“Is hope a thing with the feathers that perches in the soul?” And “Sings the tune without the words?” like Emily Dickinson said.  Or is it a “feisty carol that lifts up the sagging spirits,” like Sangeeta Sharma says? Dr. Sangeeta Sharma says, “Hope touches and tickles each sinew.” Surely, her words touch and tickle the spirit as one reads her latest poetry collection, Under the Sapphire Sky, by Tristoop Books.

​

When life gets tough and as splinters prick

Hope trudges in with silent feet and feeling hands, of a valued

friend

Opens up doors ajar to a lyrical, haloed, plausible world

Like a feisty carol that lifts up the sagging spirits

Or the delight at the sight of a sun-kissed, blazing road

surrounded with white ready-to-harvest fields

 

Our spirits have not been “saggier” than today; unfortunately, pessimism is becoming a norm and a habit. Sangeeta’s creation is a timely message that invites the reader to get in touch with the basics- the therapeutic bounty of nature, so readily available to us.

 

Sangeeta’s brush is dipped in vibrant colours as she magically paints her canvas- and music begins to flow as you read her poems- whether it is the “Robins’ mumbled cuk or tuk or repeated chirr that pours sweet musical-mystical syrup,” or “the mesmerizing witchery-witchery-witchery song of the round-bellied common Yellowthroats.”

 

The sweet scents of the gorgeous maple trees, the silk trees

with their airy, fern-like foliage and the flower and fruit-laden

honey crisps

The drooping weeping willows like arching beauties drying

their tresses

The pleasant warm sunrays relaxing, lending a new gush of

strength to the taut sinews

 

Sangeeta’s love for nature goes beyond fruits and flowers, or scents and silks. Remember, Keats, in his Ode to Autumn, urges the transitional autumn season to enjoy its own bounty rather than waiting for the “songs of spring,” because “thou hast thy music too.” Perspective-taking is an important element of good writing, giving a well-rounded appeal to the concept, thereby making it universally relevant and timeless. Sangeeta takes a unique perspective on the weed, which is but a novel flower for someone who is not familiar with the type. Isn’t weed indeed a flower, until compared to something else?

 

Come spring and the weeds

flourish

Appear like a flower but

mere eyewash

Dandelions, chickweed,

field bindweed and so many more

For an immigrant,

it’s a beautiful flower

 

Further, Sangeeta takes perspectives on the religious-socio-cultural, deeply seated heartbeat of the Indian population. By referring to the revered characters from the epics, whether Sita or Sati, she encourages practical wisdom versus blindly confirming to the status quo.  Poetry and practical sense may not seem synonymous in casual parlance. Ironically, however, most practical wisdom is born within the visions created by poetry, whether it be the seeds of a peace proposal, or the benign beginning of a revolution. On this note, take a glance at the following lines on gender roles and expectations presented by the poetess: 

 

After being in exile and suffering hardships for 14 years, it was

a nightmare for Sita, when after abduction and rescue, she was

questioned on her chastity by the judgmental citizens of

Ayodhya.

Aggrieved, she did not counter anybody.

When she could not take it anymore

She quietly and submissively offered herself to Mother Earth

and sacrificed herself.

Change the gender binaries! Don’t succumb, don’t swallow

your anger and pride!

Be reverential but don’t be docile!

 

Apart from historical contexts, as Sangeeta mentions in the author’s note, her book is inspired by the Zen philosophy and the “here and now” principal.  As you shuffle through the pages of her book, Sangeeta successfully creates the “here and now” through a kaleidoscopic presentation. While she begins with the classic beauty and refuge of nature (a timeless method evidenced in literature across languages), the poetess goes on to treat culture and nostalgia as tasted in the “the enchanted atmosphere” of Diwali on her homeland, or her mother’s sewing kit that continues to sew and embellish old memories, as well as the societal roles and rewards within genders, religion, and spirituality. As such, nature and spirituality are closely connected, and so is the flow of chapters in Sangeeta’s book on the respective topics. Dr. Sangeeta Sharma’s poetry collection, published by Tristoop Books, is a many-layered cloud drifting through nature’s enchanting beauty, hope and tranquility, love, and the evocative pull of one’s homeland. It also weaves in morals, cultural beliefs, and spirituality — all under a clear, pure, and luminous sky — the Sapphire Sky.