Poetry features words that are born from the deepest emotions, which have the potential to strike the chords with the readers’ hearts when the poets pull the strings of the most accurate word. “I said with Meraki” by Dev is the poetry collection that has the chosen words which are accurate to strike the chords with the readers’ hearts and leave them in wonder with the poetry the author writes. The poet writes in a simplistic manner but conveys his thoughts in a concise and focused manner. This distinguishes the poetry collection from any of its counterparts.
“I said with Meraki” focusses on sharing the emotions of a person, which may not be easily expressed in words. Through different poems, Dev explores abstract thoughts and feelings that mostly remain in people’s hearts and never get space in speech. Poems like “Pandemic,” “Lockdown” give voice to the different states of mind of the people and their individual perceptions of the unanticipated change. Through his poems, the author explores a universe of thoughts where he gives voice to the minds of many in a condensed manner. At the same time, poems like “Smart.com” show the connection of the poet to contemporary life.
The cover of “I said Meraki” is an interesting and attractive one. At one glance, the readers are invited to take a plunge into the world Dev creates and all that he has to share with the readers. It is interesting to note how the poet titles his poems in “I said with Meraki.” The titles are short, precise, convey just enough to make the readers feel interested in reading the poetic verse that is to follow. Poems like “Selfie,” “Haze,” “Say,” “Pause,” “Flight” and many others, exhibit these traits. The titles say nothing and yet justify being the titles of the poems one way or the other. The poems would be enjoyed by the readers who have an interest in reading content that explores the different facets of life from different dimensions and a variety of viewpoints. Sometimes the viewpoint is of a mature person understanding things as they occur in life and sometimes of an inquisitive personality who seeks answers to the questions life throws at him. This journey becomes equally exciting for the readers as they become party to the poet’s thoughts and think along the same lines.
“I said with Meraki” is one of the few works that stands for its own kind and has the potential to carve a space in the literary world into a niche of its own. It would thrill the readers, give them a feeling of adventure, also make them wonder about the different thoughts of the poet that come to light. They show the readers a different perspective to see life, and even though the air sometimes feels like melancholy, it carries a wave of positivity. In that way, the poetry collection would also become instrumental in lighting the mood of the readers in times when they would come back to reading it. The book is one of the few that the readers would like to keep at their bedside and read it time and again only to enlighten themselves or change their mood. The subjects explored are around emotions, thoughts, individual ideas, the poet’s view of society and people, his thought about life in general, his observations in silence, and most importantly, his insightful reactions to them. Altogether, the book is an exploration of the universe through an individual’s mind.
The poems are in a good number, but “I said with Meraki” has poetry that is short, concentrated, and focuses on demonstrating an abstract idea in the most concrete form as words would permit. Hence, reading the collection becomes an enriching experience for the readers and also an enlightening one. It becomes an in-depth experience that can only be understood by those who would read the book and understand the poetic verse the author has penned.
