THE INHERITANCE OF SOLITUDE

 

THE INHERITANCE OF SOLITUDE

by SMITHA VISHWANATH

In her poem ‘The Inheritance of Solitude’ Smitha says -

I understand now when on my own I lie, 

and it rests its head on my lap,

I run my fingers through it,

its familiar touch,

making me feel closer to dad,

and grateful that I inherited,

its quiet  contentment from him.

This more or less sums up the journey that the author takes us through. From loss, grief, coming to terms with life and ultimate reconciliation and finding solace in Solitude. Solitude, its silence has the remarkable ability to calm the turbulence of one’s heart while, at the same time, awakening something profound. What appears outwardly as emptiness is, in reality, a space filled with unseen possibilities. 

Smitha’s poems are profound and comes straight from her heart. In fact it was an emotional journey for me going through the first two sections where she takes us through the loss of her parents and the impact that her father had into moulding her into the person that she has become - very sensitive, emotional and creative.

I have been following her writings from the time she first co-authored a book of poems called ‘Roads’. Smitha says ‘This book is serendipity’, a happy occurrence and hopes that the poems remind the reader of their own journey and inspire them to stay positive all the way. She comes out as more mellow and inclusive in expressing her feelings. This was way back in 2019. Smitha in the small preface before her poem ‘Hush daddy! Don’t fear’

– ‘Taking care of an ageing parent isn’t always easy. It’s a vicious cycle of guilt, duty, love and responsibility. As for the parent, there’s no refuting that ageing is an extremely difficult phase of life and a lonely journey.’

‘I watch you; a fraction of what you once used to be

Dread, loneliness and emptiness, in your eyes I see’

One sees the slow transition of a mellow and positive person to a more contemplative one. The period after that and especially after the loss of her father which had a profound effect on her has resulted in the ‘The Inheritance of Solitude’. 

In the the book ‘Roads’, Wisdom’ in the poem ‘Treasure the little pleasures’, Smitha writes-

‘Wisdom I gained, after a while

These were things that truly matter

The little joys that made me smile

All the rest, incidental clutter.’

It was in her second book a novel ‘Coming Home’ that Smitha reeveals herself as a wonderful and gifted writer. The need to understand one’s own life and pour out the innermost feelings which we have allowed to lie dormant within us, to hold a mirror in front of us to see our perfections and imperfections and in the end feel fulfilled. I feel that through ‘The Inheritance of Solitude’ she has done exactly that. 

Though going the poems one gets glimpse of a master poet, and I liked each one of them, few of them still stay with me - the imagery in ‘Hallucinations’, ‘Roots’ which reminded me of my own journey back to my roots, ‘The Journey of Healing’, The Act of Jettisoning’. In roots she says-

I’here ,

In the land of my forefathers

I had forgotten how my hometown 

Looked and felt

I had forgotten how my home town looked’

And felt,

Until yesterday,

 When I returned.

This is not a book one finishes and keeps aside. You keep coming back to it again and again. For me the final act of healing is in the poem ‘Closure’

This is my closure - that i’am able to sweep it all

Under a facade of calm, and weep

Without the tears falling

And nobody knowing.

Finally I have to express my admiration of her artistic abilities. She is a wonderful artist which can be seen from the painting on the cover of the book.