Before reviewing Anupama Mohan’s collection “Twenty Odd Love Poems and Then Some,” one must first admire the book by its cover. It’s published by the Calcutta based Writers Workshop with beautiful calligraphy and fabric. This adds to the romance suggested by the title.

Mohan’s poems are not typical saccharine-laden love poems, which is always a relief. They are more like conversations with a particular person. They are laced with references that seem like private notes. However, confidential allusions can be like a speed bump when reading a poem.

Make me
(the space between
my index finger and your thumb)
a pinch
of distance,
an eternity
of closeness,
my body in yours,
the rhythm of
stars,
shooting lights
and all that, you know.
my scent of a woman,
you smell of me too now.
say not love to me,
why
must
you?

make me
(for i will)
stay
for no reason –

“you need to bathe!”
“third world debt!”
“i want your hair!”


Sometimes the poems are a bit structured in their references and word selection; every line is carefully sculpted. The most personal poem of the book was “Swan Song,” which was an unguarded release. It was enjoyable to read and it gave insight to the author as a person.

“twenty poems on love
a thousand words
ten thousand letters:
it is dusk-
time for a stiff drink
and comforting clichés.
time for some old things,
ink pens and exact paper..”


“Sonata amorosa” is beautiful one that dances with the emotions of a new love. The words indicate a sense of movement.

..your love like a crescendo
my breath itself a precipice
this wild nightsky a vortex
spinning me round round round,
a dervish whirling made to imagined euphonies
my gasp sotto voce of pleasure and pain.


While Mohan is South Asian, rarely do her poems in this collection express any specific cultural notes. Her poetry speaks to universal emotions and tussles with western accents (e.g., Hemingway, Napoleon). “Twenty Odd Love Poems” provides unconventional and erudite approach to love poems.

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