As a mode of expression, poetry always finds favor among writers. The development of poetry as a form of writing much more before prose is a testimony to that. Poetry may imply less number of words, but the meaning it conveys is far deeper and profound. Equally powerful are the impressions it leaves in comparison to prose. In her poetry collection “Gloom to Bliss,” Sadaf collects her thoughts in the most compact and crisp form and connects with the readers right from the moment they lay their hands on the book.
The title “Gloom to Bliss” makes the readers reminisce P.B. Shelley’s “Ode to the West Wind” and specifically the last line of the poem, which is world-famous. The poetry collection features thoughts recorded at different junctures and moods. They show the complexities of a human mind, which show up as the situation a person faces or the circumstances he/she is going through. To add on, this is just the beginning of the unraveling of what is to follow in the coming pages. From the commencement, the readers observe the interesting technique the author uses where she keeps her words as little as possible but uses words that would cast an impact which long prose paragraphs could also not do. This crispiness is an instant attraction of the book and perhaps the first defining salient feature of the literary talent that the author has.
Alongside her depiction of different phases of life is shown through the 3 parts in which she divides her work. These parts show the various manners in which she has observed life and noted her behaviour and reaction to the situations she faced. Simultaneously, she also draws parallels with human nature and depicts how most of the people are the same in their responses. In the midst of her writing, she also shares important thoughts and quotes to live by, which may find a random mention in people’s routine conversations. To illustrate her ideas, she randomly uses images that somehow someway match the subjects she is talking about. The lines,
“We still keep choosing perfection
Over ourselves.”
Can be mentioned here.
With many such pieces of poetry, the author displays a rare talent of capturing the maximum with the least number of words. The readers find the work of their interest due to this key factor. There is an air of seriousness that pervades the first part of the atmosphere of “Gloom to Bliss.”
The second part sees a change of mood in the writing of the poet. The poetry here becomes slightly longer at times which depicts the changed state of mind of the poet too. Yet the introspective flavor remains throughout this part too. At the same time, there is also the personal account of the poet when she talks to the readers directly and as per the requirement of the subject, also assumes the role of a third person to show how humans are alike in many ways too. This makes the work relatable and makes the readers ponder over the subjects she is talking about.
In the third section of the book, the readers get a feeling of rising from the ashes like a phoenix which is a very positive way to conclude the collection. Here, the poet not only inspires and motivates the readers to be toe-to-toe for everything that would come their way but also pull up their socks for all the challenges life would throw at them. She matches her title “Gloom to Bliss” here, and when the readers read from the first part to the third, it all makes sense and adds on perfectly. The book introduces the young writer in a manner that gives ample idea to the readers of the power she can give to her pen. Therefore, recommending this book to any group of readers would depriving other readers of the work of a mind that creates a hybrid version by mixing fantasy and practicality and shares the way of the world with her readers. The remaining part is taken care of by the language that the author chooses, which is also easy for the readers to understand and also understand the hidden meanings that her words carry.
Reviewed By: Akhila Saroha
