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Crimson Skins
Indian poet Devika Mathur’s acute obsession with the use of confessional lyricism lends her writing a sumptuous sensibility.Finding fantasy a way to escape inner trauma, Mathur’s haunting, visual work speaks of imagined journeys and freedoms, through imagistic and richly textured poetry. Mathur’s work challenges the accepted notions of the female, and illustrates the intensity and eloquence of her life. Crimson Skins will make you want to inhabit Mathur’s hypnotic handling of words and sink into her flowered world of blood and joy, pain and ecstasy.
156 pages, Paperback
Published August 21, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 25, 2020
A poets pen
I adored this beautiful and sad collection of words. The author has done a brilliant job capturing color and mood through her lyrical pieces. As a poet, I am always captivated by the many offerings abound in this world, these, are a keeper. I look forward to reading future works with pleasure.
I adored this beautiful and sad collection of words. The author has done a brilliant job capturing color and mood through her lyrical pieces. As a poet, I am always captivated by the many offerings abound in this world, these, are a keeper. I look forward to reading future works with pleasure.
November 13, 2020
Crimson Skins is an astounding and aesthetically beautiful poetry collection written by Devika Mathur. Published in many journals and literary magazines, Devika surprises us again with Crimson Skins which entirely emanates her writing styles- surreal, raw, powerful and pleasing. She writes Crimson Skins in five parts: Isolation, Detachment, Delirium, Attachment and Revival.
She writes as if she hums a lullaby. With lines as
“our lotus bodies sinking like air”,
” You kissed me like a newborn baby’s skin”,
“anxiety turns a woman into a liquid flower,
again, I am an organ supporting my other organ, all alone”,
she proves she has a penchant for words and metaphors. She hits such right chords at the right time leaving the readers stunned repeatedly.
In section ‘Delirium’, Devika infuses indecipherable imagery in her poetic pieces; fearless and courageous, it seems while reading, the words are her weapon as well as a relief. With pieces like ‘The Sunrise’, ‘Shape-shifter’, ‘Madness’, she portrays an amalgamation of light and dark, the sanity and madness and what not. She writes,
“This body is now a temple,
I give birth to seasons now.
I speak and something bizarre happens.
I wander and a leaf detached itself to fly.”
Her poetry reflects truth in moments. She makes you feel the heaviness in air and emotions. Her words may hit you at times like a bullet and soothe you the other times. On the other hand, she writes sensual and pieces like ‘Talks with night’, ‘To You, Darling’ where you will find yourself afloat in her words.
The mention of mother in few pieces such as ‘Insanity clicks’ & ‘Mother, I see you’ makes her poetry intense and sentimental.
Devika has an impeccable sense of imagery which she proves throughout all the sections. The perk of reading her book is the few pieces were open for multiple interpretations to me. The book ends with the Revival section comprising of many rejuvenating pieces. I recommend readers who are looking to read lifelike moments blended with wild and powerful imagery, and subtle at the same moment.
She writes as if she hums a lullaby. With lines as
“our lotus bodies sinking like air”,
” You kissed me like a newborn baby’s skin”,
“anxiety turns a woman into a liquid flower,
again, I am an organ supporting my other organ, all alone”,
she proves she has a penchant for words and metaphors. She hits such right chords at the right time leaving the readers stunned repeatedly.
In section ‘Delirium’, Devika infuses indecipherable imagery in her poetic pieces; fearless and courageous, it seems while reading, the words are her weapon as well as a relief. With pieces like ‘The Sunrise’, ‘Shape-shifter’, ‘Madness’, she portrays an amalgamation of light and dark, the sanity and madness and what not. She writes,
“This body is now a temple,
I give birth to seasons now.
I speak and something bizarre happens.
I wander and a leaf detached itself to fly.”
Her poetry reflects truth in moments. She makes you feel the heaviness in air and emotions. Her words may hit you at times like a bullet and soothe you the other times. On the other hand, she writes sensual and pieces like ‘Talks with night’, ‘To You, Darling’ where you will find yourself afloat in her words.
