Poetic Reflections on Death - A Collection of Poems

This is a collection of some of my poems written over a period of three decades. The order of the poems is random: it is neither chronological, nor logical. The poems cover a vast range, from the shades of sadness, and personal sorrow to philosophising death in order to comprehend this reality. This long journey across ages and stages of life certainly brings about variety. In this sense this is an anthology of poems on this particular theme. I think the moment we start thinking about life we are forced to share our attention with its cognate, viz., death. Despite of this significance of the enterprise no focused collection or exclusive anthology of poems on the theme of death comes to my mind readily. Associating this collection with morbidity may not be the most accurate of approaches. I am very much a part of the Indian culture and traditions, which, beyond the natural human feelings of grief, even celebrates death, as the culmination of life. This is something similar to a retirement party: A celebration of completion and transition from one stage to another. Death is a universal phenomenon, and no person, or family is untouched by it. However there may not be any other human experience more traumatic and distressing than death of a loved one. It is rare that a person who has suffered the loss of a family member gets enough to express themselves or can get someone understanding enough to share that grief with. I would feel much fulfilled if at least a few people find a resonance of their own grief, fear and mystification of death in these poems and are able to build their thoughts upon. Hope some of these thoughts prove to be therapeutic to the bereaved. Hope you find these thoughts complementing your own thoughts somewhere. The philosophical tone may be very prominent, but it is after all an enterprise of the heart.