Book Review: Letters to Me and You by Chitrika Bhargava

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Chitrika Bhargava’s Letters to Me and You is a collection of poems dealing with the intricacies of love and loss. Though the love poems do make up the larger part of this book, there are a few letters here as well. The poems, like I said deal with love, loss and everything in between, the four letters (more like short notes) are written to different people from different stages in the author’s life (I presume)- an old love, a forever love, to a younger self by an older, wiser self. They send out a strong message in self-love, acceptance and moving on. 

Though the themes are nothing new here- love, longing, desperation, hope and discovery of self- I think what Ms Bhargava does achieve with her book is a gradual maturity in her subject as well as its execution as the book progresses.

The poems are divided into four sections- Ever mine, Remnants of You, Me and You.  They all take a start from their respective titles, for example, I personally found resonance in some poems from the Me section where she talks about the more tangible aspects of love- our bodies, the atmosphere and the longing we often feel to reconnect with our past selves when we have given too much of ourselves to others in the name of love.

I found the poems in the beginning a little clingy and desperate for attention (aptly titled, Desperate Measures) from the lover sorts, ergo a bit immature- the way you begin when you discover that you are in love with someone who does not reciprocate your feelings. Bhargava warms up and then delivers gems like this one titled Solitude

Dancing on a pile
Of my sorrows
To a melancholy beat
Ringing in my ear.

Some of her writing is very promising and I would look forward to read something else from Ms Bhargava in the coming times. For the time being set yourself a hammock by the beach or a chair in the patio, put your feet up and snuggle into the delights that you might find in this book.

Comments

amu said…
Thank you for the kind words . I have been blogging since 2007 and have had many off and on spells in between.
10:10 AM
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