Image: Sue Vincent

Poetry and life seem synonyms to me. The prism of poetry reflects life and its varied colors but the spectrum of life is much wider than poetry, which tries to capture some hues and even drifts into the darker crevices to discover those emotions that lurk on the sidelines, yearning to be embraced. Poetry digs deeper into those sensitivities; it understands the finer nuances of life and offers solace.

How well has Walt Whitman summed up the connection of poetry with life:

“We don’t read and write poetry because it’s cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. So medicine, law, business, engineering… these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love… these are what we stay alive for.”  – Walt Whitman 

Most of the poets from John Donne to W.B. Yeats, from Emily Dickenson to Mary Oliver have talked about life in their poems. If Robert Frost reminds us of the promises that we make with ourselves, William Blake has highlighted discrimination and social injustice. Kipling inspires his readers to stick to goodness despite a streak of wickedness in humanity; Maya Angelou infuses a spirit of freedom and Adrienne Rich raises her voice against oppression.

Life flows through poetry as naturally as a stream that carries a message on its ripples, the message of surging ahead, of making its own way through the impediments, of singing happily despite the turbulences created by the unforeseen circumstances. A song so soft, so mesmerizingly magical that each bounce of flowing water whispers into the ears of a poet unforgettable lyrics that create poetry.

I don’t remember when I developed a liking for poetry; probably I was born with it or was fascinated by the music of Mother Nature. When I walk down the memory lane, one image looms large and that is how much effort one of our English professors used to put into explaining the poetry of Tennyson and Wordsworth. While the latter was relatively easier to understand, the former much more complex and obviously we didn’t like the one who was more challenging.

Once again my mind hurtles back into time and stops to remind me of my teaching interactions with teenagers; all their expressions, yawns and glares stand before me, bringing those exquisite memories of hate-love relationship they had with poetry…when we would try to convince each other why poetry is good or bad and how we could understand it better…when, as a creative head of Creative Writing workshops I would try to motivate them to write poetry and accept a challenge to write on the same topics that I suggested to them.

I would stuff those pieces of paper in the drawers and forget about them till each drawer of my home started overflowing with poetic reminders, popping out at will! A wellwisher suggested to put them together and my first book ‘Sublime Shadows Of Life’ was created. When I was about to publish my first poetry book, one of my friends said, “Balroop, this is just the tip of an iceberg” but I laughed off his prophetic words.

Now I have released my third poetry book Timeless Echoes, which dwells on those desires, which we shove into the darkest crevices, those yearnings that we suppress for the sake of others, those regrets that we refuse to acknowledge.

I am sharing one of the most precious poems that has not been published in any of the books:

YOU AND ME

Poetry is my first love

We wander in the woods together

Hand in hand we walk into wilderness

Sharing dreams of land unseen

A world that is really green

Where clouds of kindness hover

With promises of peace

Soaring on the wings of words

Glistening with a halcyon hope

Brightened by enchanting thoughts

We recline on the stratum of stars

Cooing gently that they would be ours

One day when elixir of love

Would caress the feet of humanity.

© Balroop Singh

About the author

Balroop Singh, a former teacher and an educationalist always had a passion for writing.  She is a poet, a creative non-fiction writer, a relaxed blogger and a doting grandma. She writes about people, emotions and relationships. Her poetry highlights the fact that happiness is not a destination but a chasm to bury agony, anguish, grief, distress and move on! No sea of solitude is so deep that it can drown us. Sometimes aspirations are trampled upon, the boulders of exploitation and discrimination may block your path but those who tread on undeterred are always successful.

When turbulences hit, when shadows of life darken, when they come like unseen robbers, with muffled exterior, when they threaten to shatter your dreams, it is better to break free rather than get sucked by the vortex of emotions.

A self-published author, she is the poet of Sublime Shadows of Life and  Emerging From Shadows, both widely acclaimed poetry books. She has also written When Success Eludes, Emotional Truths Of Relationships Read FREE with Kindle Unlimited and Allow Yourself to be a Better Person. Her latest poetry book Timeless Echoes has just been released.

