Ars Prozatica Poem by Souren Mondal
Ars Prozatica
They ask me why do I write?
I really don't have an answer for that,
'it's me not you', says the dæmon
in my brain
He likes Prozac - - loves it,
His hunger is insatiable - - he can chew
Prozac and Venlafaxine and Esctilopram,
and sleeps only when he gets some
Clonazepam...
He writes verses, some are stupid
and some even more - - imbecile like
moron.
He makes me see things like a vivid HD
dream in a foreign language without
subtitles - - I don't understand them,
but the images stay with me
- - the image of a violent scream in darkness,
another image of a vagabound chasing
a mirage in night at a salt desert
- - the vagabond sees the sky with the
stars coming together to form the face
of a decapitated baby making a chuckle
What? Lo! The language is yonder the
horizon of the black, rotten blood ocean,
where the sun is shaped like a
minator
and there's Oedipus - - in the shape of
a cat, without eyes - - tears of fresh blood,
And Antigone has snake hairs,
while the human in me is coiled up
like a snake again,
trying to digest the rotten rat's bones
inside its belly
And then there's always that one room
- - there's no room for light or air or anything human
in it,
except a voice - a voice that tells me -
'Be a poet on Prozac, take your liberties
with anything and everything,
the meanings will be
lost between the lines,
and you will metamorphose into
the dæmon that's inside you'
Ars Prozatica,
not worth a shot of tequila or sensible
arguments - - it's just the dæmon in
my head,
trying to crack open my skull like a
coconut - -
Only from inside......
I think Souren is the writer for sure! I'm with Kelly...write away your demon! Prescription pills are a double edged (at least) sword for sure. I think others can relate to what you write in this poem. I really like that you pull your knowledge of literature into your writing as well as your commentary. Its great to be able to find the links and connections in life, art, poets, writers, friends.
Souren, do not doubt about the path you follow.No one is what he is.He has to prove every moments one is someone.If you are not going to write another poem you are not any more a poet. Everytime you prove it, that time you are what your action proves.We are our actions, not our unwritten thoughts,
while the human in me is coiled up like a snake again, trying to digest the rotten rat's bones inside its belly That may be one of the best poetic sentences I've ever read. I like your poem- -keep chasing that mirage 'cause I have a feeling you're almost there and the nectar....well, can't you just taste it?
Thank you Brian.. I can taste it in bits and pieces but never properly.. I guess it has more to do with my own whimsical nature than anything else.. Btw, the snake imagery actually came to my mind from Coleridge's conception of 'primary imagination' and 'secondary imagination' from from 'Kubla Khan' - it was actually suggested by my college professor that 'seondary imagination' is like a coiled snake... Although, I didn't get it then nor do I get it now, I used it here :)
Verily, a good description, I think the demon has lost its qualities as they have been snatched away by the divine
BTW, I've chosen the 2 poems of yours to add to the selection for the new eBook (''HOW TO WRITE POETRY - COME SCRIVERE POESIE'') . They are ''One Look'' and ''Smiling Girl''. I'll translate them into Italian soon.
dear Souren, you asked my opinion and I'll give it to you.. You are not only a poet (then stop thinking of you as sort of a 'poet in fieri') - you are a good poet and a clever guy, with a solid background of literary education. You are good in choosing words and give them an effectual stilistic form. This poem has got all of the above. That said, I have to add that the poems I like the most - among the ones you've posted till today, including 'Cutting' - are those little jewels of ''Red Dot'', ''Smiling Girl'' and ''One Look''. Why? Because they are void of complex references and of a layered diction that make the verse a bit too thick and heavy. But, of couse, it is just my humble opinion. About Ars Prozatica, to make it clear, be sure that I've enjoyed it - even if I would have chosen a different.. title.. ;)
Thank you Fabrzio. I really appreciate your opinion.. And whether a 'poet in transition' (I hope that's what the Italian words mean) or not, sometimes I read things in a horrible ways, and type too.. You know why I said it beause of my messages.. I agree with your choices, but I still don't think I am a good enough poet - - I can do much better, I think - and that is why I always say 'I am a poet in transition' - - it helps me to keep myself in check, because I believe the day I actually said that I am a poet, I may just lose it all - being in 'transition' is a motivational mantra for me :)
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
Delivering Poems Around The World
Poems are the property of their respective owners. All information has been reproduced here for educational and informational purposes to benefit site visitors, and is provided at no charge...
4/23/2024 2:23:53 PM # 1.0.0.1119
Write about the demon, Souren. Take away his power with your words and thoughts. Laugh at him and make your art
Thank you Kelly.. You know your comment reminded me of a quote of Baudelaire (I hope it's him, for I read it in a newspaper article about 7-8 years ago) that said, Before the mirror I have practiced the cruel art, that a dæmon bestowed me with at my birth, of turning pain into pure pleasure... That is what poets and artists should always strive to do, turning their pains into pleasure.. It was an advice that I did not understand until recently...