A search for meaning

Those sceptical of the power of poetry might find this a tad fanciful, but what's the purpose of poetry if it can't even introduce a willing suspension of disbelief?

At a recent reading in London, Hyderabad-based poet and journalist, Saima Afreen described how she found herself lost in the rain in Helsinki in 2017. She was in Finland in autumn that year after being selected for the renowned Villa Sarkia Writers’ Residency. Unable to find a taxi, she was losing all hope when a stranger, Velma, saved Afreen and even gave her an umbrella. This curious encounter has inspired the poem, “A Polka Dot Umbrella”, dedicated to Afreen’s saviour, and included in the current volume under review: “You / Black Rose / Inverted / In war with the sky