Review of Eating The Worm: A Collection of Poems from India; Ipsita Banerjee; ATLA Publishing 2017; pp 70
– Shana Susan Ninan
Nourishment and opportunity. That’s what I found Banerjee’s poems to be. They reek of life, of people, of reflection. Most of the poems are about her father and her relationship with him, one whom she dedicates the book to. Her effortless verses and non-linear thinking sets the tone right for the reader. The recurring sketches of the bird is a constant reminder of the title and its connect with the verses inside. The opportunity of “eating the worm”.
Writer, poet and blogger, Banerjee is a practicing lawyer in the High Court of Calcutta. Her defining words paint a fabric of longing, and aptly evoked memories. The centre aligning of text, beginning with lowercase letters, uneven paragraphs, dialogues and strong metaphors mark the poems.
My personal favourite is The Quilt. The evocative words and imagery leaves you stunned. She paints vivid pictures with her words. Some of them very poignant and pointed. The welcoming nostalgia is very relatable and stays in our minds long after we’ve closed the book.
