The Seductive Fragrances
By Nishat Wasim
Self-published
ISBN: 958-257-7412-53-0
74pp.

Long stretched nights of winter would be frightfully boring and dull without any poetic infusion. Amidst the silence, away from the nerve-wrenching chaos, The Seductive Fragrances becomes one’s perfect companion.

Nishat Wasim, the poetess, had previously offered her audiences the chance to witness the co-existence of introspective and universal themes in Listen to the Wind (2022). Poet Harris Khalique praises the latest collection by Wasim thus: “This collection marks the confident arrival of a new voice that further enriches the body of our English language verse.”

Born in Karachi, Nishat Wasim entered the profession of life-long dedication — teaching — after her post-grad in English. She is currently visiting faculty in the department of English at the University of Karachi. Her poems have been published in Pakistani national newspapers and magazines as well as in Poetry from Pakistan: An Anthology (OUP, 1997), The Journal of Pakistan Academy of Letters, Islamabad, and the e-magazine FemAsia. Nishat is also the co-editor of Sometimes a Greenness Grows: An Anthology of Poetry (2022).

Consuming poetry is an intimate journey, where the reader embarks on the road to shared challenges. The Seductive Fragrances touches on variegated themes, which include love, friendship, grief, loss, death, gratitude and the complexity of relationships.

The collection opens with an ode to God. Acknowledgment of a higher power and its miraculous impact on one’s life is integral to the poet. ‘God’s Bounty’ celebrates a swelling gratitude by a recollection of intricate blessings in life. It serves the purpose of reassuring the self of the infinite nature of God’s generosity.

A new collection of poems touching on themes of love, friendship, grief, loss, death, gratitude and the complexity of relationships works cumulatively

“The refreshing cool breeze
Kissing the skin ever so gently”

The poet is well aware of the transient nature of epiphanies; hence the effort to encapsulate these fleeting moments.

Replicating the balance of highs and lows in life, the poet also etches the stark reality of the scars gifted by the world. Critical of the callous nature of mindless utterances, she brings to light the impact of language. Words hold the power to build or cause havoc. ‘The Scars’ showcases the underlying nuances behind words carelessly spoken. The composure and resilience required to deal with the brutalities of society is reflected.

In the earlier pages, Dr Faisal Nazir introduces the collection with insightful commentary. ‘The Lure of Ordinary Days’, he notes, is most characteristic of Nishat Wasim’s style and theme.

“But the ordinary, uneventful days
Are what I look forward to”

Wasim celebrates and cherishes the mundane, routine, small gestures and ordinary occurrences and, as Nazir points out, “The language of poems is itself highly poetic in a highly unpoetic way.” One cannot derive pleasure in the ordinary if the quality does not resonate with their own mantle or core. It reminds one of “I am more ordinary than ordinary” by Mohammad Idrees, where the writer celebrates memories of accumulated oneness with the ordinary. Apart from this, Wasim’s poetry puts forth the idea of opening oneself to the unique experiences life has to offer.

Appreciating the simplicity and conciseness of expression, and maintaining a resistance towards indulgence, the collection manages to stir the imaginative faculties of its audience. There are brighter poems in the collection as well, which tend to delve into the carefree realm of existence. ‘Beach Trip’, ‘I Burn Like Ice’, ‘The Hug’, are some that solidify joyous moments through their vivid imagery.

“The waves hug the shore
The low roar
Music divine.”

Breaking the monotony, there are poems shedding light on the complexity of relationships as well. Penning down that built-up anger in ‘Being Mad’ — “the anger, a seething, smouldering fire…” — it is turned by Wasim into creative expression. ‘Flowers and Thorns’, depicting the duality of human nature, is another piece that leaves the audience with a life-saving mantra: “Pick the flowers, ignore the thorns.” The relationships explored are not just limited to the romantic. The exchange between an individual and society has also been taken into account — “to forget the good done, the love given.”

The blind eye turned to humanity by society is one major theme. Envy, indifference, inhumanity, darkened hearts, all deeply concern the poetess.

Motherhood and friendship are intertwined in Wasim’s collection. The bond developed and shared by female companions is cherish-able. There are several pieces dedicated to the rejoicing of womanhood and it would be more appropriate to categorise her narrative as this, rather than motherhood. The immeasurably selfless, giving trait exhibited by a woman is highlighted in ‘Blessings’. At the same time, she comments on unavoidable encounters with deceptive humans: “To be kind and welcoming/ Turned into a sin/ For the guest ousted the host/ Like an insidious parasite.”

Allusions to Robert Frost’s ‘Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening’ and Ernest Hemingway’s For Whom The Bell Tolls is evident in ‘The Knock’ where death is the looming figure the poet has to fight against. Alluding to Dylan Thomas’ famous villanelle ‘Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night’, ‘The Motto’ wraps up the poetry collection.

As Faisal Nazir writes, “The poet looks at death as she has looked at life: with resignation and contentment.” There isn’t and, according to her, there shouldn’t be any “rage against the dying of the light.”

Nishat Wasim’s collections are often very introspective, but they work cumulatively. Only a thorough reading would bring the assortment of images, moods and insights embedded in the poems to the forefront.

The reviewer is a lecturer in the Department of English Language and Literature at Kinnaird College for Women, Lahore

Published in Dawn, Books & Authors, December 22nd, 2024