Touch of Wings: 100 Poems
by Gyanchand Rayman
Book Review by Sueann Rajbansie
tutelage find in him a passion for
all things literary that can barely be
contained.
W.H. Auden has said that “A poet
is, before anything else, a person
who is passionately in love with
language.”
Gyanchand Rayman has a love
for language that is unsurpassed.
His Enticing Short Stories and
his new book of one hundred
poems, Touch of Wings, are
glimpses into the brilliance of
writing that emerges from the
hand of one who is blessed by
the Muse Calliope herself. Touch
of Wings is a collection of poetry
that encompasses themes such as
love, innocence, experience, nature,
beauty, culture, ritual and rhythm.
Rayman’s career has included
numerous short stories, plays and
poems. Unsurprisingly, he is also
the winner of countless literary
awards. Not only is Rayman a
proficient writer, but his love
for language has placed him in
many classrooms where those
who are fortunate to be under his
BOOK SHELF
Within this new magnificent
text, Rayman’s distinct ability to
artistically manipulate language
and literary technique comes to the
fore. His writing portrays a depth
of emotion that emanates from
experience; the images are sharp
and the metaphors draw us in to
a world where real life becomes
forgotten in the poignancy of the
written word.
As the poet writes in ‘Without
You’, ‘cold and listless your
departure has left me in coal-black
darkness, foundering and bereft
of sustenance.’ The reader is left
reeling from the void that the
persona experiences and the pain
that arises from the retreat of a
loved one. Yet that feeling is not
the only one to be experienced
with such depth. In ‘Bird’, the
playfulness of the poet mirrors the
antics of the bird and the reader
is brought to life by the ‘head
cocked curiously observing’, and
the oneness with nature that the
persona describes, when there is
the realization that ‘joyful am I,
pretty bird befriended devotes time
to me.’
‘Nagar Night’ gives insight into
the annual celebration of the
Hindu festival of Divali, with
the commercialization of the
festival, but still highlighting the
vibrancy of the event. This piece
is indeed an ode to culture. The
dialectal variation that appears
in Touch of Wings is testament
to the adaptability of the poet to
manipulate language to create
character. ‘Woman, Shut You’
Mout’ comically underscores the
perpetual Caribbean problem
of infidelity and attempts to
hysterically justify the weakness
of the flesh when faced with the
symbolic and tempting ‘flash of
tail’.
Every poem in this book depicts
the skill of the poet in his ability to
see beauty in the mundane, culture
in the commercial, rhythm in the
stagnant, purity in the profane. A
quote by James Fenton accurately
describes the power of Rayman’s
work: “The writing of a poem is
like a child throwing stones into a
mineshaft. You compose first, then
you listen for the reverberation.”
Rayman’s impressive work, Touch
of Wings, will echo throughout the
world and for all time.
Touch of Wings is available at
758 Saint Lucia Books in the
Gablewoods Mall at Sunny Acres
for only $45.00.
HEALTH TIPS
Drink plenty of fluids
Adults need to drink at least 1.5 litres
of fluid a day! Or more if it’s very
hot or they are physically active.
Water is the best source, of course,
and we can use tap or mineral water,
sparkling or non-sparkling, plain
or flavoured. Fruit juices, tea, soft
drinks, milk and other drinks, can all
be okay - from time to time.
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