Balroop Singh has always lived through her heart. She is a great nature lover; she loves to watch birds flying home. The sunsets allure her with their varied hues that they lend to the sky. She can spend endless hours listening to the rustling leaves and the sound of waterfalls. The moonlight streaming through her garden, the flowers, the meadows, the butterflies cast a spell on her. She lives in California.

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Books by Balroop Singh
Available via Amazon

Allow Yourself To Be A Better Person

Do you think you are a good person? Would you like to meet your better self? Welcome to the vast vistas that this book unravels before you by highlighting the shaded areas that could never get your attention.
Enhancement of personality is a long process, which starts only when we acknowledge the need for it. Often we detest looking at our imperfections and if somebody is professionally successful, the thought doesn’t even strike.
This book enlightens you about the goodness, which lies dormant within us till we make an effort to explore it. It exhorts you to introspect and accept natural human failings. It guides you towards the metamorphosis that could make you an endearing personality.

Emerging From Shadows: Poetry by Balroop Singh

From darkness into light, from despair onto the wider ways of hope…life oscillates between sunshine and shadows. Emerging from shadows is a choice, which lies dormant, which can be gently inspired by self-talk. Each poem in this book banks on the hope of emerging stronger, saner, positive and resilient. Each poem in this book would talk to you, revealing layers of enclosed emotions. Each poem would divulge a secret path that could lead you into the world of poise and serenity.

When turbulences hit, when shadows of life darken, when they come like unseen robbers, with muffled exterior, when they threaten to shatter your dreams, it is better to break free rather than get sucked by the vortex of emotions.

Sublime Shadows Of Life

Sublime Shadows of Life is a comment on life, its turbulent curves and relationships. It envisions people through the prism of poetry. I, you, he, we and they are universal symbols which highlight the fact that happiness is not a destination but a chasm to bury agony, anguish, grief, distress and move on! No sea of solitude is so deep that it can drown us. Sometimes aspirations are trampled upon, the boulders of exploitation and discrimination may block your path but those who tread on undeterred are always successful.

Timeless Echoes

Certain desires and thoughts remain within our heart, we can’t express them, we wait for the right time, which never comes till they make inroads out of our most guarded fortresses to spill on to the pages of our choice. This collection is an echo of that love, which remained obscure, those yearnings that were suppressed, the regrets that we refuse to acknowledge. Many poems seem personal because they are written in first person but they have been inspired from the people around me – friends and acquaintances who shared their stories with me.

Some secrets have to remain buried because they are ours
We do share them but only with the stars
The tears that guarded them were as precious as flowers
Soothing like balm on festering scars.

While there are no boxes for grief and joy, some persons in our life are more closely associated with these emotions. Their separation shatters us, their memories echo, we grieve but life does not stagnate for anyone…it is more like a river that flows despite the boulders. When imagination and inspiration try to offer solace, poetry that you are about to read springs forth.

Emotional Truths Of Relationships

Can we stop the flow and speed of emotions? Can we learn from their radiance, their cheerful bounce, their twists and twirls? This book unravels their depth and resilience in handling the stormy weather, which is knitted into the fabric of all our relationships.

We look around and feel – ‘Nothing is perfect’… dreams get shattered, hopes are belied, aspirations delude and the opportunities elude us. The clouds have the power to conceal the sunshine and our radiance fails to ignite positive thoughts.
This book will guide you how you can keep pace with embellishing your thoughts and channelize your emotions, which can be trained to veer into a positive direction.

When Success Eludes Us…A Step-by-Step Guide to Success

Success – the magic word that allures us, that beckons us up the steep, winding trail…the unending path we traverse to accomplish our dreams with all our might yet success eludes us a number of times. This book unlocks all those best-kept secrets of successful endeavors and infuses a new inspiration to go for it! We may define success according to our own perspective but there is no freeway to it. We all have to move slowly, with determined steps. The path may be meandering but rewarding at the end of our journey.

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