Book Review: 'Pinpricks' Poems By Ankit Raj Ojha

Pinpricks: Poems by Ankit Raj Ojha

Published by Hawakal Publishers

Available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/939143116X 

Ankit Raj Ojha’s first poetry collection goes into his memory bank, giving light to the intricate tapestry of life experiences that have created the poet. While Pinpricks is about intimate relationships, it goes beyond that, using vivid imagery, incisive insights, and exquisitely artful language to capture situations that range from very personal to globally accessible. The collection weaves together a wide range of themes, including familial bonds, generation divides, and the subtle joys encountered within the blank spaces of rental abodes. The study of sorrow, love, and the unstoppable march of time is poignant, giving each poem a distinct narrative that resonates on different emotional wavelengths. The title, Pinpricks, is a proclamation of a yearning that leads readers on a compelling and contemplative journey through the many facets of life, emotions, and experiences.

The opening poem, ‘Palate’, unveils an intense narrative of loss, intertwining the anticipation of an inadvertent priority with the abruptness of mortality: 

I had a box lying around

But decided to get him another

when I’d be done revising

my paper.

He showed symptoms on May 2nd,

was dead on the 13th.

The poet skilfully weaves emotions, creating a visceral experience that lingers long after the poem concludes. Ojha is at odds with himself for his inability to survive in a space similar to his childhood, with and around those he cherishes. He recreates such settings in these poems in an attempt to find peace with them. He dedicates three poems to his grandmother and grandfather’s life and death and his tender reflections on the yearning for what has passed in the pursuit of what was to be seized: “The weary twists and turns/ of her yellowed broken skin/ seemed worthier/ and farther/ than the highway to the office” (‘Portrait of a Lady Taken Too Soon’); “Death too he took care of on his own,/ ensuring I was not disturbed till the very end” (‘The Man Who Appropriated Death to My Convenience’).

His collection is an introspective look at the gap between what has been accomplished and what has been left behind. Poems such as ‘The Boy Next Door’, ‘Cavities’, ‘Circle’, ‘Endless Picaresque’, ‘Supposedly Stolen Lives’, ‘No, Thanks!’, and ‘A Dog’s Life’ traverse the self and the world, with the self being isolated, and therefore making the world an isolated place for the poet. Ojha’s quest of being called useless, “when I am rendered useless/ for lack of trying,/ apparently/” (‘No, Thanks!’); “I keep waiting for a miracle,/ a nudge from without/ that’ll free Sisyphus/ (‘Circle’);  to being successful and considering life in palpable grief without loved ones around, “how/ the boy next door has/ smiled his way through his/ second dinner of the evening” (‘The Boy Next Door’) is a typical irony that ranges from one poem to another. 

The poet communicates lives with a beautiful garland of words, revealing the sensitivity beneath stern exteriors. Ojha symbolically investigates the delight found in empty places, making them into secret realms where people can be themselves:

The sweeter the joy

If the compartment is empty

And struggles before giving in 

to endless space 

and infinite possibilities (‘Cavities’)

He deftly combines the physical and emotional worlds, resulting in a contemplative composition of the human life pushed in quiet areas to begin living at every transition. 

The poems ‘Essential Services’ and ‘Generation Gap’ expertly express the interplay between tradition and current sensibilities, providing a light-hearted touch to the book and highlighting subtle humour: “The socially distanced animal’s brother,/ l’homme de la littérature,/ has cancelled his gym membership/ (one must not work out masked!)/ and has long unmasked dinner chats/ with the pretty lady down the street” (‘Essential Services’). The poet employs quirky narratives and characters to offer satirical commentary on societal norms. The humour infused into these pieces adds a layer of wit to the collection: 

    I was itching to offer

    A simile of my own

    Featuring quite another tract,

    And diarrhoea,

    But then I chose to shut up. (‘Generation Gap’)

The humour takes the form of a shivering reality that hits hard with poems like ‘EMI’, ‘Pride’ and ‘The Barrel’. ‘Pride’ succinctly captures the relationship between pride and financial growth and stability that controls the contemporary youth, showcasing the poet’s ability to distil complex ideas into concise verses. These short poems pack a punch, encapsulating complex emotions and reflections on life in minimalistic and microcosmic verses. The brevity of these poems enhances their impact, making them standout pieces in the collection:

    I am spending

    myself

    in installments. (‘EMI’)

Of all the things left behind, the collection also decorates and celebrates love and dreams in the poems ‘Mahanadi’, ‘The Life and Times of Suku and Dukhu’, and ‘I Frequent the Less Frequented Bookshops’. The first two poems take us through his wife’s childhood, and the poet’s content derived from “the tales featuring fish and crabs and prawns/ and her Grandma’s cooking pot” (‘Mahanadi’). The poet’s metaphorical description of a breakfast date between him and his wife invokes nostalgic undertones by blending elements of personal memories and takes the reader into the world of the poet, riding along the “dreamy Mahanadi road” (‘Mahanadi’) and like the poet himself, takes a backseat, enjoying the “second-hand wind kissing” while passing through his memory mazes with a comforting affinity for the recognition of self in every poem. 

The abrupt shift in the reader’s perception of love from a complete and fulfilling breakfast ride to the essence of incomplete ghats meeting the river brings the reader to the contrast of how the poet defines love as fulfilling yet incomplete. The poet explores the tragic irony of unrequited affection, drawing a poignant parallel between a ghat and a river:

    Has a river ever stopped

    To pour all of herself

    To a bleeding ghat? (‘On Love’)

Pinpricks is a beautifully produced compilation that navigates the complex terrain of human emotions, relationships, and cultural expectations. The poet’s sharp observations, combined with his versatile use of language, create an immersive experience that allows readers to engage with the poetry personally. Each poem exemplifies the poet’s ability to condense convoluted emotions into evocative verses, resulting in an engaging and enriching read. The book becomes a personification of the poet’s life experiences, imparting his true emotions to the reader.

Shivalika Agarwal is a published poet and a doctoral fellow at the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Roorkee, Roorkee, Uttarakhand, India. She hails from a small town, Najibabad, in Uttar Pradesh, India. She graduated with a BA (Hons) in English from Delhi University. Her poetry, short fiction and research appear in multiple venues. She is on X (ShivalikaAgarw2) and Instagram (@shivalikaagarwal).