…and I Stop to Listen (Poems)

It was around the time the Syrian civil war began that the first poems of this book were penned. Horror and concern found expression in poetry. Soon, as if to offer hope and solace, the beauty of nature made its abundance felt. When beauty arrives, can love be far behind? And so love in all its myriad forms was explored. Readers who have seen life, ridden its crests as well as survived its troughs will relate to the parallels drawn to it from nature. The poems seek to instil hope in humanity. They inspire you tolive and love whole-heartedly. Isn’t that what we need the most in these troubled times? Poetry is like rain…whether you watch it from your window or get a bit wet in it, you are left feeling contentedly drenched. You cannot stand all day in the rain. It is to be experienced a little at a time, again and again over days. While you do that, the universe spreads its wings around you, making you aware of its immensity. And a journey begins.Inward. -Anju Kishore