This book gives glimpses of Jacob’s life journey of self-exploration and self-introspection.

This book gives glimpses of Jacob’s life journey of self-exploration and self-introspection.  His poems clearly have penned down journey of life with an open heart and an open mind.  Congratulations Jocob, for some of your work being published in Unspoken Word, NYPL: St. George Library, and Verse-Virtual.

Title of his book “Seance” means a meeting at which people attempt to make contact with the dead, especially through the agency of a medium.  I too have heard of some things like this and this is prevalent in many parts of the world.

I liked your idea of dedicating your book to familiars, ie,  your pets.  This is so thoughtful of you.

Your reasons of incorporating art therapy into private practice is worth mentioning here.  You have so gracefully narrated your own experience of drawing a house, tree and person in pencil and crayons each, and how this experience helped release your pent up feelings.  I very much relate to your lines, “Certain feelings I have repressed over the years came to the surface as I was drawing.  Every time I did an experiential in this class, I discovered a part of myself that I never knew existed”.

Your writing and love for Israel is very well penned, “Jacob is who I must be, I await the Exodus in which my revolution tells me that Israel who I must embody, I am the healing force who dwells in gardens inherently nourished, I am the poet who has survived long enough to scribe his legacy”.

What an unique way of writing Willow in the Wind!!  So artistic and to the point!!

Parakeet Song; a must read. The food that he expressed in his Golden’s Deli is awesome.  Memories of his youth so wonderfully penned, and he wants the memories to live on.

“A poet’s words will not cease in touching, will not keep us trapped in this solemn trench, COVID-19 preys on the strong and weak, in turn, it’s given us the words to speak”.  His words on how we all being so diverse yet have embraced this crisis are very authentic.  Adding to these are, “My words have never been sanitized, though now the hands with which I write them are doused in Purell but I’m not afraid to get dirty; paint and ink still are my weapons while we’re struggling, revolution is upon us now; the kind where artists have enough time for creation”.  I agree with your words because creativity is a “given” to artist.  I have come across many books during this period and almost every poet has written something or the other about this pandemic.  “We’re the tribe of castaways who dare to dream amid COVID-19 panic” is very motivating and uplifting thought indeed.

Very touching poetry in One Year Sober as you write, “His gifts will bestow trees from seeds buried within a once barren land, now he comes back down after stars guide him through his resuscitation.  Vision now restored consciousness acute, now, he is alive again”.  I assume you were talking about a dead soldier here.

“In my brain is a demon working effortlessly while I am succumbing to heat trapped inside these walls.  Working effortlessly while I am peering through these cracks trapped inside these walls, I am alone”.  Similarly, “Introversion; which I no longer attribute to shyness, but the loneliness thrust upon the masses as in his Essential speaks volumes.  Even in crowd, one always finds oneself all alone; is what Jacob wants to say.

In India, one of our young male actor committed suicide and his doctors mentioned that he was bipolar.  Reading Jacob’s lines, “To be bipolar in a scattered world is to be a compass.  Demagnetized and without a clear direction out of melancholy” just reminded me of the actor.

Readers, please go through his artistic poem on Chimney where he has woven his words in such a way to represent any chimney.

“I need to place forgiveness in my heart, I need to forgive myself for my part” as in Forgiveness.  This line stays with me and I am sure, it will stay with the Readers as well because we have still not learnt to forgive ourselves for our deeds.

Readers, I am sure will be able to relate to his words and poems, and may be motivated to take a self-explorative journey to understand themselves.  Jocob, I must say, this book to me felt like a life-time achievement award because there is so much to learn from it.  I too being a Writer now understand how I flirt with words and pen them down just to release my pent-up thoughts.  All the best to you, Jacob and may your book cross every milestone to reach each and every Reader to benefit from it.

Regards,

Shubhaangi Kundalkar

Author, Justaju-in search of life