A Story about the “Where Are You From?” Conundrum…
A what appears to be a “black” guy discreetly steps into a room full of “white” people. Well, as “discreet” as a “black” guy can be in a room full of “white” people. Presumably, and rightfully so, the first thing they see is his “blackness”. But wait, there’s more… The next thing they hear is his “accent”. So, the “black” guy knows what comes next. They will try to discover just what kind of “black” he is. He notices a “white” guy coming his way with the usual disarming wide grin he’s come to know so well designed to lower the defenses. The “black” guy got a twisty feeling in his gut. He knows that this is NOT going to go well or maybe it’s brought on by a self-fulfilling prophecy.
“Hi there, I’m Dick!” The “white” guy exclaims with exaggerated gusto.
“Hi! I’m Jean-Pierre,” says the “black” guy. “I used to know a Dick …” The “black” guy says wistfully.
“Oh, is that riiiight?!” The “white” guy trails off, rapidly batting his eyes, as is somewhat caught by surprise. Then quickly proceeds to his original intention of interrogation style questions, which could be interpreted by some as a form of microaggression among non “whites”.
“So….where are you from? The Caribbean? He asks with the widest grin on his “white” face. Notice how he attributes the name Jean-Pierre to the Caribbean when, in reality, it is of Franco-European origin. Had the “black” guy been a “white” guy, he would most likely attribute the name to France.
Jean-Pierre displays an equally disarming wide grin and blurts out what he’d rehearsed in front of the mirror at home many times over.
“Thank you for your curiosity. Naturally, I come from Mr. Semen and Madame Ovary. I was born in South Central Vagina. Any other explanation would be an exercise in fertility…” He accentuated his response with a guffaw, leaving Dick in a germinative stupor…
Jacques Fleury
Jacques Fleury is a Boston Globe featured Haitian American Poet, Educator, Author of four books and a literary arts student at Harvard University online. His latest publication “You Are Enough: The Journey to Accepting Your Authentic Self” & other titles are available at all Boston Public Libraries, the University of Massachusetts Healey Library, University of Wyoming, Askews and Holts Library Services in the United Kingdom, The Harvard Book Store, The Grolier Poetry Bookshop, Amazon etc… He has been published in prestigious publications such as Wilderness House Literary Review, Muddy River Poetry Review, Litterateur Redefining World anthologies out of India, Poets Reading the News, the Cornell University Press anthology Class Lives: Stories from Our Economic Divide, Boston Area Small Press and Poetry Scene among others…Visit him at: http://www.authorsden.com/jacquesfleury.–
Jacques Fleury’s book You Are Enough: The Journey Towards Understanding Your Authentic Self
TARANE TURAN RAHIMLI PARTICIPATED IN THE INTERNATIONAL CUKUROVA POETRY DAYS.
On the date when poetry day is celebrated all over the world, the Turkic world experienced a double holiday joy and celebrated Nawruz holiday and World Poetry Day together. On this significant date, the winds of poetry blew in Adana, which is considered the ancient Turkish land and the oldest literary monument of the Turkic peoples, and is mentioned in the epic “Bilgamys”. The fact that world poets came together in Adana to celebrate the poetry holiday once again declared the victory of culture over all values.
Azerbaijani poet, literary critic, doctor of philology, associate professor Tarana Turan Rahimli participated in the 1st International Cukurova Poetry Days event dedicated to World Poetry Day held at Cukurova University in Adana, Turkey on March 20-21.
Speaking at the opening of the event, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Literature Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bilge Kargagöllü emphasized that poetry is a force that unites cultures. He noted that the World Poetry Days, the first of which was held at Cukurova University, bring together hearts full of poetry and will have a serious impact on national literature, university life, and the spiritual education of students. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bilge Karga Gollu congratulated the poets, literary critics, scholars, and poetry lovers participating in the event on the occasion of World Poetry Day.
