POEMS: 4/5 SUBJECT: 4/5 RHYTHM AND RELATABILITY: 4/5 OVERALL: 4/5 Themes: Love, Heartbreak, Self-Love, Rediscovery
When all seems amiss,
Remember this,
Our first stolen kiss.
– Kalpesh Desai, Jasmines in Her Hair
It’s been almost a year since I last read a poetry collection. In my career as a book reviewer, I am glad to have discovered many hidden poetic gems like Nishant Gang, Rajasekharan Ramachandran, Prashant V Srivastava, and many others who create magic with their poetry. Luckily for me, there is a new addition to the list, and nothing brings me more joy and fulfillment as a book blogger than to introduce a new voice to vouch for.
What is the book all about?
Kalpesh Desai’s Jasmines in Her Hair is a collection of romantic poetry. It’s a collection that reflects on all facets and aspects of love, touching every part of the journey on its way – whether it’s the exhilarating joy of the first kiss, the tender beauty of young love, or the fiery passion of an intense relationship, or the pain and anguish of heartbreak, and the immense sorrow after losing one’s love.
In addition to this, it eloquently captures the aftermath of heartbreak, exploring the process of healing and the cycle of emotions. It depicts how healing sometimes begins, progresses, and may regress into lamentation and grief, only to eventually rebound into self-love, reconciliation, and renewed strength.
Poetry as a medium of self-expression
The poet’s use of poetry as a portal to express his innermost thoughts is best encapsulated in this line – “Everybody has a poet in them. If everything exists inside of language, then it is the love of language that makes loving that much more exciting.”
Even though the book deals with themes of heartbreak, the poet shows us through his exquisite expression and poetic language, that there’s a way to cherish every relationship. Moreover, he delves on the miraculous power of letting go of the past, and in the end, ponders over the peace in finding someone who is able to breathe a fresh burst of air into our life.
Let’s discuss the poems
While exploring related themes, the poet employs a diverse range of techniques. This diversity is evident across various dimensions, including length, word choice, emotions, and the mode of expression.
While some poems like Breakfast and When You Wake Up adopt a longer format, using a plethora of words to convey their essence and the multitude of emotions, others like Safe Haven and Love Language manage to convey profound emotions through brevity.
I love how some poems express the most passionate of desires, capturing them in their raw and primal form with remarkable skill.
Many of these poems celebrate the myriad joys of intense, passionate, and deeply intimate love-making, while others sing praises of the subtle acts of seduction – a gentle caress here, a meaningful glance there, or the whisper of sweet nothings.
My personal favourites
Though each poem in the collection has its own story to tell and an audience to captivate, one poem that I particularly loved is titled Love Language, where the poet manages to convey such deep emotions with remarkable brevity that you end up marvelling at this unique feat.
Another favourite is Between Lines and Elements. With the below-mentioned words, it simply won my heart.
“What if it is in physics
that we exist,
but it is chemistry that keeps it real?”
Smoke and Mirrors poignantly portrays the tumultuous journey of breaking up and then piecing oneself back together. It shows the cathartic process of seeing yourself get broken, witnessing your own unravelling, and then picking up those pieces, putting them into places slowly and steadily, all in the process of building yourself anew.
Another favourite, I Don’t Miss You artfully explores the self-deception we indulge in to cope with heartbreak. But in the end, the truth remains that these comforting falsehoods are nothing but lies.
I Raise My Glass to Another Year and I Don’t Live There Anymore are verses brimming with resilience and bravery. They serve as beacons of hope, urging us to find the strength to move forward and break free from the chains of self-inflicted pain. In the process, reminding us that we possess the ability to transcend our past and embrace a brighter future.
A writing that is passionate and unique
In “Jasmines in Her Hair” the majority of the poems are concise, spanning just one, two, or three paragraphs, although a few extend to a full page. While love serves as the central theme, or the lifeblood, if you will, the poems encompass a range of categories skilfully delineated by the poet himself.
These are – Prelude, Yesterday’s Embers, Resilience, Rediscovery, Memories, Serendipity, and Alchemy.
These poems resonate with anyone who has experienced the rollercoaster of love and loss and navigated the tempest of heartbreak. They urge you to cherish the memories of the love gone, teaching lessons of resilience and fortitude, and helping in the journey of healing.
With myriad emotions, they convey passion that can only be articulated by those who have loved truly, deeply, and madly.
The brownie points
The beauty of the words captured in the collection is only further enhanced by the beautiful, artistic, and at the same time, minimalistic illustrations. The combined effect is one that aptly embodies the essence of the old adage – sometimes, less truly is more.
In the end
If you have a soft spot for love poetry, then Jasmines in Her Hair is one book you should definitely check out!
Can’t wait to read it? Buy your copy of Jasmines in Her Hair right away!
