Title : Odyssey of Life, of Learnings, of Joy

Poet : Zeyd Ladha

Genre : Poetry

Publisher : Elira Publishing House

The name of the book draws your attention. Yes, Odyssey is what I am talking about. The cover page is so soothing and calm, reflecting the thoughts that it conceals within. This collection is divided into five sections – Self-Care, People & Society, Emotions, Relationships, Love.

Self-Care 

Kudos to the poet for choosing a wonderful sub theme. Self-care is something we all ought to do at a stage of life. All the poems under this section were good but a few really touched my heart. 

Man in the Mirror – a jolt that we all need to remind ourselves of our worth and value in the society where we are running a rat race alongside others. Such thoughts really bring us back to ourselves.

The Cubicle Man –  this poem talks about how a free being is bound by societal pressures and expectations. One can easily relate this poem. 

You Must Start Soon – another beautiful set of words which moved me. These verses motivate a person. 

People and Society

We reflect the society that we live in and the society is shaped up by its people. In this section, the poet has touched upon a lot of topics ranging from war, discrimination, pollution, climate change etc. All the poems in this section linger on long after I have finished reading them. This shows the depth and impact each verse has. It is difficult to choose the favourite from this lot as I liked all the poems 

Emotions

Emotions, something that we deal with every day. The poet brings to light the myriad emotions that we go through from birth to death. 

Manifestation of Fear, The Man I Was, The Fragrance of Death, In Search of Paradise are my picks from this section. 

Relationships

At every stage of life, we bind on to someone. This someone can be a sibling, a parent, a friend or soulmate. Zeyd has penned down some heart warming poems for this section. Bestie and Love of Ages remain my favourites. 

Love

The poet has succeeded in his attempt to ensure that love touches every heart that reads his words. The reader will for sure experience the divine feeling of love in its fullest through the poems written under this section. 

Overall, written in simple words with well suited illustrations, Zeyd’s debut book has all that is needed for a poem enthusiast. Hoping to see more from him.