At the “International Cukurova Poetry Days” event organized for the first time this year in cooperation with Adana Metropolitan Municipality, Cukurova University and Altın Koza, poet Shirin Zaferyıldızı Zaimagaoglu, Head of the Culture Department of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, made a speech and drew attention to the fact that poetry is a force that “improves and unites hearts”. She addressed the hall with the slogan “In these days when our hope of creating a world like poetry is decreasing, be like poetry, raise your children with poetry, do not be left without poetry” and read her poems.
Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Prof. Dr. Faruk Karadag, despite being a physicist by profession, aroused special sympathy among the participants of the event with his love for poetry, sensitivity to the art of words, as well as his excellent speech as a man of letters. The Dean of the Faculty noted that such literary events will leave a deep mark in the memory of young students and will contribute to the scientific and literary cultural life of the university.
The first event of the 1st International Cukurova Poetry Days, which began on Thursday, March 20 at the Cukurova University Congress Center, featured scientific lectures dedicated to Ashıg Veysel, musical works, and folk art exhibits. Stands featuring the works of poets invited to the event from various countries were also set up, and they signed their books for readers at their stands.
The first day of the 1st International Cukurova Poetry Days was entirely dedicated to folk poetry. On the second day, traditional and modern poetry was demonstrated at the Mithat Ozsan Amphitheater of Cukurova University on March 21, World Poetry Day. At the 1st International Cukurova Poetry Days event, attended by scholars, poets, and ashiqs from various countries, poet, literary critic, and doctor of philological sciences Tarana Turan Rahimli spoke and read her poems at the poetry days held under the title “Traditional and Modern Poetry” on the occasion of March 21, World Poetry Day. She noted in her speech: “There is a saying that beauty will save the world. In my opinion, the highest beauty is poetry, because it can deeply affect the human heart and soul, touch the most delicate strings of our hearts, and renew consciousness. Therefore, poetry will save the world. Literary friendships will strengthen the friendship of peoples and lead humanity to the path of peace. Poetry has just such a power.”
Tarana Turan Rahimli’s poems, written with the excitement of victory brought by the 44-day Patriotic War, as well as those on the subject of Turkism and Turanism, were met with love and sympathy from the audience. The sad and sorrowful verses of the poem “Today is the tenth day” about the February 6 earthquake, which is considered the tragedy of the century and devastated cities in Turkey, evoked deep emotions as a clear example of the unity of the two peoples in good and bad, and the brotherhood of Azerbaijan and Turkey. Turkish poet and researcher, Prof. Dr. Metin Turan, added a special color to the event with his report on “Anatolian folk poetry today”, literary talks and poems.
Prof. Dr. Salahaddin Bekki, Prof. Dr. Refiye Okushluk Shenesen, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Esra Tarhan, Assoc. Prof. Dr. İsmail Shenesen, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ayhan Karakash, Dr. Zekiye Chagimlar made interesting scientific presentations at the panel titled “Following the Tradition of Ashıg Poetry”.
Ashıg Madani Karataş and Ozan Dertli Polat’s exchanges were met with loud applause from the audience. Shentürk İyidogan, who brought Ashıg Veysel’s saz to the stage and expressed it with love and artistic responsibility, and gave the sacred trust in his hands with his performance, amazed the participants.
Poet and translator Aytekin Karacachoban attracted the attention of the participants with her deeply philosophically meaningful poems and artistic translations from French. French poets and translators Sylwain Cavailies and Claire Lajus recited their poems in both French and Turkish. Claire Lajus, a teacher at Istanbul University, highlighted her influence on the lives of Turkish youth with her research and pedagogical activities, while Sylwian Cavailies highlighted her contributions to the turbulent life of Turkey with her translations. The clear and clear speech of both French poets in Turkish was met with special appreciation. Well-known poets Nisa Leyla, Demet Duyuler, Taner Cindoruk, Haydar Unal, Bilge Karga, Seval Arslan, Duran Aydın, Bahar Faris, Ayfer Karakaş, İlhan Kemal, M.Demirel Bahacanoglu, Mustafa Ozke, Durmus Ali Ozkale, Neslihan Daglı, Ruhan Mavruk, Hulya Bashak Ekmekçi recited their poems. At the end of the event, plaques and letters of appreciation were presented to the participants.