The mention of mother in few pieces such as ‘Insanity clicks’ & ‘Mother, I see you’ makes her poetry intense and sentimental.
Devika has an impeccable sense of imagery which she proves throughout all the sections. The perk of reading her book is the few pieces were open for multiple interpretations to me. The book ends with the Revival section comprising of many rejuvenating pieces. I recommend readers who are looking to read lifelike moments blended with wild and powerful imagery, and subtle at the same moment.
September 25, 2020
Devika Mathur is loved and known for her celebration of the abstract and surreal; she plays with words like toys and bites into them like ripe fruit. Everything Mathur yields is original and unique. Even when her voice is so reminiscent of Sylvia Plath, she remains a woman and poet unto herself, through and through. Crimson Skins is a testament to Mathur’s talent; through poetry and prose her brilliance is depicted again and again.
The opening to this collection is stunning. Immediately after a dedication to her mother, Mathur establishes the foundation of looking inward and skyward. You are swiftly taken by atmospheric pieces like ‘Olive skin’ and ‘I die each night’ as Mathur paints worlds and portraits with emotions. Whenever I read Mathur I imagine kaleidoscopic colours tinged with shades of grey as she documents love, hope, grief and depression.
In this way, she is a Plath for the modern age: the line “You’re putting your body in the bath-tub, almost like dying in peace.” from ‘Four walls’ recalled the beginning of The Bell Jar. Mathur’s voice is fresh yet ancient with history and as a result there is such a depth to her work that I admire. Pieces like ‘A Self-portrait’, ‘Life blooms’, ‘Silhouette’, and ‘A thing about Winters’ are prime examples of this; they are examples of an attempt to toe the line between living and sinking.
“My windows ache with heartbreak” (How I burn and survive)
“I keep things safely like the moon keeps tides” (A collector of things)
The inward reflection in this collection is beautiful in the way it is expressed and explored. On one hand, Mathur explores reflection, depression and loss through the seasons in poems like ‘Ode to November’, whilst on the other hand, at times her experience is incredibly relatable like in ‘The routine’ and ‘The art of silence’. But alongside this darkness there is a sensual and sultry layer to her writing – ‘Talks with night’ is gorgeously sensual, whilst ‘To you, darling’ and ‘All at once’ are stunning examples of Mathur’s love poetry.
“she entraps the sky in her fingernails” (A goddess)
Mathur’s prose is sensationally written too. ‘How I have been’ is phenomenal and demonstrates a side to Mathur’s talent I would love to see more of in the future. She captures life and soul so eloquently and honestly.
Finally, Crimson Skins comes to an end with pieces like ‘Mother, I see you’ and we are reminded of the dedication at the beginning – we are reminded of the power behind Mathur’s work and her womanhood. This collection is a debut to be reckoned with as it superbly portrays who Devika Mathur is; a force of poetic nature.
The opening to this collection is stunning. Immediately after a dedication to her mother, Mathur establishes the foundation of looking inward and skyward. You are swiftly taken by atmospheric pieces like ‘Olive skin’ and ‘I die each night’ as Mathur paints worlds and portraits with emotions. Whenever I read Mathur I imagine kaleidoscopic colours tinged with shades of grey as she documents love, hope, grief and depression.
In this way, she is a Plath for the modern age: the line “You’re putting your body in the bath-tub, almost like dying in peace.” from ‘Four walls’ recalled the beginning of The Bell Jar. Mathur’s voice is fresh yet ancient with history and as a result there is such a depth to her work that I admire. Pieces like ‘A Self-portrait’, ‘Life blooms’, ‘Silhouette’, and ‘A thing about Winters’ are prime examples of this; they are examples of an attempt to toe the line between living and sinking.
