get your reaction to it. You seem like a big fan of LOTR….’.
 
‘Big’ is a bit of an understatement…=) I’m obsessed with LOTR and all of Tolkein’s work, even though admittedly I still haven’t read everything. Tolkein’s ability to create a parallel universe, and a good one at that, at one point sustained me and my sanity more than I can express. I literally poured my soul into his world and it’s still lingering there, roaming to and fro from Valinor and Middle earth…=)
 
Q. How do experiences shape your poetry? Are you conscious of that influence as you write?

My poetry is my experience- does that make sense? I always feel that strange pull, the feeling that at the end of a poem I have somehow evolved…it’s a bit odd I must admit but what I experience isn’t always coherent to me-I am unconscious to a lot of things around me, I walk like a zombie but all the while my mind silently sums up situations, and I’m hardly aware of it;  I just get an image or a line in my head and its while I write that I begin to fully understand the situation. As for whether I am conscious of that influence, hmmm… semi-conscious would be the best way to describe it. Like I said, I’m barely conscious half the time!
 
Q. If you could say it in percentages, how much is created and how much is actual experience, when it comes to the content of your poetry?

Oh dear…math has never been my strong point! However, it depends entirely on what the piece is. Much of my writing is imaginative and at times my experience is imagination- what I feel is sometimes better conveyed through my wild imagination but at the same time, what prompts me to write is hardly imaginative. Much of my nature poetry is experience (but my experiences are always a little odd ). While I write I remember junctures of that experience and even though I weave in a bit of mythology here and there I try to stay true to what I remember feeling deep down inside. So I guess it’s a mix of both…=) giving a percentage would give me a hemorrhage (which might contribute to a poem however) so ill just leave it at that. There are certain things which are better left unexplored, especially if you’re not adept at describing it!
 

Q Discuss your favorite poet. How are you similar to/different from him/her?

I have two favorite poets and one of them will be in discussion in the next question so I won’t mention him here…=) but at the moment it’s John Keats. I wouldn’t say my poetry is similar to his, hardly! His poetry has depth while mine is a bit abstract. The thing about Keats is his ability to take you down a sensory journey while at the same time make you think about the variables present in his poetry such as reality and imagination, death and life and so on.  I don’t think I have come there as yet, but if we were to look at something similar…hmmm…it’s a bit vague but the only thing our poetry has in common is perhaps our underlying love for everything natural…=) but it is he who shaped my poetry into what it is now…=)

Q  Was there a particular poem that sparked your interest in poetry? Describe your odyssey in becoming a writer.
 
Rather than poem I would say poet. A local poet who would probably cringe at the mention but yes, Thushara Kulatunga is the reason why I write poetry. This was about two and a half to three years ago, and I used to read his poetry like a little child watching a peacock dance behind a bush! Absolutely enthralled by his ability to coin phrases which resonate in your head till much later…
And then…this one time I was feeling a little too overwhelmed and I just picked up a pen and wrote a poem, something which I was never able to do before. It’s still a bit of a mystery to me how this shaped my entire life and I’m still struggling with the variables of why and how poetry is so sacred to me but it made me who I am right now. Initially it was all about angst, I wrote pieces to reflect my electric temper, pieces which I now feel too embarrassed to read (in fact rather than embrace it, I threw away this huge book full of my old poems. I hope someone burnt it!) and then it just progressed, almost like the flow of the river until I found my element and here is where I dwell at the moment, eternally trying to perfect it and expand it…=)


Q. I notice how your poetry is evolving as I click through Poetry in Bloom back and forth. Your early poetry carry that  protruding self and much later that gets hidden by Symbolism. You have allusiveness in style and an interest in rarefied mental states.‘Wash over me’ and ‘ sting’, ‘Dark Throne/ Insomnia’, ‘Crux’, are focal points where these shifts take place. Your style changes to a capricious cross between Keats and your own ‘Voluminous book of my brain’ What keeps you writing poetry Arya?

