Poetry comes from the soul and is for the soul. Good poetry reaches out and stirs the still waters of your soul, certainly changing something inside.

Heavy Weather by Ness Lobo is a collection of poems on love, betrayal, heartache, unrequited love and longing.

Most of the poems are short or a couple of stanzas long,  laden with imagery.

The words are fierce and emotions gush forth in a strong wave in every page.

maybe our love was supposed to be

as turbulent as the waters in the ocean

when a storm is hitting and thunders

are falling from the sky.

but I don’t think I was supposed to drown.

                                                                -waves.

The lines rise up like a tide and the drop at the end is filled with intensity.

 

all the emotions you put in my heart,

fell on my face

like the rain on a winter day.

                                     -tears

The title mentioned at the end gives a sense of completion to the poem and adds more meaning.

if you were brave enough

to hold me in your arms

you would feel the universe…

To string a few words together is quite easy, but to bring expression into every bit of it is a task. True poetry has to spill directly from the heart onto paper and that is exactly what Ness has done. This is a book of feelings rather than poetry. Raw, and pure feelings. This is seen vividly in all poems but one worth mentioning is “Pastel Pink.”

With the heaviness each poem brought, there were also quite a few that brought in some warmth to the heart- some hope that we cannot live without.

in the darkness your light will guide my way

your breath will lift me.

make your stars burn during the dark in me…

you revive all my hopes

all my flames,

all my strength..

Along with the fineness of words, and versatile style of writing something unique was the beautiful illustrations done by the poetess herself, scattered randomly between the pages. The best thing about the book is its bold honesty that would definitely speak right to the reader’s heart. The cover page is a subtle white with the image of a moth, moths symbolising mystery and transformation. The heart is a source of mystery and when those mysteries are unravelled, a transformation happens. The beauty of poetry is you can read it over and over and find a new treasure every time. Heavy Weather is one such collection.

My rating for this book  – 4.5/5 stars

I would like to extend my thanks to Nessy, my good friend for giving me a free copy of her book to review honestly.