Terracotta Dreams (A Book of Poems and Musings) by Monalisa Joshi
Reviewed by Realistic Poetry International
Author Joshi’s Terracotta Dreams (A Book of Poems and Musings) takes us back into the classical era of drama and romanticism with an epic poetry style, reminding us of the great and renown writer and poet, William Shakespeare, and one of his most notable works - Romeo and Juliet.
Passionate. Tragic at times. Wholeheartedly zealous. Painful even! This masterpiece, spun in a splendid, beautiful wool of vibrant ardor and peculiar irony, embodies the Author’s own prolific, grandiloquent vintage style through fine elegant and poised language.
Simultaneously, she demonstrates her additional ability to be thorough with in-depth, soul-stirring, tales of love, emotion, and heart. And by reading each selection, we can most certainly say she is empowered enough to know both love’s mountain high’s, AND valley lows.
With a special gift for discernment, the Author’s poetry illustrates the diverse dynamics and perspectives of love, relationships, and commitment (ardor, compassion, anger, sadness, division, joy, loneliness, betrayal, union, marriage, secrets, reunion, infidelity, etc.) while the topics of self-discovery, dreams, and destiny imply themes of growth, journey, conflict, transition, dreams, and ambition. And though her poetic language thrusts one into the exotic fields of fantasy, the essence of her poetry is extremely realistic, embracing the idea of adversity and imperfection.
With narrative-like poetic sagas, we experience poems that feel ardently evocative, verbally fascinating, honestly expressive, and strikingly real...almost as if you are mentally watching a clip from a live soap opera!
Meticulously crafted, Joshi takes time to help readers envision each poem using a direct approach of expression rather than an elusive or abstract technique (commonly used in the world of poetry).
Yet, even so, she lacks no loss of creativity and still skillfully makes use of enticing, alluring metaphorical arrangements, practicing the magic of symbolism, allegory, rhyme, characterization, personification, and many other important, powerful elements.
This style of writing not only provides readers with a more thorough and stronger account of the details involved, but also allows us to understand exactly what happened and why by including and covering a middle, beginning, and end as in the following poetic tale, ‘Ivana.’
In this poem, Joshi illustrates how sentiments of romance quickly transform into dissension after the main female character senses a sweet unfamiliar aroma displeasing to her lucidity saying;
“You cheat, you scoundrel am I not a woman enough to make your desires dance, am I not a woman enough to make your life romance…”
And according to the story, there are severe consequences because of this pensive stench she inhales, reminding us of the great conflict and disheartening aftermath of cheating while attaching the emotions related to such an act by depicting the grievous, overwhelming, consuming anger and rage she feels at the very thought of her love betraying her. An all too infamous scenario many hearts can relate to in one way or another.
Compelled by the Author’s entertaining scenario, this poem is an excellent example of an undesirable challenge lovers may face when there are three hearts in love (or in lust) instead of only two.
Fueled with extensive inquiry after reading this illustration, we wonder then, what is love when hearts are tainted and tangled? And there are many questions more to follow!
Though Author Joshi’s collection embodies predominantly the radiant energy and sentimental aroma of love and romance, we can honestly say that we never grow bored with the multicolored poems of emotion she mixes in throughout the book, with some poems even mentioning the mutual love and friendship of family and friends like in one of our favorites, “Kolkata Mindfulness.”
Strong, resilient, fierce, eloquent, alluring, animated, heartfelt, pensive, and intense, Author Monalisa Joshi's stunning collection of poems Terracotta Dreams is an impressive read and a must-read for all the true romanticists, drawing you into the corridors of her heart where there burns an undying, zealous fire for love everlasting.
We are delighted to present this book with a 5-star rating and enjoy reading Author Monalisa Joshi's artfully expressive collection of poems with poignant highlights such as, “The Sculptors Sculpture,” “Where I Left My Shadow,” “I Stood A Mannequin,” “Rose's Tale of Love,” “Paradise Waiting,” and “Cage of Love.”
So order your copy today and read this whimsical rapture of emotions and love for yourself! It is beautifully overwhelming.
Well done, Author Monalisa Joshi.
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