I have no idea actually- I’m bound it seems, drawn in by the sanctity of thoughts and words poetry offers. You know, I never really noticed these changes in my poetry until you mentioned it…hmmm but I guess what keeps me writing is the fact that the muse has my soul and constantly nourishes it while I struggle to make myself a better person. Keats is a huge inspiration for me and I find it very flattering to read that there are traces of him in my poetry. Thank you. *bows down*
 
 
Q. Who is your biggest critic (besides yourself)?

That would be my literature teacher, Mrs. Zainab Mubarak. She’s absolutely brilliant and she always knows what would give my writing a proper balance and so she prompts me to explore mediums that haven’t even occurred to me. =) she is without doubt a huge inspiration to me and my muse. =P
 
 
Q  Are there truths in the sound of poetry that are lost when poetry is read silently? Would you like your poetry to be read aloud?
 
Hmmm…that’s a bit of a tricky question. See when I write my poetry I am very much at peace (except when I’m interrupted. That’s when the medusa in me is unleashed!) And there is a subconscious flow in thoughts and words which might be lost if it is read out aloud. The emotion might be translated wrong and it all depends on the tone. But it’s an experience and I wouldn’t mind trying as long as it flows well with what you would feel if you read silently. But on the whole I’m more of a fan or reading a poem silently; this way you can linger on phrases that capture your eyes and digest them.

Q What goal do you seek through your poetry, to discover, to influence, to re-vision history? You’ll probably say all these hats seem really big, but which one do you think will fit you most?
 
Trust me…! Neither! Poetry is a personal and a rather selfish, self-indulgent journey and I don’t aim at any of those goals. To me it’s discovering who I am and understanding the world around me better that matters. And I don’t think I have the element to influence, rewrite and to discover history as such! That’s left to those who wish to be heroes. I wouldn’t mind publishing my work but I would prefer a silent life- that way my muse can grow stronger and louder…
 
Q. Do you feel there is a degree of alienation between people that language is still unable to overcome? Has the World Wide Web changed the way poetry reaches people?
 
The alienation is always present— and at times language and norms are the biggest hindrance to understanding and becoming one with the noble savage in us. There are many things language restricts but at the same time it depends on the person’s ability to manipulate it and it also depends on how the person views it. The alienation could be eliminated if you look at it as a progressive journey and personally, I find language and my inability a huge drawback which I’m constantly trying to overcome through practice.  We have to repeatedly try to work on a way to better convey ourselves and relate it to the relationship we share with everything and anything (including the chair I’m seated on). And memorizing a dictionary won’t help, try understanding it instead. It would do wonders. And that’s something that would help immensely- understanding and simple application without interference from “politics.” Also staying true to yourself would help a great deal.
Oh yes, certainly, the net has helped immensely in spreading poetry- half of what I have read would have been inaccessible to me if not for the internet and it’s the critical comments and encouragement received (most of which is via the net) that add to the poetic drive but this has also this has led to a fall in the sanctity of poetry up to a certain degree. Now its become something commonplace, something that’s written simply for the masses which anyone can do if they know how to mix a few phrases but if it helps you discover who you are I don’t see how that’s a bad thing! 

Q. When writing poetry, prose, essays, and other works do you listen to music, do you have a particular playlist for each genre you work in or does the playlist stay the same? What are the top 5 songs on that playlist? If you don't listen to music while writing, do you have any other routines or habits?

Music to me is what makes my world revolve but writing while listening to music depends on
where I am while writing (for sometimes my muse taps me on the shoulder at the most odd places at the most odd times- I have had instances where I’ve run out of the shower, completely nude and dripping, to grab my notebook and write something down)
 But at the same time, strange to say my music is always with me. There’s always a song playing in my head and if there isn’t the natural elements provide me with my personal orchestra but music is an essential element. I don’t have a particular playlist for I go with the flow – at times it’s how it appeals to me that influences my writing. Sometimes what I’m writing and the appropriate song come hand in hand but of late it’s been Agalloch, Agalloch and more Agalloch! I fall asleep to them and I wake up to them and it’s what I listen to tirelessly almost the whole day (in my head or otherwise). But apart from Agalloch of late I have been digging into a lot of Alcest, Anathema, Wolves in the throne room, Tool, A forest of stars, Dream theater, Kreator, Heaven and Hell, Pain of Salvation and some local talent including Thriloka, Funeral In Heaven, Fallen Grace, Stigmata, Karmic Sulphur, Merlok and the list goes on…!
But it also depends entirely on my mood-- goodness! It seems like I’m subject to a lot of variables…haha…
But on the whole it depends, it depends on the never ceasing irregularity and scattered patterns including my sleep cycle, my menstru---aaah I better stop else I fear I shall give you a nice history lesson here! 
 
