“My Therapist Wants to Know about My Relationship to Work” by Tiana Clark

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/148109/my-therapist-wants-to-know-about-my-relationship-to-work

In this poem, the literal things that happen to the speaker include going through the motions of her day, waking up and hitting snooze, scrolling on social media, trying to find motivation and ideas to write about, and ending her day with a relaxing bath. Besides this story, which is already compelling and entertaining, there is a hidden message and story the speaker is trying to get out. The speaker starts her day with racing thoughts, the stress and anxiety already building in her chest, she describes it as “balloons in (her) chest, always popping there,” creating an image in the reader’s mind of her internal conflict. The speaker seems to be an anxious person with continuous racing thoughts, from what I can read between the lines I would assume she has some type of anxiety disorder or some form of ADHD just from my personal experiences experience with those symptoms. I can immediately relate to this feeling, of having so much to do, as she discusses, “New book. New post. New ping. A new tab, then another,” as if she is constantly trying to find ‘new’ things to fill her time with while completely disregarding unfinished projects. Looking closer at the title when compared to the rest of the poem, there is no mention of any relationships, but she could probably benefit from a therapist. Instead of a romantic relationship, this could refer to her relationship with social media. I think she has a dependent and unhealthy relationship with her phone as she talks about how, “I tap your food, two times for more hearts,” this is a metaphor describing her social media as food and therefore something she consistently consumes, which can’t be good for anyone. Social media is a well-known and commonly used source of instant gratification for our brains, with how her day is discussed at going she needs that gratification to feel better about lacking the motivation to write and fill the “many journals, unbroken white spines, waiting.” Obviously, books can’t wait, but this simple expression of personified books shows that they have been left untouched, how the existence of these books is almost taunting to her and her lack of motivation. The quality I like most about this poem and what I find the most compelling is the structure of the sentences. The lines of the poem are formed in blank verse, but they are shaped in such a way that it creates an anxious and restless tone to the poem, which helps to emphasize the restlessness felt by the speaker as well as her racing thoughts. I see this poem in three main sections. The first section of this poem is about the start of the speaker’s day, all the anxiety and stress she feels, the slow effort of getting out of bed, and the doom scrolling on social media, I call this section the depression phase. The second section of the poem goes into the speaker’s lack of motivation, the overthinking, the second-guessing, and everything relating to being unable to create, which leads me to call this section artist’s block. The third and final section of this poem is the final moments of the day, when everything is slowing down, when she is finally able to relax and enjoy her favorite music, this is the moment I call finding her inner child mostly because of the comment she makes about “child back” and commenting on “inside my own womb,” basically stating that she is reverting to a childlike state of carefreeness. I think the sections help the audience get an understanding of the speaker’s daily tasks and how her mental state gets in the way of those things, showing the evolution of the speaker as she gets closer to the end of the day when she has no responsibilities.

“Mira pushes aside the mountain you are climbing” by Purvi Shah

https://poets.org/poem/mira-pushes-aside-mountain-you-are-climbing

The poem, “Mira Pushes Aside the Mountain You Are Climbing” by Purvi Shah can be interpreted in several ways. Every time I read it I see a new perspective, I see it from the standpoint of divinities, the perspective of a lover, and the perspective of a lesser being. The interpretation I see the most commonly is the representation of balance. There is repetition with the word “every” and in the context of the poem it discusses how every blank needs a blank. Everyone needs something or someone to complete their balance. Everyone craves their other half, something, or someone to complete themselves. The first line of the poem says, “Desire is never one way,” which goes to show how everything has two sides.

The structure of this poem resembles the image of a snake. Shorter lines and longer lines are interchanged to create a sense of fluidity. This fluidity creates an atmosphere that is reminiscent of a prophecy, like the wisdom of an unknown source. I could truly not begin to describe why I feel this way, but it is just how it appears to me.

Throughout the poem, there are consistent appearances of words that express the longing and desire the subject of the poem is feeling. The speaker describes the subjects to be longing touch, and proximity, and how whatever the subject is going through there is a desire for a higher power. The use of second-person pronouns such as “you” tells the reader that the speaker in this case is speaking directly to the audience. The speaker is telling the audience how the person they are talking to is feeling rather than how the speaker is feeling.

Purvi Shah uses many descriptive and imaginative metaphors. One of my favorites is, “Black snakes crawl through your throat” because it makes me feel something. After reading this line I became uncomfortable, which is what she wants the audience to feel, as it helps to convey the desire. The desire is not a great thing, it is meant to be painful and straining. The poem focuses on the feeling of the divine. I associate snakes with Medusa, which reminds me of Greek mythology. Greek mythology is filled with gods and goddesses, the divine, and when reading I can imagine the gods being punished with this feeling when it comes to the longing for “human proximity” and admirers. Later in the poem, there is a discussion of how “every God” needs someone “they can admire” and puts the poem into the perspective of the divine with their desire.

