 |
All bad lifted in the drenching of water
everything washed away into the ocean."
In this riveting anthology, Balgobin strings together metaphors and imagery that never cease to electrify the reader. Though most poems are in free verse, lacking any constant rhyme scheme or poetic structure, there is little doubt of Balgobin’s wizardry with words. With lines such as “Walking with a purpose, without knowing where I am going,” in “Keep Walking,” the audience will be forced to think introspectively. Overall, the themes range from the energy of life in its purest form to the energy of sexual liberation. As in “Freedom,” Balgobin continually dwells on release, be it of one’s stress, mistakes, or, ultimately, of the spirit.
Though several poems are sexual in nature, the focus is more on exploration and one’s ability to harness sexual energy toward freedom. This theme is particularly apparent in poems like “Water Drips,” “Touchy Me,” “Twinkles,” and “Invisible Stallion.” In contrast, “Tender Popcorn” and “Play Time” return to a love that is more innocent and naive. While there is great substance in the entire anthology, “Mirror” stands out as one of the more revealing pieces and allows readers to experience both the speaker’s feelings and the emptiness felt when surrounded by the shadows of “souls [that] are so powerful.”
Hope returns in the form of spiritual energy with “Whisper to a Flower,” “The Almighty Glow,” and “Bhajans”, a reference to devotional melodies in Hinduism. As “Pop” covers the pendulum of life’s emotions, so Balgobin’s poetry touches on a range of human behaviors and feelings. What remains a constant—and makes this collection a must for poetry lovers—is its unyielding energy.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review