Within the scope of the event, the participants who toured the Çukurova University campus and were amazed by the mysterious view of the Seyhan water basin also visited the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Prof. Dr. Bedri Aydogan, Prof. Dr. Ayshehan Deniz Abıga, and the University’s Administrative Affairs Director Demet Duyuler hosted the poets in their rooms, which are striking with their rich library and reminiscent of a museum with their ancient national objects. The Poetry Days ended with a closing banquet and a city tour. The 1st International Cukurova Poetry Days, which took place in Adana and successfully completed its work, left a deep mark in the memory of the participants.
Winter… Everything was covered in white snow. The leaves of the trees had long since fallen in autumn. Now, their branches were adorned with snow. Birds that loved warmth had flown to other lands. Ra’no sister, as always, was busy with housework. Her husband was not at home. It had been 20 years since they started living together. However, they had no children. Every night, Ra’no sister would raise her hands in prayer, pleading Allah for a child. Her husband, unable to bear their childlessness, drank alcohol every day, drowning his sorrow in it. Finally, today was a joyous day. Ra’no sister’s prayers had been answered. Allah blessed them with a baby girl. Ra’no sister’s happiness was boundless. She was so delighted that she named her daughter Sevinch (Joy). She cherished her daughter dearly. Unfortunately, Asror bro was not pleased. He was disappointed because a daughter had been born instead of a son. But Ra’no sister paid no attention to his reaction.
Several years passed. The girl turned six. Now, she had become more aware of the world around her. Her mother pampered her a lot. Whenever the little girl played, her mother would drop everything and play with her like a child. If Sevinch laughed, her mother laughed with her; if she cried, Ra’no sister would cry even harder. Maybe because she became a mother later in life, she was extremely protective of her daughter and did not trust anyone with her. If her daughter felt even the slightest pain, the world would feel suffocating for Ra’no sister.
One day, they went to the market. The little girl stopped in front of the toys and started begging her mother: “Mommy, I really like this toy. Please buy it for me, please, please!”
Unfortunately, Ra’no sister did not have enough money left to buy the doll. That night, the girl went to sleep feeling disappointed. But her mother did not sleep. She took a scarf, which she usually wore on special occasions, and made a doll for her daughter. She crafted it so beautifully that anyone who saw it would be delighted. Finally, Sevinch reached school age. Her mother told her father about it. But Asror bro responded: “She will not go to school. Instead, she should help you with household chores. Will studying bring me the world?”
However, Ra’no sister did not want her daughter to remain illiterate like herself. She wanted her only source of happiness in this world to be just as good as everyone else. So, despite her husband’s wishes, she sent her daughter to school. Just as she had hoped, Sevinch became the top student in her class. But as she grew older, she started to hurt her mother’s heart more and more. She became irritated by her mother’s kindness and often snapped at her. One day, when her teacher invited Ra’no sister to a parent-teacher meeting, her beloved daughter coldly said: “I am ashamed of you and the clothes you wear. Don’t come to the meeting!” Then she slammed the door and left. That day, Ra’no sister cried a lot. True, she had money, but she saved every bit of it for her daughter and never spent a single penny on herself. Yet, when Sevinch returned home, Ra’no sister hid her sadness and welcomed her with a warm smile, just like always.
Asror bro, however, still hadn’t quit drinking. That night, he came home drunk again and started beating Ra’no sister. Their neighbors barely managed to save her. Sevinch had grown tired of such fights. She wanted to leave that place far behind. So, after graduating from school, she applied to a university in a distant city.
The happiest news was that she was accepted with a full scholarship. Now, she would live in the city. Her parents came to see her off. For the first time in his life, her father embraced her and handed her a phone he had bought for her. Her mother, on the other hand, couldn’t stop crying. She didn’t want to part with a piece of her heart. But her daughter, her life, had to go.
Sevinch arrived in the city. As she was unpacking her belongings, she noticed a large sum of money. Her mother had given her all the money she had saved, sacrificing her own needs for her daughter.