Q. You seem to employ stress on the cerebral rather than emotive aspects in your poetry.  How do you use elements such as experimentation, anti-realism, and individualism to shape up a poem?

Its just there- I don’t plan or organize anything. I live what I feel and revel in it most of the times (especially misanthropy). The elements you’ve mentioned are a result of my state of mind and I suppose I subconsciously weave in all these elements depending on my head but I’m hardly aware of anything at all while I write! But I’m consciously aware that I would rather work with cerebral aspects than emotive ones because I’m an introverted person. There are very few people with whom I can talk to about my “emotions and feelings” and that too in very moderate doses. I would rather keep it to myself than express for I’m always afraid of something a little too explicit to mention here and emotions create a lot of abreaction…I would rather not have people understand my emotions and gain an insight into my head which would also in turn create a chance for them to have a certain amount of power over me and so on. So I stick to subliminal messages and rely on my awry states of mind to express what I’m trying to express.

Q. Tell us about your artwork.

Subjective- just like everything else in the world. Certain instances strike me, like today I had this very vivid image in my head while I was semi-conscious which I made a rough sketch of; the other day I was alone at home and the room door swung to a shut because of the wind and it opened a bit again- at that moment I imagined an eye and these witchy fingers with long nails worming the door open ever so silently. It’s my fears and insecurities translated into an imaginative piece and it’s all subjective to what I’m feeling, where I am and so on and so forth. But art…that’s a way for me to de-stress and also get in touch with a different side of me. For me, it’s always about a journey and the end result…

Q What is your view on the current political situation of the country?

Politics to me has always been something dirty and underhand. That view hasn’t changed one bit and I don’t trust what we are being told at all. I’ve always felt that these politicians think of themselves as our shepherds (wolves in a shepherd’s clothing rather) and we are mindless sheep being fed the left over’s and what they want to give us. Currently it’s terrible, but then again what can you expect from “politics?” the very word is subject to a lot of negativity and currently it’s all about politics so I don’t have anything good to say about it.

Q. Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character? Who?
 
 He he he he plenty! From random anime characters to a not so fictional but admittedly the dead Alexander the Great, to Legolas and even Fred Weasley to one of my own characters Ice Striker…=) and of course HAMLET!(who I’m still pretty much in love with). Mortals are a bit more hard to like so I stick to the impossible…:P the (imaginative) chase is always fun eh? Ha ha ha…;)


Q. You seem to be very fond of children…
 
More than I would like to admit. Especially after the birth of my second niece I’ve taken a greater liking towards the little ones…=)

Q .Where can we read more of your poetry?
 
Well…hmmm…I do post stuff on my blog when I don’t feel lazy and that’s: http://the-living-dead.blog.co.uk/ and most of my stuff also lands up on facebook…and that’s about it at the moment…heh.