“My windows ache with heartbreak” (How I burn and survive)
“I keep things safely like the moon keeps tides” (A collector of things)
The inward reflection in this collection is beautiful in the way it is expressed and explored. On one hand, Mathur explores reflection, depression and loss through the seasons in poems like ‘Ode to November’, whilst on the other hand, at times her experience is incredibly relatable like in ‘The routine’ and ‘The art of silence’. But alongside this darkness there is a sensual and sultry layer to her writing – ‘Talks with night’ is gorgeously sensual, whilst ‘To you, darling’ and ‘All at once’ are stunning examples of Mathur’s love poetry.
“she entraps the sky in her fingernails” (A goddess)
Mathur’s prose is sensationally written too. ‘How I have been’ is phenomenal and demonstrates a side to Mathur’s talent I would love to see more of in the future. She captures life and soul so eloquently and honestly.
Finally, Crimson Skins comes to an end with pieces like ‘Mother, I see you’ and we are reminded of the dedication at the beginning – we are reminded of the power behind Mathur’s work and her womanhood. This collection is a debut to be reckoned with as it superbly portrays who Devika Mathur is; a force of poetic nature.
September 1, 2020
Devika Mathur knows how to romance words. The poetries here are as insane and wild as they are raw and robust. Her metaphors and the imagery that she attaches to her pieces are unique and flows like music. A few of them will make absolutely no sense to you, and yet you will fall for all of them. 'Death', 'Lovemaking', 'Lips', 'Dreams' were some of my favourite pieces. Her prose too, has a poetic sense to it and will make the readers lust for more of this magic. 'I bleed till I melt', 'Point blank' are a couple of short verses where you will be lost in the words, simple and subtle and yet so thought provoking. Though there were some references that I did not like, like the operation room in 'My poetry is a portrait'. That is however a personal opinion. In all, the book is definitely a good pick for those who like to indulge themselves in verses.
November 10, 2020
Profound and metaphorical, Crimson skins invokes you to read between the lines as many verses are abstract and obscure, drowning in the “rivers of insanity” beyond the understanding of a layman. Devika’s characters are cloaked, they walk with the only identities of “I” and “you” and much is left for the reader to discern. If you are a poetry lover, this book is for you.
Devika takes you to the place where “sky is the life,” but paradoxically her walls seem threatening and self-loathing sounds the best escape out of all the hurts. Despite dark moments, some gems coruscate under the section – ‘Attachment,’ as they lay bare the heart of a lover ‘As I Count You’ is breathtaking and ‘During the Season of Spring’ brings out passion with the analogies of nature while ‘Light of the Mind’ is intense and sensuous. I liked this section.
Devika takes you to the place where “sky is the life,” but paradoxically her walls seem threatening and self-loathing sounds the best escape out of all the hurts. Despite dark moments, some gems coruscate under the section – ‘Attachment,’ as they lay bare the heart of a lover ‘As I Count You’ is breathtaking and ‘During the Season of Spring’ brings out passion with the analogies of nature while ‘Light of the Mind’ is intense and sensuous. I liked this section.
November 29, 2020
I’m a fan of freeform poetry that’s thick with imagery, that explores the language of the senses and seeks out beautiful words. Mathur’s poetry does all that. Overall, the tone of the collection struck me as melancholy, full of pain and longing. There’s little romance, though the poems are often sensuous. The book is structured as a journey, starting with Isolation and moving through sections titled Detachment, Delirium, and Attachment, and into Revival (where the poems have a stronger, more self-assured theme).
The imagery often has a dreamlike quality, and I found myself reading aloud to “hear” the language and let the meaning and emotion behind the words find a place to settle. Some of my favorite poems were: Pointless, Sentiments like Silk, Madness, and the Art of Embalming. Highly recommended for readers who enjoy freeform poems, beautiful language, and a reflective journey.
The imagery often has a dreamlike quality, and I found myself reading aloud to “hear” the language and let the meaning and emotion behind the words find a place to settle. Some of my favorite poems were: Pointless, Sentiments like Silk, Madness, and the Art of Embalming. Highly recommended for readers who enjoy freeform poems, beautiful language, and a reflective journey.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews