ON EVENTIDE'S COATTAILS: A COLLECTION OF POETRY BY T.U. PATIR (2024)

BLURB: Poems on death, grief, loss, war, love, and nature, written on countless sleepless nights.

In "On Eventide's Coattails", the author invites you to swim in oceans of words painting pictures from the author's heart.

ABOUT THE POET

T.U. Patir has definitely been accused of writing too much about sadness. But he doesn’t budge. Sadness can often be beautiful, he says. He lives alone (not as much because he wants to, but more so because people can’t put up with him) and would love to spend time with his dog more often.

REVIEW

Tridip Patir highlights that riding on someone else's coattails indicates that all your success comes from a specific person, i.e. one rides on their success. In the context of this collection, 'On Eventide's Coattails' is to say that without eventide, or evening, this collection would not exist. That is why the beauty and flaws of evening have allowed Patir to bring his poetry to life. And as a result, this collection has some of the most intricately crafted and soulful poems I've ever read! Melancholic, tender and deeply thought-provoking, it beautifully captures the vulnerability of universal connections like love and friendship in all forms and profound themes like loss, resilience, self-discovery and apathy towards destruction. I'll be reviewing five selected poems from the book to highlight how Patir utilises creative expression to craft a poetic canvas inspired by the beauty of eventide.

A DREAM OF A DREAM

'Here's to our dreams, then. Till we part, on a day that never comes'

It is a soulful exploration of the comfort that can be found in one's dreams. After all, dreamscape is a place where we can thrive and run our imaginations wild! This poem employs sharp imagery with prisms, featherbow sounds and eternal rain to create a cinematic fantasy in the minds of readers. While it celebrates the beauty of dreaming, it also acknowledges its ephemeral nature, as we always have to say goodbye even when we may not feel like parting from them.

CHANCE MEETING ON GAIA

'So, my beloved and my fire, consider this my heart laid out open,

To thank you for this chance meeting on Gaia.'

Among the 8 billion people in the world, which is already part of an expansive universe, what are the odds of encountering someone with whom you are destined to share a deep connection? This poem not only sets out to answer this question but also to celebrate the special encounter. Most poems cherish human connections born out of chance encounters, but here the poet is awestruck by its presence as he is fascinated by the probability of such a connection. I particularly enjoy this poem, as it isn't just an ode to romantic love; it's a tribute to the beauty of shared existence found in all relationships. After all, love is love no matter how we experience it.

ASHES TO ASHES

'They cry with no hope. While you plan out the next rubble.

Waging war under the guise of freedom.

Huh, ironic. They now have no roof. Only ashes, and ashes'

All poems in this collection are emotionally resonant, but this is one of the most thought-provoking poems, as it sternly holds a mirror to the society. Whenever we think about war, terms like death, destruction, corruption and upheaval come to our minds. But there is one word that isn't discussed very often—apathy. Apathy isn't always 'evil'; it is just something that comes with privilege. And those who are fortunate enough to have that are fortunate enough to make decisions for people fighting on the front lines are the most comfortable being apathetic. That's exactly what this poem critiques.

Most people are familiar with the children's rhyme:

Ring around the rosie

Pocket full of posies

Ashes, ashes,

We all fall down!

But here the ashes aren't used to accentuate the joy of innocent children but to symbolise their suffering caused by war profiteers who thrive through capitalism, bureaucracy and militarism. The best way to describe this poem is to say that it is meant to rage on behalf of the voiceless, as it is an openly confrontational critique of war and its treatment of people who are exploited by political rivalries. The ending really stands out for me, as it points out that even the privileged who build their future on the destruction of the innocent will also turn to ashes. Ashes to Ashes is one poem I'll find myself revisiting again and again for a very long time.

THIS IS NOT A POEM FOR YOU

'Indeed, these are not words for you to love,

This is not a poem for you.

But perhaps this is a poem for me,

And I alone will love, as I have loved'

First of all, I love the title of this poem. As a reader who is so used to enjoying poems that are dedicated to someone, it was intriguing to see Patir reclaim the authorship of this poem in ways many poets do not. This is not a confession of love or a plea for consolation but an introspective piece born from emotional turmoil. Patir excels at using nature's imagery to describe the complexity of his emotions. For instance, the ocean, soil, fish, dirt, seagulls and daffodils have been employed to explore the isolation, detachment, transience, universal appeal of nature and turmoil.

DEPARTING

'The young smile of a past memory, ageing,

finally catching up with the already aged life

that was being lived earlier.'

We all grow old, and that is both a privilege and a bittersweet reality of life. This poem acknowledges the passage of time and the inevitable result of ageing, but through tender reflection and acceptance not anger or sadness. The speaker reconnects with a familiar face after a long time, but things aren't the same. The wrinkles on their face is an acknowledgement of the distance and the time gone by since they were apart. The atmospheric imagery of sunset, seagulls, wind, muddy water and mothers wave highlights the beauty of this brief reunion instead of delving into poignance. A poem like this could have easily focused more on the intensity of love, loss of time and regret of the past, but it uses restraint and subtlety to provide a realistic touch. This is why the speaker's recollection of caressing his companion's hair, observing their synchronized steps, and noticing the breeze flowing through her ear highlights how he still admires her. The poem ends with the bittersweet note of parting driven by a similar awareness of aging that started this poem. The poem does not clarify who this familiar person is, but I would like to believe it is a lover of the past, as the speaker seems to yearn for this companion the same way a lover would yearn for his soulmate.

This collection is not just a culmination of poetic reflections but also a visual spectacle with beautiful illustrations by Jahnvi Borgohain. (Pinterest: jahnvisartdump) If you are a poetry lover and want to explore fresh perspectives on familiar themes, then 'On Eventide's Coattails' is the best collection for you to read! Thought-provoking, inspiring, emotional and introspective, I would like to give this book a rating of 5 out of 5.