Q. How are your studies going…?

Aaaaahhh…hmmm…! Well…I think the word “bad” just about sums it all up…;)

 
Q. Are you currently working on anything? Like a novel perhaps…
 
I’m working on a lot of things actually, including a few short stories. I have around 8 (5 incomplete) novels up to date and after I’m done with all these exam nonsense, I plan on sitting down and communicating with my muse properly. Book one to three sum up into a trilogy: THE CELESTIAL TRILOGY of which the first book is christened as ARIUS, then comes COLD and then SHARD (I might change the names later on however) book 4 and 8 go hand in hand- SKY being book 4 and book 8 SKY: SHATTERING OLYMPUS. Then we have DAYLIGHT STALKER (5th one), SKY ABOVE AND HELL BELOW and the seventh book being THE REDDENED MIST. But the only novel that’s in proper condition is my first one which I have re-written like around three times and completely edited almost 5 times. And I’m still not satisfied with it! It needs rigorous editing…well…hopefully ill get somewhere after these blasted exams!  And of late I’ve been working on a few short stories like : THE (BITTEN) NAIL MONSTER ATTACKS , WANDERLUST( which I have completed) and ELVERKONGENS DATTER.

Q. Anything more you want to tell your readers…

Keep your mind open and remember there is more to everything than you wish to see…=) cheers and thank you Messenger. This interview made me think and scratch my head more than I would like to let on… \m/

[Bhumi]

wooohooooo!!!! Awesome interview this should be in Chocolaate

[raven06]

Great interview. Great read its very 'live'. The thread is yet again put to good use by awesome people.

Cheers to you two

[the lamb of god]

(my grin is a thousand words)

[messenger]

wooohooooo!!!! Awesome interview this should be in Chocolaate

mmmm? Chocolaate did you say??

[arya]

wooohooooo!!!! Awesome interview this should be in Chocolaate

Great interview. Great read its very 'live'. The thread is yet again put to good use by awesome people.

Cheers to you two

and for you too, for starting this thread in the first place!

(my grin is a thousand words)

[arya]

<poem taken off due to personal reasons>

[st.fallen]

well hello again
haven't posted here in a while!

think it's only fair I update with plenty poetry (:
not gonna let this awesome thread die!

Shadows & Splinters

Ever changing, ever present
Like the darkness that lingers, shadows and splinters
In my thumb, pricking my fragile skin,
Embedded deep within, a part of me now weeps
For the child that died in the fire that night, playing with matches
The cooker that was left
Unlit and the gas that did collect and fill the room
The empty room where his mother wept
As she found her child in ashes on the floor
Only bones left for her to mourn, ashes swept
Away into a corner, bones cremated, ironic, it was
Yet no one laughed at the cruelty
Of the nature of life, and circumstances
And everything that followed, the death
Of the mother, the pain of the father
The misery that took over a life
That was never lived, never cared for
And now lost to the devices of nature
That kills us, slowly, silently
And no one blames her, and no one cares
For one day their time too will come to an end
And everyone will forget
The child that died in the fire that night, playing with matches, a spark in his eyes
Set the room alight, and all that was left was ashes, swept away
Into a corner of the room, where only darkness lingered, shadows and splinters.

[st.fallen]

O

What is the matter O Mortal One?
Has your flesh turned selfish once more?
Is this existence really more important
Than the final destination
Of this timeless soul?
Who stole the life that ran through you?
Who shot the bullet that withdrew you?
Was it not your own self?
Was it not your own sick need for cleansation
That tore holes into the delicate fabric
And poured salt onto the open sores?
You were always running, you still are.
The Earth was always moving, do you still care
Which direction it spins or which side always wins?
Your thoughts will always rhyme
And your words will beat the rhythm
Your heart will speak the lines
And your blood will be the vision
That you will paint onto the canvas
That you have made all by yourself
Stretching onto four corners
And pinned on a shivering frame
There is nothing here to decipher
For nothing is all you are
Dripping onto the ocean floor
You are the leak in Noah's ark
You are the noise that they all hate
You are the words that never fit
You are the crosses, not the ticks
You are all that remains to be fixed
Yet you remain as you always will
Running away as the walls stand still
But without the pillars that kept them tall
As you run further, they all fall
You're running in circles
Chased by a domino train
The tracks do not shift, there is only one lane
You cannot jump back, and you can never stop
Until you reach the end of this tick-tock-ing clock
Do I not make sense? O, Mortal One
I am but yourself, You are only One.

