‘Dear Bohemian Man’: Simply Contemporary, Entertaining and Inspiring !!!

Talk poetry in Arunachal Pradesh; the only name that pop up among the poetry lovers might be Mamang Dai. Her River poems have really impressed many. However, state’s another budding poetess Subi Taba, is gradually making her presence felt with her newly launched anthology of poetry: ‘Dear Bohemian Man’.

It’s an anthology of 30 poems divided into two parts; Days and Nights with 15 poems each. Entire poems are all about love, of pain and happiness; of closeness and separation; of longing and desires.

Subi’s poetry can be categorized as confessional with touch of autobiographical elements. Use of simple language and heard phrases add charm to this anthology. The elements of mysticism, symbolism, pessimistic, optimistic are apparent; the entire poems are in blank verse. Though not as strong, profound and intense as Dai’s poetry but they are entertaining, impressive and pleasant reading.

In entire poems, readers find the speaker oscillating between the moments of pain and happiness. She yearns and longs something. Is that love or closeness of her lover? Readers may decide  better.  Though, personal and confessional, Subi’s poetry is contemporary. Sometime they describe about readers’ life and their situation.

‘In the end what remains is; readers are engulfed inside an envelope of love (both sadness and happiness).  Sometimes her pain is so intense that even the readers feel her misery and grief.

‘Dear Bohemian Man’ is indeed one of the most beautiful and the best poems where the speaker travels almost an entire planet within a short period taking the readers along including Darjeeling, the Great Wall of China, Greek, Indonesia, New York, and London that can be compared with Dr Bhupen Hazarika’s popular song of “Moi Eti Jajabor” (Assamese), “Ami Ek Jajabor”(Bengali) and “Haan  Aawara Hoon”( Hindi). 

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Here are few observations  I found while going through 'Dear Bohemian Man':

Some parts of ‘I Miss You’ remind ‘My Mother at Sixty Six’ by a reputed poetess Kamala Das.   ‘The Crying Girl’ talks about love, pain and happiness.  Stone, the shortest of all not even the complete sentence expresses about speaker’s pain and grief. But it’s entertaining, interesting and inspiring.  

'Dear Life' is so scientific when the speaker says:

They go hand in hand like Siamese twins

and there is no departure;  which is par  excellence to a metaphysical poem  Valediction by John  Donne when he  compares  his love with  a compass:

As stiff twin compasses are two;

Thy soul the fixed foot, make no show

To move, but doth, if others do.

Nights poems are mostly sad and upsetting but our sweetest songs are those tell of the saddest thoughts.  North Face is mysterious that one wonders if the speaker was in love with someone belonging from North India. ‘Sometimes’ is full of similes; beautiful yet painful: Last memory of a smile in the dead eyes.

Nights poems ‘Afterwards’ has perfectly balanced the Days poems 'Stone' which is similar to William Blake’s poems Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience.  Both ‘Stone’ and ‘Afterwards’ are short beautiful short poems.

Seven Years of Him is captivating and scintillating. An element of curiosity is maintained in the poem. Though bit symbolic and mysterious but amusing. When the speaker says: Running with Colours in His hands (Does that talk about modern day tattoos in his hand or the colours of Holi, the festival of the Hindus?).

Proper growth and development is established. Indeed it is one of the best poems in the anthology that will bring smiles on reader’s face.

 “I said I wanted my boy to wear blue

But before we could start a new conversation

It was time to leave, but he asked me: can I see you again?

I smiled and said yes.

That evening he was wearing blue.”

Released in 2015, published by Notion Press, ‘Dear Bohemian Man’ will create a place for Subi Taba among the state’s bright poetesses. The book costs only Rs 150. Finally, Dear Bohemian Man will not disappoint you if thinking of buying it.