Poetry Blog Spotlight

http://firmlyrooted.blogspot.com/

ROOTED 

           This blog entitled “rooted” is a blogspot page with a simple layout and complex themes. The author covers a wide variety of topics with her poems, and each one brings different elements to the table. Her poems such as “nirvana” (http://firmlyrooted.blogspot.com/2013/09/nirvana.html) are very well written and mix earthly and unearthly concepts. She uses great imagery in her poems, especially when describing landscapes or everyday things. For example, in “nirvana” she writes, “a lone tree in the sharp hillside where clouds spill all over it. That exact spot where the ghosts gathered.” I enjoy reading these poems because each one is different and original, and the quality is great. The author uses a variety of poetic devices, writing styles, line breaks, et cetera. She also complements the majority of her poems with a picture (or pictures with a poem), which only increases the ability of the reader to visualize her poems. The layout is simple and white, which in my mind demonstrates she is not trying to make up for a lack of creativity or quality in her poems, because the blog still appears somewhat pleasing to the eye. In other words, it is easy to look at, and her poems are easy and interesting to read.

            The author also includes a short quote after each of her poems, usually motivational or inspirational. I thought these added a lot to her blog, and really like the one she wrote following her poem “Sway That Bay” (http://firmlyrooted.blogspot.com/2013/09/sway-that-bay.html), which read

"there is no single master of the world,
but who pulls the invisible strings?"

            What the hell does that even mean. So there is a master? Or does no one pull the strings... Either way it's a thinker, and you can interpret it however you want. Although some of the quotes may be cliché, most of them relate to the poems and can be a guilty pleasure of sorts. I really like how this blog, like I wrote earlier, has lots of different dimensions and elements of poetry, whether it be the range of topics or poetic devices, style, or meter. I think this is important because it keeps the reader engaged, and it doesn’t feel like you’re reading the same thing over and over again.

            Many of the author’s poems are about specific objects, but some address deeper issues. Her poem “cries inside the mind” (http://firmlyrooted.blogspot.com/2013/08/cries-inside-mind.html) is especially powerful because it addresses a serious problem in her home country of India where she still resides. She writes of the poor treatment and frequent gang rape of women in India, and the pain and recovery they have to go through every day. Lines such as “we cannot help her pick up the pieces/she needs to do it alone,/to stop the cries inside her head” resonate deeply, and the annotation at the bottom of the poem is also very important to read. This poem shows the author is capable of addressing a wide variety of topics, and gives an important voice to the unheard.

            Overall, “rooted” is a great blog with tons of great poetry. Its simple style provides no distractions from what is important, which are her poems.