"Ishq, the word reverberates

Sending ripples

of erotic Blue

Across the naked promise

Of what her body

chooses to preserve

And what her body

chooses to predict

Mizaaj, the mood

Reciprocates

It hovers on the edge

of cliffs drawn

from breath

Each lust left

desiring the

Intensity of you

If desire has a leitmotif

Then let in be the mark

upon her knee

And the exhaled prism

of a single word

Alfaaz

Its two syllables

pouring life into nothing

The freshwater dramas

of ethnic corsage

Laila Rukh

beckoning waves

with a swirl of black

And the nude infidelities

of a word smothered

in mist,

Intezaar…"

("One Indian City, Two Indian Lovers" from Siddharth Dasgupta's The Moveable East)

When I read Siddharth Dasgupta's latest book of poetry, I had a sense of light bursting out of the pages - even when he delved into darknesses. He writes of places with an intimacy which brings with it an overwhelming sense of desire, loss and loneliness. He says "Poetry is a daily prayer" and every poem of his is a testimony to that.

Siddharth Dasgupta is a writer of poetry & fiction. A Moveable East is his fourth book; others include Letters From an Indian Summer (Fingerprint) and The Sacred Sorrow of Sparrows (Niyogi). His words have appeared in literary journals across the world, while he has read in places like Mandalay, Bombay, Galle and Istanbul. Occasionally, Siddharth explores fragments of travel and culture for a smattering of publications. He lives within the swirling nostalgias of the city of Poona.

He can be reached at -

Instagram - @citizen.bliss 

https://citizenbliss.squarespace.com/

His latest book, A Moveable East, published by Red River, can be purchased at -

https://www.amazon.in/dp/8194509386

and

https://papyrus.catalog.to/s/papyrus---the-book-store/red-river-poetry/brf

This is a peerless episode from Red Rivers Sessions presented to you by Uncut Poetry. In Red River Sessions, we  talk to published poets, about their poetry, their craft and what haunts them. It is brought to you by Red River, which is the premier independent publisher of poetry books and Uncut Poetry, a much-loved poetry podcast.

Following are the details of the music used in this episode - 

Melodic Interlude Two by Alexander Nakarada

Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/6394-melodic-interlude-two

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Flucht (Romeos Erbe) by Sascha Ende®

Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/3146-flucht-romeos-erbe-

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Tranquil Fields Peaceful by Alexander Nakarada

Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5769-tranquil-fields-peaceful

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Cinematic Background Sad by MusicLFiles

Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/8181-cinematic-background-sad

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Sentimental Travel by MusicLFiles

Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/6968-sentimental-travel

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license