Sevinch quickly adapted to city life. In fact, she even fell in love with a young man. He loved her deeply as well. One day, he proposed to her, and she said “yes.” Now, it was time for their families to meet.
Finally, the day arrived, but the young man’s mother opposed the marriage because Sevinch came from a poor family. Their family was wealthy and well-off. Hearing this, Sevinch stood up and left in tears. But her unfortunate mother couldn’t bear to see her daughter’s pain. She went to the young man’s mother, begged her, and even fell to her knees, pleading for their happiness. At last, the woman agreed to the marriage—but on one condition. Neither the girl’s father nor mother should ever bother them, and they must not even attend the wedding. Left with no choice, the mother accepted the condition—for the sake of her daughter’s happiness. Not long after, the young couple’s wedding took place. Keeping her promise, Ra’no sister never disturbed them. But is there any greater pain for a mother than being separated from her child?
Unfortunately, her suffering did not end there—it only deepened. Her husband passed away. True, he had not been a good man, but he was still her companion in life. Breaking her promise, Ra’no opa called her daughter and told her that her father had died. Sevinch rushed to the funeral, but she felt neither love nor sorrow for him. The reason was simple: Asror bro had never been a father to her. He had never given her love. Less than a year later, Ra’no sister’s joy—her only child, Sevinch—was diagnosed with a terminal illness and was admitted to the hospital. She had only one month left to live. Ra’no sister set off for the city to see her daughter, crying endlessly, nearly losing her mind. On the way, she thought about life… and why this world is always missing something.
He saw the kid who worked the checkout at the convenience store walking down the street, arm in arm, with a girl about his own age, maybe 17. He was a handsome kid. Compared to him, the girl was rather plain, he thought, wondering if people thought the same of him when he was dating his wife, or even now. She was a knockout, his wife. He never asked her if she had dated during their brief separation. He didn’t want to know what they looked like if she had. He wondered if they were sleeping together, the kid and the girl. If we were all contemporaries, he thought, and double dating, people would probably assume his wife, his future wife, was the one dating the checkout kid. He was probably being hard on himself. He was probably a cut above plain.
First Haircut
“The usual,” he told the barber, John.
“Remind me.”
“Number two blade.”
He’d remembered to wear a shirt with a collar. A collar provides a better vehicle than a crew neck for the paper thing they wrap around your neck to keep the hair from falling down your back.
An older man walked into the barbershop. He greeted all the barbers, “Angelo, Vinny, John,” with a nod of the head for each name.
“Have a seat, Tommy,” Vinny, who was available, said, “I’ll be with you in a minute.”
John asked him who he liked in the World Series. Since neither team was local, it wasn’t a big surprise that he and John had different ideas. Tommy chimed in, agreeing with John.
“Put on Sinatra,” Angelo, who was cutting a kid’s hair, yelled over to Vinny, who was at the CD player.
“Eyebrows?” John asked.
“Yeah.” He called them his Brezhnev eyebrows. The barbers were all old enough to get it.
Angelo started singing along with Sinatra, “Come fly with me, let’s fly, let’s fly away,” then said to the kid, “Betcha you never heard that one.” The kid said, “No,” and Angelo laughed.
“Ready to greet the world in style!” John said when the cut was done.
Out of the blue he was struck by a dim memory of his first haircut, his first barbershop haircut. Maybe it was the Sinatra. He remembered sitting in a kid’s barber chair in the form of an elevated red sports car. Or was it a fire truck? He remembered crying.
“What?” he asked John, holding back the tears.
College Days Full of Hope
Reading the obituaries, he discovered one of his favorite college professors had been a Nazi sympathizer. He made coffee, in a French press. As he sipped his coffee, Sumatra Mandheling, which he admired for its boldness, he also read about a man in Cambodia who had won a tarantula-eating contest, the first of its kind. The article conjectured it would become an annual event.
