‘Lasting Echoes’ by Marie Raghavan

Poetry has a life of its own. It is almost always cryptic and just about gives a peek into the poet’s mind, but says more than it reads. Marie Raghavan’s poetry is all that and more. Lasting Echoes is the second anthology of Marie Raghavan published by Rostrum Publications. While her first book of poems, ‘Magical Moments’ was a fierce roller coaster ride of emotions, the Lasting Echoes is a genre of its own. It’s like an orchid that has taken its time to germinate and flourish and then decided to bloom one fine day.

The poems in Lasting Echoes are the signature of Marie Raghavan, like a fierce storm but whose reigns she holds tight in her hands. In her poem ‘Lasting Echoes’, she says ‘Talk to me like a warm lamp, sitting on the counter, the gleaming eyes and words of glee is what I want to ponder. Here’s someone who knows what she feels, who knows what she wants and how she wants it. But she is not forcing anything, which is the beauty of her verses.

Do you miss the smile I left on the table for you, she asks in ‘Fading Smile’. She wants to know if the whispers of the chilly nights and the twinkle in her eyes were missed. Her pain is reflected when she asks ‘The burning flame that my heart was burning, the fumes that touched your spirit; Did you even miss it?’ There’s so much force and energy in her words, but equal parts restrain, grace, and poise, which is what is the most alluring part. All poems in this book are much more stronger and articulate than the emotions they depict which is made all the more clear by the crisp titles borne them. It makes it easier for the reader to immediately connect and soak in the exact feeling she tries to portray.

‘Reaching heights’ is another beautiful poem that is reflective of Marie’s command over words. ‘The fear is subtle and we are strong; Because together we are whole and bonded’ she reassures herself as she glides magically to new heights, fully aware and fully grounded. In ‘The Universe’, she whispers the secret of her bliss when she says ‘I live a life that breathes my soul, Everything here belongs to me, The Universe lives inside of me’. The same message comes across as an inner conversation in ‘Joy within’ as ‘What I was searching for all this while, Looking for my soul outside of myself. All the joys I find Alas! Are there within me again, the Joy is within’.

Her inspiration is revealed in the poem by the same name when she gives a peek into her world where the hero lives somewhere in the millions of books she reads and the stories she tells herself. She is in a happy and secure place in life, but not satisfied with where she is. Like the elusive utopia, she yearns for the stars in her skies and wants them to shine. In the introduction, she speaks of lasting echoes that linger long after the memories have faded, engulfing her being with a blanket of life’s magic. Like the hero whose story is seldom revealed, Marie’s poems play peek-a-boo with the reader, offering just the right amount of rays to catch a glimpse but just short of bedazzling your eyes. That’s quintessential Marie for you.

Marie Raghavan is a true blue Belagavi girl, who studied at Divine Providence and Gogte College but is now settled in Bangalore. Her heart is very much in Belagavi where she spends a large part of the year in her home and at her lush farm. Her second book of poems ‘Lasting Echoes’ was recently published and is now available through Rostrum Publications at https://formaloo.net/edqkp