“Beautiful is every fragment of this transcendence,As it carefully mimes the reality of an imagination,It’s a scene unfolding on the surface,nesting chaos within.”What’s so great about love? Simple, it’s a blissfully powerful emotion that rules our lives.What’s so great about being in love? It did funny things to me, and out came these beautifully framed poems.Come share this magic with me. Magic … It did funny things to me, and out came these beautifully framed poems.
Come share this magic with me. Magic of love, grind of a pain and the pleasure of reconnecting with oneself.
Born A Free Spirit is about a woman falling in love. A colorful world of butterflies turned into a tight knot in her stomach during a break-up, she picks herself up. Deciding to stay afloat, she journeys a path of self-acceptance and falls in love with nature.
This poetic journey is of a woman who believes that one cannot have a complete life if they just stay and go with the usual norms.
During the toughest of the times while battling within self and when being misunderstood by others, these words were of the strongest support, comfort and strength. Hopefully, they would help the reader find their inner strength, add another perspective to the emotions within, lead to self-understanding and live a better life.
This is a celebration of love, sorrow and nature – and everything in between.
“Making me wonder if the paper plane got lost in the storm of the noise.
Making me wonder if the dart hit the eye or missed to fall off the board.
Making me wonder if the paper boat couldn’t adjust its sails to kiss the ocean well.”
more
“Underestimating a moment’s place in our lives is simply overlooking the power it packs to motion a chain of events that chances a ‘forever’. Just keep looking!!!” – Harshita
I am delighted to begin my book-reviewing in 2020 with this lovely book of poetry by Harshita Gottipati. It is story of romance, love, self-discovery told in clever and moving verse. This is Ms. Gottipati’s first published book of poetry and it is “out the door” a 5-star read!
Not every poem spoke to me…but the ones that did, hit their mark true in my heart and/or stirred my passions, excited my imagination, or simply moved me. For even one second of this precious experience of being “moved” by a creative grouping of words expressing ideas, emotions and impressions of reality I would give a poet and did give this poet, 5 stars. In truth, I found “hours” of delight.
One element of Harshita’s poetry is the clever crafting of words that show her playfulness and intelligence. The book begins with this verse from the first poem.
“In a desert where nothing is near sight,
And everything is far sight,”- Harshita, “COFFEE, MY OASIS”
Who hasn’t felt the blank desert of thought in their mind trying to awake from slumber? Of course that first cup of coffee, the oasis. And so the story begins. For it is indeed, a “story”, a romance, a discovery, told with the artistry and license of a poet.
Desire, longing, joy, passion, pain and heartbreak return to you, the reader like “familiars” while you absorb not only the crafty word-play but also the elevated art in Harshita’s verse. Her verse intersects the common with the erudite, simple thoughts blend with complex thinking reaching for the simplicity on the other side of complexity. BTW…to my thinking…poets make no errors in grammar or syntax. It is silly to critique a poem for any of these type language rules.
My favorite poems include:
MY LOCKS
AN UNUSUAL PROMISE
HOME
TRUE
GIRL, WALK THAT OFF
LOVE’S RUINS
A BLOSSOMED FLOWER
These poems made me think and/or made me feel. I heard a woman breaking through all the sh-t the world sometimes gives female energy. I even felt a touch of the Divine.
My absolute favorite poem from Born A Free Spirit is quoted here:
A HAUNTING PRESENCE
This taunt of a presence
you settle around me,
I wonder if you need me so desperate,
So eternally searching in the tangles
that you so charmingly spread around.
A walk, a touch or even a glance
beneath the still waters.
Every shade of mine,
every streak of warmth resides,
Just there, you know?
This agonizing pull you
draw from underneath,
Brings out something unknown
as though a trigger is set,
A callous carefree assurance
of this presence.
Then, what am I to make of
the surprise in your eyes?
Even at the slightest caress of your lip
on my cheek,
Crazily dangerously hovering around me.
A beautiful rhythmic step in step,
demanding my scared attention,
Every time, every single time,
sketching lines on my skin,
I open my arms as you sink your love
and affection in me.
Now to steal a metaphor from this poet, poetry is much like an oasis for all of us in this world, a modern jungle and jumble that forces us to grind, toil, survive, protect our loves hopefully with civility and care. I dare say most of us, as wee ones, had our first experiences learning language through rhyme and song. Daily, the poetry of musical lyrics dance in our ears whether live or remembered from a favorite song. Many prayers are often in verse.
Romantic literature will always be my great love, my addiction even. Poetry has for me, a somewhat more elevated status in my mind and heart. It holds the beauty of truth…real truth. The truth may be in and of itself an ugly reality. But to capture feeling, emotions, and impressions with words like a camera captures an image, a photograph, even if taken in a “dark place” and have it sink into your reality, intelligence and heart…this is beautiful. There is a redeeming quality to this exchange for both poet and reader.
Truth…a hard commodity to come by in these days…but I digress.
For those of us who like to savor the brilliance of words that move you, delight you and allow you to contemplate anything or everything; perhaps, begin again or begin anew, I encourage you to grab Born A Free Spirit and tuck it into your kindle. I have read this collection four times over and keep finding nuances and thought treasure.
This brand-new poet had the courage to see her dream come true in her first published book and how lovely the ultimate result. Harshita, I wish you continued success and hope to read more of your work in the future.
I received an ARC of Born A Free Spirit by Harshita Gottipati which I requested from the author. Thank you! I then purchased the book because frankly she deserves the support! Probably will purchase the physical book because it has a beautiful cover. I will love seeing it on my library shelves. Oh, and Harshita did the lovely illustrations throughout. (She never illustrated a book before nor has she ever compiled her poetry into a book…I admire her courage in taking these first daunting steps putting herself, her heart, her art out into the world. Such bravery! An inspiration for all!
I think I will, you could too! make it a goal in 2020 to do something you or I have never done before no matter how big or small?