When M. Sakran told me about his collection of poetry and asked me to write an introduction, I was intrigued!
The title in itself, tells you a lot about the collection – Understanding: poems with explanations. Why explanations? So, I read on. I’m not going to repeat my introduction here – you can read that in his book! Instead I’m going to tell you a little about my reactions to his poetry.
Understanding struck a chord with me because a lot of the poems explore death, cancer and suicide, as well as other situations that most people might not feel comfortable with. This is not to say that the collection is depressing. It is a very clever collection that makes you think and opens your eyes to other possibilities in interpretation. I loved how although I liked my interpretation of his words, sometimes, M. Sakran had half a dozen different thoughts going through his head while he wrote the poem. In a way, Understanding is a study of the creative process as well presenting some intriguing and thought-provoking poetry.
He uses both blank and rhythmical verse, sometimes with rhyme that does not detract from the meaning of the poem whatsoever. His poems are generally short and have a powerful impact with their words. His imagery is intriguing and his use of prose poetry in Distortion and Waiting are particularly effective.
Here and On The Floor were the 2 poems I identified most with having been through cancer myself. But Finality and Ridden also touched me, having seen an elderly relative die last year. And in Darkness & Dawn, the reader has nothing but sympathy for the suicide victim.
M. Sakran is an empathetic poet whose creative process is as fascinating as the poems he produces.
You can read M. Sakran’s EPod Interview at 20170206
© Freya Pickard 2017
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