Maya Ganesan's ‘Apologies to an Apple’ moves from an aura of innocence and wonder, to spirituality and a search for the self, to a bewildering loneliness. Her book is divided into three parts to accommodate these three distinct moods, each complete by themselves in the portrayal of their mood.
The first part resonates with Maya’s conscious connection with her surrounding world and creatures. This connection is both verbal and non-verbal, with Maya talking to trees, inviting birds through her songs, and these beings in turn responding back to her inner mind.
In her poems- Invitation, Perhaps and September Maya demonstrates a kinship with earth and its creatures, a kinship described in strong imagery, with Maya talking to creatures and feeling they will answer. Lines like the ones below (taken from Invitation) demonstrate this kinship-
'The sparrows have received
my invitation, it seems—
no, not the letter kind.'
From the poem, Moths -
'You are the poem that doesn’t know
and has been unknowing
for a while now.
But you are the poem that
wants to know
and wonders.'
These lines incite a strong sense of spirituality; a wonder for life and the living. This poem is almost like a preamble to the direction Maya will be taking in the second part of her book.
Maya’s- Thoughts at 11:46 a.m- shows a wonderful sense of littleness and yet contentment at being little. It shows her deep understanding of the natural world and its manner of functioning. An uncommon sense of satisfaction and ease envelops this entire section of Maya’s poetry. Another example of this can be found in the lines in Water Lilies-
‘Just as there is no way,
for me,
except forward.
Maya exhibits such lofty self-confidence and a sense of purpose in these lines. Immediately after this line, she takes her self-confidence to a different dimension of faith, by comparing her life to that of water lilies, floating, and yet peaceful in following the course of the stream.
Also, the entire section is sprinkled with child-like imagination and wonder. This is apparent in poems like ‘What She Wants’- where ‘the sun quarrels with the moon’, and Larkspur and Birdsong where-
‘The trees hang their sad
leaf-and-branch faces down over the ground
like sorrowful shadows.’
The second section of Maya’s book has a sense of ‘growing up’ to it; like a child suddenly opening her eyes one morning and finding out the truths of her fragile world. Beginning with the poem- ‘Apologies to an Apple’ from which the name of the book is derived, this section seems to be one of questions, doubts and a search for the self in this ever-changing world. A mighty transition from the wide-eyed amazement of section one, it is defined by lines like the ones below from the poem Infinity-
‘I have long wondered
where
I can find
the horizon.’
‘A message for you’ reveals an almost adult-like sensuality, inviting someone special into a private world. Sold is another poem that has an adult-like quality of pain, regret and being used, all emotions quite uncommon for a child-
'I have sold time
to whoever
would pay the price for it.'
Maya’s lines from Yesterday dissolve the abstract quality of time making it a great piece of imagery-
'I like to be part of
both yesterday and
today, falling out of
one, tipped into
the other.'
In all, Section Two shows a spectator watching life, sometimes entering and participating, sometimes existing and just observing. It conveys a strong sense of spirituality uncommon in a child of Maya’s age. It also poses questions about one’s self that are found in many Indian epics, maybe inborn in Maya, the collective consciousness constantly guiding her writing.
Section Three of Apologies to An Apple gives an aura of loneliness and the loss of a loved one. Lines from A Yellow Towel and Photograph-
'The sun streams in through the
open window,
casting shadows of light' represent a classic irony of light being dull and disturbing. It uncovers the picture of a person in a lot of pain to whom light might seem like shadow.
'A lonely spider
spins her web in a deserted corner'
'a photograph lives its solitary
black-and-white life.'
And the lines from Heartbreak -
'Outside
Is the tangled rain.
Inside, it feels
That way, too.'
All these lines are heart-wrenching in their solitary mood. Maya sets the mood for the entire section in her first poem of this section ‘Diagnosis’-
'In this beautiful world,
I find myself
Knotted in words.'
To balance the sorrow and pain of the third section, Maya ends her book with some of her former hope in the lines from the poem Requiem-
'I trust
every single of a thousand coastlines,
the requiem of the folding
and unfolding waves.'
The entire book ‘Apologies to An Apple’ revolves around the author’s relationship with her inner and outer world. Maya Ganesan has the wonderful gift of being able to weave images with her words and use them to convey her kinship with the world. She has the ability to transmit both ingenuousness and complexity through her poetry, and deal with abstract subjects such as identity and time with a whole lot of ease. At the end of the book one is left with a wholesome blend of the clarity and innocence of a child’s mind and the obscurity of an adult’s, which one notices right away in its title. A book that transports its readers to Maya’s own incredible, imaginative world, Apologies to an Apple is sure to be every poetry-lover’s delight.
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This is a book review of the book Apologies to An Apple by 11-year old Maya Ganesan organised by Read Write Poem. To know more about this virtual book tour visit-
http://readwritepoem.org/blog/2009/09/23/read-write-poem-virtual-book-tour-%E2%80%98apologies-to-an-apple%E2%80%99-by-maya-ganesan/
It has indeed been a privilege to be part of this virtual book tour, an experience both enriching and trying. I am still pleasantly astonished that Maya is just eleven!!
To read a book is one thing, to try and review it is another. But at the end of the journey, it is ever-so satisfying. Please do let me know what you think of my attempt. Thank you.