[st.fallen]

And finally, the latest:

The Evil Man

They said an evil man died today
As they flooded the streets waving flags in my face
They caught him in Vanni and blew off his head
Then claimed it were a bomb he had set off himself

I could not laugh at the irony of those words
But they were all too comfortable, guffawing in bursts
Over the death of a man they say had no soul
Who killed many innocents and broke many homes

"He poisoned their minds, only fed them lies!
Sent them to Colombo with the gift of cyanide
Taught them to use rifles, handguns and grenades
Made them plant claymore and wear suicide vests

"He gave them a homeland and a war of their own
He gave them an identity and a cause that struck home
He deluded their minds to think he was right
But he deluded himself to think he would survive"

These words were said to me by a man in the crowd
Wearing the national flag across his crown
His eyes lit up at every mention of death
My smile turned around as I lost my breath
At the thought of the thousands that had lost their lives
Fighting over land that belonged to neither side.

They praised the heroes of war for their heroic feats
No, not the dead soldiers, but the kings of politics
The President and his men, and his loyal slaves and women
For saving his people from that evil mans plan
That would only bring destruction to this sovereign land

And once again they spoke of the man that died today
Of how he had been killed along with all he had enslaved
I could not understand how one could celebrate a death
My friend just laughed and said, "you have to be Sinhalese to get it"

Ah, now I get it, it's one of those inside jokes
Me being a Tamil, what the hell would I know?
Only of all my relatives that had died in vain
My little brother brainwashed to never feel pain again

I heard it on the news, how no one had escaped
Bodies turned to ashes, my brother's head lay
On the side of the pavement, where this parade is taking place
They stomp over his memory that will never be erased.

Once more they scream and shout
With a "hip hip hurray!"
A "jayaweva Mahinda!"
A slap in the face.

The man in the crowd looks at me
As though I were a fool
"An evil man died today"
I asked, "was it you?"

[weli_polonga]

The Evil Man is brilliant St. fallen. The rhyme is already in it. I did sing it out while I read it the first time. Can I publish it in Sinhalaya.com under your name (sinhalaya.com/fantasy nimnaya/memories of the future) ?

[Psyche]

  nice....

[st.fallen]

The Evil Man is brilliant St. fallen. The rhyme is already in it. I did sing it out while I read it the first time. Can I publish it in Sinhalaya.com under your name (sinhalaya.com/fantasy nimnaya/memories of the future) ?

sure thing, check out the Soul mag in the Nation this Sunday, I submitted a slightly edited version. without mention of our great President of course

[julian]

I'LL FIND YOU

Mother Fucker I Know You Did It
Mother Fucker Don't Try & Deny It
Mother Fucker It Was Both Of Us
You Remember That Day?
That Shit Filled Day
I DO! You Know I Do!
I'll Get Back At You
Don't You Worry
Remember You Said
"Come Into My Car,
Lets Have Some Fun,
You Can Touch My Guitar"
It Didn't Stop There
You Fooled Me Once More
You Can't Fool Me Now, I'm Smarter Now
When I Get Back, I'll Find You
I'll Kill You
But I Won't Stop There
I'm Gonna Grate and Peel You

Don't Worry Your family Will Be Safe
From Me? Hell NO, but YES From Everybody Else
When I Find 'em Ill Kill Em
Like I'm Killing You
I'm Still Drawing Up The Plan, To Execute It On You
Your Guts Will Flow, Your Blood Will Spill
You'll Feel It All, I'll Make Sure You Will
I'll Keep You Alive For Days And Days
Just So You can Watch Your Family Die
One By One I'll Kill 'em In Front Of You
Once I'm Done With Them


I've got more for you
I'll Do What John Doe Did In 'Seven'
Years And Years Of Pain You'll Feel
Only Then Will You Die and I Will Cry
But Tears Of Happiness Not Of Sorrow
It'll Probably End There, For I Cannot Say
But You Will Be The One Now That's All I'll Say.

http://cooljulian1.blogspot.com/
http://ares-n-hades.blogspot.com/
http://d-great-j.blogspot.com/

[Bloodlust]

And finally, the latest:

The Evil Man

I liked this very much.