For me, the second-best genre to read after Fiction is Poetry. It’s quite an intriguing form of art. Irrespective of your mood or what you are feeling – there is something out there that will resonate with you or your emotions. The fascinating part is that, when you read these poems, you realize that you are not alone; many more people are fighting the same battle. A random lyrical thought jotted down by a stranger sometimes holds the power to hit home. I think it’s the game of wordplay that interests me the most about poetry. 

Summer Solstice and other poems (Review)

Our young poetess, Shristi Banka‘s debut book “Summer Solstice and other poems” is one such collection of words, thoughts, personal experiences, and emotions. The author has divided the book into four different seasons – Autumn, Summer, Spring, and Winter. Each season arrives with new guests; some visitors are much loved & welcomed, while few gloomy emotions are awaited to leave.

The fresh spring brings along a fragrance of rejoicing life; Summer is all about standing alone yet strong – learning that in the world full of roses, it’s okay to be a sunflower. In the frosty autumn, emotions walk down the memory lane while striding hand in hand with melancholy;

As the harsh winter approaches, disheartened by the dull and dark alleys, goodbyes were exchanged in return for a fresh start.  

“If there were no more

second, third or fourth tries,

there wouldn’t be life altogether.”

This book is a collection of 51 poems, ranging from sentiments like desire, family, power, inspiration, drama, goodbyes, etc. According to the author, most of these poems are based on her personal experience. Shristi’s poetries are not age-specific, a young teenager, and an adult, can relate equally to the feelings that have been penned down by the author. The concept of mixing emotions with seasons is another thing that I admired. While I liked a few poems, there were a few write-ups (here and there), which I didn’t enjoy. If we talk about favorites, “Metamorphosis” has to be the one. 

To my delight, each poem is accompanied by stunning illustrations done by Aishwarya Mankar. It’s just GORGEOUS. The artwork perfectly depicts the emotion that has been put down by the writer. These drawings are blank faces – without ears and nose. Shristi says that it was done intentionally as she wanted women of every age to connect with these instances and see themselves in the portrait. Kudos to the author for coming up with this idea!

All in all, if you are looking for a light read or for something to kick start your reading habits while you are quarantined, go for it. And if you read it, do let me know which one was your favorite. While you are at, show some love to our lovely author Shristi Banka for her debut book and our talented artist Aishwarya Mankar. You can get the book here! 📖

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