Which of My Selves Do You Wish to Speak To?: Selected Poems

Sly are the ways of temptation. Birds with grains, children with peppermints, And brunettes with bracelets. The way to catch a star Is to keep your palm open. Shiv K. Kumar, one of the major contemporary poets of modern India, was among the first to be recognized and felicitated abroad. This selection spans over three decades of his career as a poet, reflecting the development of his voice. Kumar explores, in almost involuntarily flowing words, some of the essential, often unvoiced, dilemmas of human life. His verse is elegant and spare, his imagery bold and unconventional. His restrained, almost graphic treatment of his subjects indicates polish acquired over years of honing his craft. Kumar s themes range from the epic to the apparently incidental. He writes on loss, love and passion, adolescence and death, and also about fleeting sunsets, a wayside temple, mating peacocks, a young female jogger, a mango vendor. His magpie gaze captures images that often pass us by, but reveal something essential in his hands.