At work that day, he was asked to fill out a self-assessment, an oddly Maoist incursion into American corporate life. He wrote an unqualifiedly rave review of himself, refusing to give his bosses ammunition to use against him. After he had submitted the self-assessment, his thoughts turned to the dead professor. What was that course again? Oh yes, the theatre of cruelty seminar. Looking back, he couldn’t remember anything that hinted at Nazi sympathies.
Wistful for those college days full of hope, he stood up and surveyed a sea of cubicles in which he was but a speck.
Dr. Jernail Singh Anand’s Geet: The Unsung Song of Eternity is a remarkable modern epic that showcases his prowess as a poet, philosopher, and literary innovator. This work is often described as a sequel to John Milton’s Paradise Lost, but it carves its own distinct path by placing Dr. Faustus, rather than Adam, at the center of its narrative. Anand reimagines the Renaissance hero as a prototype of modern humanity, grappling with existential dilemmas in a world marked by spiritual and moral decay.
The epic explores the complex relationship between man and divinity, inverting Milton’s intent to “justify the ways of God to Man” by instead questioning the ways of man to God. It delves into the struggles of contemporary existence, reflecting on how knowledge, ambition, and the passage of time have led to a deterioration of the human spirit. Anand’s Faustus embodies the modern individual—brilliant yet flawed, seeking meaning in a universe that often feels indifferent.
What sets Geet apart is its ambitious scope and philosophical depth. Anand blends Eastern and Western literary traditions, drawing from his Punjabi roots and the broader Indian cultural heritage while engaging with the Western canon. The work is not merely a retelling but a reinvention, offering a fresh perspective on timeless themes such as sin, redemption, and the search for eternity. His use of free verse, honed through his study of English literature, allows for a fluid and dynamic exploration of these ideas, unencumbered by rigid form.
Critics and readers have noted the epic’s imaginative power and its ability to resonate with the challenges of the 21st century. It’s a testament to Anand’s vision—a poet who dares to tackle grand narratives in an age where such undertakings are rare. Geet: The Unsung Song of Eternity stands as a bold contribution to world literature, inviting reflection on humanity’s place in the cosmic order and cementing Anand’s reputation as a significant voice in modern poetry.
Appreciation by Grock
SECTION B
A PAPER ON GEET was presented by Dr Selvin Vedamanickam, a free thinker
The Homo Sacer in J S Anand’s Geet:
A Norm Violated to Establish Another Norm
THE HOMO SACER IN J.S . ANAND’S GEET ;
A NORM VIOLATED TO ESTABLISH ANOTHER NORM
Dr. Selvin Vedamanickam
Unaffiliated Free Thinker
Pondicherry
The paper starts with an attempt to study the current significance of the terms “human being”, “being human’ and “homo sacer” in J S Anand’s Geet. Even though the work claims to be a sequel, it is filled with fresh beginnings and new point of departures. What is astounding is its political, economical, sociocultural and literary relevance to the present day world even when dealing with a special binary of geographical vs. non-geographical space. Often the illusionary nature of representing the world as “good, true and beautiful” has been comfortably forgotten by both literary artists and other art form practitioners. Apart from representing a real and/or imaginary world either it be symbolical/allegorical, literature has to posit a viable(?) world. Even the Library Intellectuals or the Campus Hoppers have talked of the modern man only in the light of the metropolitan hyper-individuals and seem to conveniently omit the existential predicament of the sub-human man whose life is increasingly becoming bare and he himself becoming a rare being at the verge of extinction under the clutches of the privileged, super-civilized races.
The paper also tries to question certain key critical concepts (which are rarefied post-modern issues) such as irony, indeterminacy, self-reflexivity which are mere ‘thought representations’ of ultra-civilized man’. The paper calls for an understanding and literary representation of the equal importance of “an ironic sensibility” and “an empathetic sensibility” in capturing the plight of the sub-human common man, thus leading to empathetic activism to alleviate the sufferings of the bare/rare beings.
Submitted for the Two -Day International Conference on International Seminar on Novel Issues in Indian Writing in English (JKC College, Guntur, 23, 24 Feb 2018)
