mythology

The Book Bag: Drench Me In Silver by Saraswati Nagpal

Welcome back to The Book Bag. I hope you’ve had a poetic week.

What a week. Work has been non-stop. The days have been rolling into each other, and I wake up thinking it’s the wrong day! I did relax watching Newcastle progress in the League Cup this week too. Hopefully we can be back to back winners. Fingers crossed. Another good thing that happened was speaking to Matthew Smith live from my back garden.

The weather hasn’t been great. However, a break meant last Sunday started with a trip to the allotment to plant some garlic and herbs. Also, I dug out a fruit cage which was hard work plus the radishes we planted a couple of weeks ago are showing good signs of growth. I got over on Saturday too and covered some ground with woodchip. We also planned next steps and focus as we want to prepare for spring planting before the winter frosts.

On the poetry front, I’ve submitted two pieces, added a micro review to Pascale Petit’s Poetic Voice feature and shared the first date for The Book Bag: Open Mic Sessions, with spaces starting to be taken up. The first session will take place on Sunday 9th November at 7pm via zoom.  I was also in the audience of the Winged Moon’s online launch of Biophilia which was top class excellent readings. I must mention Jai Michelle’s passion for The Winged Moon, it really shone through when discussing the project.

On top of that, I’ve been reading;

Cover Art “Daughter of the Moon” by Swapna Maini

Drench Me In Silver

  • Poet: Saraswati Nagpal
  • Press: Black Bough Poetry

I first encountered Saraswati’s poetry on TopTweetTuesday and was captivated by her beautiful language and consistent considered pieces. Then, I heard Saraswati read at a Black Bough zoom open mic, and found her reading to be even more captivating, almost hypnotic. If you have the chance to hear Saraswati read, take it.

Drench Me in Silver is Saraswati’s debut collection and has been nominated for both the Forward Prize and the Tagore Prize by Black Bough Poetry. The book is separated into sections relating to rain. Staring with Memories of Rain going through to Petrichor.

One of Saraswati’s major strengths is her ability to weave passion and sensuousness into her pieces that the reader becomes invested quickly. Poems including ‘Drench Me In Silver’ and ‘Cape Winters’ feel sumptuous and luxurious. As does the poem ‘Night’s Lapis Dome’ . I mentioned that poem during my conversation with Matthew Smith, it stayed with me.

As someone who has read continuously read work by Saraswati almost weekly via the magnificent poetry jamboree, TopTweetTuesday, it is no surprise that emotion underpins a lot of the pieces in a clever, layered way. ‘Toward Joy’, ‘Intezaar’ and ‘Sawaan Serenade’ are perfect displays of this. One piece that stands out is ‘Of Whales and Love’. If you’ve read my Book Bag entry on Helen Laycock’s Elemental, you will know I have a soft spot for whale poetry.

Fans of mythology are well catered for. ‘Persephone’s Lament’, ‘Women In Myths Are Tumbling Out Of My Closet’, ‘Forge’ and are all superb poems. ‘Orison For The Lost’ is another marvel discussing mythology with terrific imagery and language choices. You will notice in the collection that Saraswati has a great understanding of different pantheons and figureheads.

The importance of place is a constant theme throughout. ‘Daughter of Sindh’ is an incredible piece that discusses the usurping of heritage and lands Mountbatten and his role as the Last Viceroy but also the intimate personal repercussions and consequences following the aftermath felt by Saraswati and her family. ‘Dusk by Ganga’ is a lyrical piece that is soft and filled with hope. I must mention the sound patterning from the recurring r’s at the opening of the piece. They add a wonderful cadence to the poem. ‘Beside a Rose-Merchant, Kashmir’ is a tender piece that immerses you in a Kashmir market with sensory delight.

Form and space are played with throughout the book. We have the powerful tercet ‘Descendant’. ‘Songs of Chaos’ plays with the space on the page focusing on the precise wording. We have ‘after poetry’ including the lush ‘Prayer for Monsoon’. Another thing to add is Saraswati’s approach to free verse. It is expert as is her precise, beautiful language.

This collection will appeal to readers who want poetry with deep connections, immaculate language and vivid imagery. Appreciators of mythology will love this book. This is poetry that embraces you and guides you through time and place, the kind you want to get lost in a while and linger. I’ll be buying another copy as a present for somebody for Christmas.

