Reading poetry comes to me before reading anything else. It comes naturally. However, there are times when reading poetry becomes more than reading. It becomes realising, understanding, thinking and pondering. Ponder Awhile by Mohit Misra is a poetry collection of the same kind. This poetry collection will become more than just a book if you read it seriously and try to make sense of things that the poet has disclosed in the book. Spiritual, philosophical, religious, revealing, and compelling enough to push anyone to think in the direction that takes us on the path of questioning and answering things that we often ignore.

Mohit Misra has used very simple words. He has also kept his style very close to the needs of modern readers – clean and minimalistic. You just read and you enjoy it at the same time. However, there are things that will take time to unfold. In this poetry collection, the poet has collected the flashes of spiritual and internal realisations that felt at times. The poet comes from a very religious background. However, spirituality and philosophy came to him gradually… upon realisation and quest rather than being transferred from one generation to another. How? Why? When? These messages have been encoded in his poems in the collection Ponder Awhile very effectively. The poet has shared what he experienced himself rather than writing imaginary things.

I liked the way the poet used his skills in poetry to convey his thoughts and experiences, realisations and emotions that convey wonderful messages to the readers. At the same time, Mohit has also asked very subtle questions to the readers. He has discussed the themes that we usually don’t find in contemporary poetry. Death, life, love, spiritual quest, religious messages, universal peace, sadness, happiness, common themes like people, friends, man, woman, boy, girl, laughing, crying, and much more. These emotions come naturally to people and the poet has not used any filter. He has kept his ideas raw.

The style of poems may delight, entertain, amuse, sadden, and frighten the readers depending upon the mood and setting of the poems. However, the poet has also discussed subtle themes like soul, Maya, the ancient wisdom from the depth of Hinduism and other religious scriptures.

How long do you plan to keep me here?
Tormented and in constant fear.

Lines as mentioned above are simple in tone and lyrics. However, once you decide to spend a few moments and think about the lines you just read, you will find that the poet has said too much in a few words. Likewise, there are many lines in this poetry collection that will seem simple at first. However, once you dig deep, you can find a treasure trove of wisdom in those lines. All the poems in the collection by Mohit have many messages to convey to the readers.

I liked the poetry collection for many reasons. It has merits (more than we commonly find in contemporary poetry collections). Yes, there are a few things that could have been handled better by the poet. At times, for example, the poet has tried to match the rhyme with words at the end of the second line to maintain the scheme of the lyrics and in doing so, you may think, the poet might have marred the merits of the imagery or the running meaning. Yes, somehow, he has managed to convey the thoughts, nonetheless. And therefore, one might enjoy the lines still… and yet enjoy the deeper messages. For competent and regular readers of poetry, that might be a subjective issue. The minor and personal issues with the aesthetic design of the poems might not be a thing for most readers (as long as the poet has delivered the messages just right).

You can get a copy of this compelling poetry collection from Amazon India by clicking on the link below:

Buy the poetry collection now – click here to go to Amazon India 

Review by Nidhi for Featured Books