Ripples Into the Light: PhotoPoetry
Poems by Michael Escoubas
Paintings and Photography by Vandana Bajikar
34 Poems ~ 6 Paintings ~ 28 Photographs ~ 73 pages
Price: $20.00
Publisher: Cyberwit.net
ISBN: 978-93-95224-68-0
To Order: Amazon.com or direct from
Michael Escoubas at farside747@hotmail.com


Reviewed by Annie Jenkin

It was fortunate for Michael Escoubas (poet) & Vandana Bajikar (photographer & artist), to converse at an Art Circle meeting, in Bloomington, Illinois. Discussion and mutual admiration of each other’s work led to Ripples Into the Light. Both specialize in similar artforms, that of landscapes offering peace and mindfulness. This thematic combination of effort has certainly resulted in its intended outcome.

Escoubas, is a self-confessed late starter to poetry. He has since been a Pushcart Poetry Prize nominee, and a noted practitioner of ekphrastic poetry. He joined the Illinois State Poetry Society and is currently Editor and Official Staff Book Reviewer for the literary arts journal Quill & Parchment. He is the author of five previous collections of poetry including: Light Comes Softly (Pronoun, 2017), Monet in Poetry and Paint (Blurb, Inc., 2018), Steve Henderson in Poetry and Paint (Blurb, Inc., 2019), Little Book of Devotions: Poems that Connect Nature, God, and Man (Blurb Inc., 2020), and Images: A Collection of Ekphrastic Poetry (Cyberwit.net, 2021). Ripples Into the Light reveals the deep reflection of this poet. Through inspired penmanship, Escoubas weaves his poet’s voice, taking me on a journey, absorbing the images crafted, which pause and distracts from my busy life to rest awhile.

Bajikar has been the recipient of several awards for her photography. Winning medals in the 2021 North American Photography Association competition, competitions sponsored by the Photographic Society of America, and is represented in several private collections internationally in India, Europe, and the United States. Each poem is accompanied by Bajikar’s stunning artwork of photographs and paintings. Through immersing herself in the abundant opportunities Mother Nature offers, Bajikar creates an almost spiritual quality in her work. Perusal through the plethora of water images triggered instant emotional connections, an affinity, where water has the power to be awesome, as well as a place to be contemplative.

The book title is aptly named. There is a freshness, as if quenching one’s thirst in words, swirling and filtering, pondering expressions, posing questions for thoughtful reflection. “White Water Over Mossy Rocks” leaves the reader to contemplate personal answers; Is God Present? Does he live in her, this one place in passions of earth as waters tumble and toss? My eyes are drawn to the waterfall to see how the movement of water is reflected. In “Slivers of time when everything changes?” Memories flash up soon soothed by the poem’s positivity.

Winter’s muted colour of “Elk in Winter” is one of many examples of balance between artist and poet; … flowering meadows to frozen tundra … photographic detail and snow on his nose. A sense of reality of harsh conditions tempered by adaptation, the fight for survival. What catches me here is not the bleakness of the elk having to find grass in the icy lake, but the almost nonchalant acceptance captured by the driving force of his will to survive. “Flight of the Puffin” continues a theme of acceptance, Escoubas balances life lessons, tempered by uplifting words, his trust in God to show the gifts of life, As he flows, he knows where he belongs.

Escoubas captures the essence of running water and mirrors the noise of natural waterways in so many of his poems; “A River Runs Under the Bridge,” The careening rush of water thrashes rugged stones … “Seashore at Night” … the waves whisper in sweet caresses …. in concert with sea and sand … “Waterfall at Twilight,” … the sound of thunder rumbling under tall trees … tumbling and splashing on the rocks shining … “October Stream,” … the music of its movement, spilling, splashing, swilling, crashing over limbs and rocks.

Ripples Into the light, reflects the poet’s core; his poems offer the power to create peace, calm and rest. The author’s sensitivity of words brings forth both the spirituality found in belief, in nature, and underpinned with positivity. Bajikar’s illustrations bring perspective, an understanding, the world is so much bigger, more beautiful, it impacts, and is a respite to daily life. Lastly, in “Rainbow Wall,” the expression of the rainbow’s dance, and the image of colourful shimmers, are like threads of joy complementing the gifts both author and poet bring.

 

About the reviewer: Annie Jenkin, resides in Plymouth, UK. She is a regular contributor to Quill and Parchment, and author of Come Walk With Me: Poems Reflecting Walks Around Devon, 2022.


 


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