Favourite Poem:

I’ve already mentioned ‘Daughter of Sindh’ and ‘Of Whales and Love’. There are so many to choose from, but I will stick to another handful as I write this. ‘Hero’, ‘Denouement in Citrine’, ‘Last Daughter’, ‘Spear-child’ and ‘Night Wanderers’. Oh, I’ll also mention ‘Diwali’s Velvety Nights’ and ‘Night’s Lapis Dome’ .

To learn more about Saraswati, click here

To buy Drench Me in Silver, click here

And what would The Book Bag be without a playlist. So here is a mix to listen to while reading a beautiful collection.

Anuv Jain – Mishri
Dream Note – Waqt Ki Baatein
When Chai Met Toast – Ocean Tide
Mali – Horoscope
Maren Morris – The Bones
Billie Myers – Kiss The Rain
Eurythmics – Here Comes The Rain Again
Planetopia – Catch and Release
Anumita Nadesan – Khwaab
Bombay Jayashiri – Zara Zara
Anoushka Shankar – Beloved
Tyrone Wells – Days I Will Remember

Before I Go…

I said at the start, if you get the chance to hear Saraswati reading, take it… Well, Saraswati and Black Bough are holding an online launch for Drench Me In Silver on Sunday 5th October. Tickets & Details here.

One More Thing…

I mentioned sharing the details of The Book Bag: Open Mic Sessions. Join me for an evening of sharing polished gems and roughcut coals in a supportive environment. Details and tickets can be found here.

And Another…

It’s almost the end of September. On Wednesday, The Book Bag: Poetic Voice for October will be unveiled. Another exceptional talent and award-winner…

While you wait, why not check out Pascale’s September feature here which now has a playlist and micro-review of Beast.

And Finally…

It’s National Poetry Day this week. This year the theme is ‘play’. I’ll be sharing a poem on Thursday on social media in response. Are you planning on participating in National Poetry Day? Let me know in the comments.

Next Week’s Read

  • Title: Why I Wear My Past To Work
  • Poet: Chris Campbell

Take it easy and stay poetic, I’ll catch you next week.

Paul

Poem: The Barghest

The Barghest is a figure from Northumbrian folklore. A monstrous black dog with large teeth and claws; believed to be an omen of death. This poem was in response to a prompt on the Top Tweet Tuesday platform on X.

The Bhargest

Sable-sad fur shifting in the gloam, 
you could be invisible but for your coronal eyes
blazing hotter than a hellhound’s, 
and those gouging silver-sickle claws glinting in moondusk, 
your blunt falchion-teeth rattling 
like promethean chains on the windspell. 

It’s hard not to choke 
on the wafting scent of your cavern-heft jowls, 
putrefaction palpable as a spit-roasted suckling pig. 
Sometimes you deafen the darkness with knowing - 
thunder-roars of finality. 

Old lives and older tales tell me to be wary of you. 
Beware of your paws for they will strike me down. 
But I’m no hostage to the opinions of others. 

To me,  you’re simply misunderstood. 
You’re no omen of death. 
Like all dogs, you’re a protector. 
A protector of life. You give us a chance to change, 
to settle balances before it’s too late. 

I’ve been called many names, none my own. 
We are kindred.
Not all that’s written and said, is true.

Ryūjin

devour the sand 
plunder every grain 
horde them in your golden keep 
conquer this land fleetingly
    – rise triumphant 
spread your scales of quicksilver 
under the feathered winter sun 
retreating only 
–  at the moon’s blunt counsel. 

This poem was created in response to the Imagist Poet Hilda Doolittle’s poem Oread as part of TopTweetTuesday on X/Twitter.

Mothers & Daughters

Demeter wailed on the autumn’s eve
and all the gods could do
was to plant lavender clouds to soothe her
and comfort her
as the sky filled pink
to match her tear-stained cheeks
the same tears that roared to earth
as the last of the summer rain
Persephone was the last to hold Demeter
her bags already packed to return to Hades
she whispered sweetly and secretly
a skill her husband had taught her well
holding her mother’s slender fingers
she told her to watch for a robin
and when one flew across land below
to feed it with berries the colour of her heart
and the robin will accept graciously
so when Persephone returns she will be strong
and spring & summer will be theirs alone
their green dresses will sparkle with gold
woven by the sun itself
and they will dance as they’ve never danced before.

Thanks for taking the time to read this poem. Greek Mythology is something quite different for me to work with in terms of conveying a message and I hope I’ve done it justice.

Take It Easy

Paul

(Picture credit: unsplash Faiuan Saari)