There are some phrases used throughout the poem that transport me back in time. One of these words is “pilgrimage,” and this is used from my perspective to connect to religious views, to go back to the connection of divinity. A pilgrimage is a transformation of sorts, it is when someone goes on a journey to find religion, to find peace. I believe these divine beings are meant to go on the pilgrimage to rediscover themselves, and to wash themselves clean of desire metaphorically speaking. To help convey this there is a reference back to the snakes, and how they must shed their skin. This allows there to be a physical reference to the transformation.

Overall I really liked this poem. There are a lot of expressive words and images that the speaker uses to create the atmosphere, it contributes to the motivational tone. The speaker has aspirations, needs, and wants and it really draws the reader in. I really like that there are multiple interpretations to the poem, no matter who you are you can get some type of message out of it.

“Loss is an art, traversing one world to the next” by Purvi Shah

https://www.splitthisrock.org/poetry-database/poem/loss-is-an-art-traversing-one-world-to-the-next

“Loss is an art, traversing one world to the next,” a poem written by Purvi Shah, honors henna culture and the deeper meaning behind the art. Purvi Shah does an amazing job throughout this poem expressing the cultural significance of henna. She explains and represents how it is a connection to the family while explaining the deep meaning behind the tradition. Personally, I have always had a deep appreciation for henna. As someone that considers themselves an artist I can say that it is truly a beautiful form of expression. I appreciate the tradition of henna as a form of cultural expression as well as a form of art. I think it is a beautiful tradition and holds much more meaning than people originally believe. This tradition I think is especially beautiful as a staple of weddings, to be able to honor your culture on your wedding day in such a beautiful form. It is truly a stunningly expressive way to represent your family and culture. My appreciation for this tradition is only elevated by Purvi Shah’s expressive form of writing, that I think truly encapsulates the deep meaning behind henna. There are multiple times throughout this poem when Purvi Shah uses images of nature when discussing the use of henna. Henna contains many intricate designs that I think are expressed well through these comparisons with nature. At one point she compares henna on her arms to, “wild flowers,” showing the natural beauty of the art form. I am someone that loves the natural beauty of wild flowers so the comparison is successful in expressing the appeal of henna. Throughout the poem, on top of the references to nature, she is able to use abstract distance in a way to convey the henna as being a living thing. The henna she describes as, “brown swirls dissolving into brown skin” as if the henna itself is being absorbed into her being. This shows how the henna is a part of her, and it forever will be. Throughout the poem she continues to expresses the importance of henna. Purvie Shah states that henna is the “ mark of family is on the body” and continuing on about how the important thing to her is not her engagement ring or perfume, that can be removed at any time. She continues with her abstract diction throughout the poem, and by using her expressive words she is able to describe and represent the intimacy of this tradition. This intimacy that is expressed helps to further convey the cultural significance of henna in general. Some moments in the poem that help express the intimacy of henna include when she describes the henna being absorbed by her skin, “love’s imprint lasts long when the fingers rejoice” and “women henna their breasts before marriage” help dive into the deeper and more personal touches henna has on someone. After reading a few of the poems written by Purvi Shah, it is safe to say that she has a preference for using metaphors to further develop her poems. One of the most beautiful metaphors she has in this poem, probably one of my favorite lines, is “your ankles are rust, vines of buds and leaves” which I feel like is a good representation of the movement that is in henna designs. All of Purvi Shah’s poems tell a story about a particular person, or experience that she is familiar with. At the beginning of a few of her poems she includes a quote that she used for her inspiration. These topics are ones that I don’t see often in art pieces. But I understand how this can be important to her, seeing that she is an artist and an activist, that wants to bring attention to these special life experiences that are often misrepresented.

Purvi Shah

Known for her sparkly eyeshadow and raucous laughter, Purvi Shah is curious about language as dreamwork for love, transformation and justice. During the tenth anniversary of 9/11, she directed Together We Are New York, a community-based poetry project to highlight Asian American voices and experiences. Her book Terrain Tracks plumbs migrations and belongings while her chaplet Dark Lip of the Beloved—Sound Your Fiery God-Praise explores women and being. Her fiction has appeared in NonBinary Review and her nonfiction has been published in the Huffington Post, the Feminist Wire, Delirious Hem and VIDA Review. For her leadership fighting gender violence, she won the inaugural SONY South Asian Social Services Excellence Award. “Signs There Is a Hole in Manhattan” appears in the Brooklyn Poets Anthology, released this spring. Author photo by Willi Wong

https://brooklynpoets.org/community/poet/purvi-shah