As part of an ongoing collaboration with Harper Collins for the month of May, I'm curating three poems from their new special edition #Harper10 poetry book series. Together, we hope to highlight the works of these contemporary Indian poets, and let their words take you places :)
Today, we're reading three poems from Countries of the Body by Tishani Doshi, one of the most prolific poets from India. Sharing these poems also feels closer to heart because I spent 10 gorgeous days at her beachside home in Paramankeni, Tamil Nadu, which culminated in this e-book.
Tishani's debut collection marks the arrival of a major new voice in international poetry. Winner of the 2006 Forward Poetry Prize for best first collection, each poem in the book sings of the body with all its contours and contradictions, failures and flaws. Attuned to the precision of dance, the rhythm of these lines can tell ‘movement from half-movement’. Shuttling between ancient ruins, sea towns and inhabiting the mysterious spaces between dream and memory, the poems will enchant readers with their delicate and haunting quality.
Happy reading!
