from then to now
is never the same distance as
from now to then
From my new chapbook: “The night is my mirror”.
Through the lockdown and the near-isolation, words were hard to find, but this came together in the last few weeks and I am delighted to close the year with relief, gratitude and hope.
I think the poems are real and personal and have been churned out by the silence, unease and reluctant acceptance that was 2020. If you’d like to read the chapbook, do give me a shout and your email information. and I will send you a copy. (leave it in the comments section or write to suspension.point@yahoo.com)
Happy holidays and a very happy new year.
****
This micropoem was selected by a reader from Ireland, Jane Carson, who reimagined it and posted it on instagram with a beautiful soft background. I love how poems resonate differently with readers and grow bigger than the poet’s imagination. The original melancholy has somehow morphed into a kind of optimism.
THOUGHT PURGE 
Lovely! I have yet time to sit down and immerse myself in reading. Happy New Year and best wishes.
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Thank you, Ayala. Read at you leisure! Happy New year to you too.
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Took me a few days to read the entire book. Read many poem more than once. That’s the impact it has on me. Some initial thoughts.
1. Outstanding titles / topics for all
Poems. I just loved them .
2. Some lines in some poems still stay on my mind. Some examples given below .
Things that may not end
to know a storm, you should know
a drizzle, to know a drizzle,
you should get lost in the desert
Things I should have known
Before I asked why life didn’t give me the one
thing I wanted, I had to touch the black of an eclipse, had to fail at love, had to understand
faith was the blue that wasn’t of the sky and ‘why’ was a question I could only ask myself.
Things that stayed the same
Between us,
the tide, time: obvious, wordless, shapeless, passing. That wasn’t the place to learn about love and the
insoluble: different water, different sand, forever coupled, forever untouched. Together meant different things there.
Sometimes a redundant adverb, sometimes the certainty of change. Sometimes an ending we didn’t imagine.
More to follow
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Thanks so much, love how you’ve read it in so much detail. That is so rewarding! Much appreciated!
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One of the few good things to come out of Covid…writers write!! Congratulations.
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Thanks so much, Yvonne.
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Congratulations on your book! Such wisdom in such few words. I don’t think anything has come easy this year.
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Thank you, Susie. No, it was a difficult time – especially to find meaningful words. Let’s hope for a better year!
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I always find it interesting (and troublesome) that things that happened 40 years ago still have an impact on my life today. It also reminds me that the end is sooner than I think.
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It’s true.. the sense of now and then changes as life goes through its ups and downs. The past does cast a pretty long shadow, if we let it. Happy holidays, Cara.
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Congratulations on putting your sequestered time to good use and producing a book! Blessings on you and yours this holiday season!
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Thank you, Beverly. Happy holidays to you too!
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Distance is in the eye of the beholder, is it not? Be blessed as this old year ends!
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As far as one’s eyes can see, yes! Happy holidays, magic!
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A most beautiful poem and hearty congratulations of the publication of your chapbook! Cheers ……
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Thanks so much, Helen.
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That is like a zen koan to meditate on!
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Thanks Colleen!
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Congrats again, Rajani. Birthing a book during this mess of a year is a magnificent accomplishment. I love the poem, and the idea that sharing it might’ve changed melancholia into hope.
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Thanks so much, Magaly. All the best of the season to you.
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Very cool, your poem reimagined in an instagram post! it’s great to see how another person see the poem from another angle.
Happy Holidays, Rajani!
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Yes, it is indeed exciting to see the reader’s interpretation. Thank you!
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It feels at times as if this year has erased the meaning of its days. This poem highlights that oddness.
Would love to read your chapbook! (csand4435@gmail.com)
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Thanks so much, Chrissa…
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“words were hard to find”
So true for so many of us. The shock of covid 19 remains
Happy Sunday
Much💜love
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Indeed it does! Thanks, Gillena.
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Writers are lucky to be able to sit at home and write their poetry and prose and not be too frustrated that they cant live normal lives when all they want to do is write on their computer!
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Though with all the lockdowns and restrictions, I found it almost impossible to write. It was only recently, when things opened up and we could meet people again, that the words too began to come. I wonder if this happened to some other writers too! It’s an interesting thought.
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Beautiful, Rajani. I am poised and ready to read your chapbook, a Christmas treat! Have a happy holiday and a very happy new year.
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That made me smile from ear to ear! Thank you, Kim. Hope you enjoy it! Wishing you the best of the season!
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A profound little aphorism / senryu!
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Thank you, Rosemary. The idea was that each micro-poem would lead into the poem following it in the chapbook. 🙂
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O, yes, i want a copy. Should we trade? I cannot afford to send a paper copy of mine, but might be able to figure out how to send the ebook version.
https://www.lulu.com/search?adult_audience_rating=00&page=1&pageSize=4&q=grieving%20into%20love
*Susan*
Dr. S. L. Chast 660 Church Lane Yeadon, PA 19050 Cell Number: 267-499-0334 Home: 610-259-4771 Blog: http://susanspoetry.blogspot.com/
*“Some things have to be believed to be seen.” ―* Madeleine L’Engle
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Already emailed a copy to you, Susan. Hope you received it. I would love for you to read it and I look forward to your thoughts. It’s been a hard year, but lets hope the next one is a whole lot better. Happy Holidays.
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Beautiful poem, Rajani, and congrats on using this time of covid to produce a book. Way to go! I look forward to reading it.
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Thanks so much, Sherry.
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