Yesterday
I was a moon
By “Noor Unnahar”
Young, modern, and artist-y, Noor
Unnahar is Pakistani girl who has poured her heart and imagination into this
little collection of her poetic verses. I cannot particularly call it a
collection of poetry, for poetry for me has a high and significant place in the
literary world. Modern poetry is too loosely structured and less emphasized to
be called poetry, per se. They are called Insta-poetry
in slang language, for such poetry are perfect eye-catchers with its artistic
flair of flowers and sketchy drawings, for Instagram and other social
platforms. Nevertheless, to say that this contemporary version of
self-expression does not have any significance of its own, would be unfair. Because
as you read this little book, you do feel loved and touched by some of the very
well written and captured thoughts of Noor, which is the duty of poetry as a
whole.
Noor has talked about almost
everything she has had experienced in her life in this book. You feel more
inclined towards the experiences and her expressions of them because of her
poetic way of presenting them. In yesterday
I was a moon, there are more than a few times when you pause and think – ‘wow,
that is really well-thought’ or ‘I never thought about this experience in that
way’. Noor’s writing aura, which all writers tend to have, helps to make this
book worth reading for those who pick it up.
However, as you start this book, it
immediately feels like a project of a young girl talking about her feelings,
which shall not have any significance whatsoever on you or your perspective
about living; I certainly felt so. Being a shameless and uneducated poet
myself, many times I felt that I could come up with a collection of my own just
like this one that I am currently reading. But - one those few pages, where I
had to pause and reflect on my own experiences of an event through the word of
Unnahar, I knew that this book has something nuancedly beautiful to offer. It
is worth reading, if at least for these pages only.
The inspiration that I am taking
away from this book is that if you can do it and you don’t, and then feel badly
towards those who actually did it, saying that I could’ve done the same, is
that key distinction that you didn’t do
it, while they did. And it should inspire us to take risks with our actions,
of which we think we are capable of. Most certainly you will face unasked
criticism in a world so full of lost hopes and bitter offerings, but maybe some
of what you might say really touch someone and be taken as something – magical
and of great significance. Unnahar did it, when will you?
An
Excerpt:
“When
everything comes crashing down
I
hope you are wearing a faint little smile
For
an end is near
And
a start is nearer.” Page: 85
As I close
my review, I would like to list down the page numbers of some of the poetries I
loved most in this little book of joyful bites: 50, 54, 73, 82, 83, 85, 107, 114,
118, and 133.
My praise for
the book:
Beautifully
expressed and tenderly written,
Unnahar
has done justice to her experience of living with this collection.
Ratings: 3.5/5 ***
A review by: Ejaz
Hussain
November 27, 2019