Prose Poems

By Saad Ali

of Prose Poems is the fourth book of poetry by Saad Ali. It’s the first installment in his anthology of Prose Poems.

The poems, on this occasion, are a homage to the most contentious form of the literary art i.e. prose poem. The ekphrases, on this occasion, are inspired by the paintings of a number of renowned classical, modern, postmodern and contemporary painters such as Michelangelo, Munch, Dali, Dix, Chagall, Luzajic, et cetera. The literary critics profess that what differentiates this form of poetry from verse, rhyme, et cetera is its trademark id est absence of line breaks. Of breaks—there are none here in Ali’s poetic discourses either. Of lines—there is a plethora of them here committed to capturing of all manner of events (from most simple to most complex) in human life.
The book, inadvertently, is a tribute to Ali’s hallmark apparatuses i.e. contemplation and satire that take on existence and human condition in a rather direct and concrete fashion here; whereby, reflecting on the instances of fear, nostalgia, remorse, redemption, hate, affection, romance, courage et cetera—in both subjective and objective manner.

Besides being a tribute to one of the profoundest human inventions i.e. language (and its subsequent facilitations such as literature, et cetera), this florilegium also is an invitation to all (human beings) for an individual and collective reflection on existence and human condition(s)—in both subjective and objective manner.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: May 22, 2020
• ISBN: 9781728352664

Saad Ali

SAAD ALI (he/him) (b. 1980 CE in Okara, Pakistan) is a bilingual poet-philosopher & literary translator. He has been brought up and educated in the UK and Pakistan. He holds a BSc and an MSc in Management from the University of Leicester, UK. By profession, he is an Educationist and a Consultant (Academic Research, Management, Marketing & Communication). His work appears in The Ekphrastic Review, The Mackinaw, Synchronized Chaos, Lothlorien Poetry Journal, Lotus-eater, BRAWL Lit, Pandemonium Journal, two poetry Anthologies by Kevin Watt (ed.), two poetry e-Anthologies at TER, and Poetry in English from Pakistan – a poetry anthology by Ilona Yusuf & Shafiq Naz (eds.). He has been nominated for the Best of the Net Anthology and Best Microfiction Anthology. His ekphrastic poetry has been showcased at the Bleeding Borders, Art Gallery of Grande Prairie in Alberta, Canada. He has translated Lorette C. Luzajic’s ekphrastic work into Urdu. Some of his influences include: Vyasa, Homer, Attar, Rumi, Nietzsche, Dostoyevsky, Freud, Jung, Kafka, Tagore, Lispector et alia. He enjoys learning different languages, travelling by train, and exploring cities/towns on foot. To know more about Ali and his work, please visit: www.saadalipoet.com (forthcoming) / @owlofpines (Facebook & Instagram).

Book preview

READERS’ APPRAISALS

The fundamental existential matters constitute the warp and woof of Saad’s verse. His poems are the philosophic utterances of a being aware of the advances in knowledge, particularly in the domains of science and technology, metaphysics and philosophy, history as well as sociology. He takes up themes of God, nature, man, time and space, the self and nothingness, objectivity and subjectivity, permanence and transience and of faith and reason without blinking. … Saad’s poetry is the song of a never-ceasing struggle to discover a ‘brave new world’ despite all the travails and tribulations which that struggle entails.

—Ejaz Rahim (MA in English)

Sitara-i-Imtiaz for Literature, Poet & Author (PAK)

Saad Ali’s collection of poems provide a fresh, original and alternative perspective to some fundamental and diachronic questions related to the human condition. Based on his own personal reflections and travelling, Ali skillfully amalgamates in these poems, themes related to nostalgia, timelessness, loss and humour amongst others. The outcome prompts readers to contemplate and move inwards so as to re-explore and re-discover their own selves.

—Dr. George Patsiaouras (PhD)

Associate Prof. in Management Studies (UK)

Saad has acquired a trenchant wit, a keen observation and a prolific pen to bring to readers some absorbing, exciting and vibrant lines to make poetry a stimulating dose for the readers. He has seen more in life than his age, therefore there is a great panorama and more potency in his expression and narrative. His is certainly a voice worth a welcome.

—Farooq Malik (MA in English)

Professor in English Literature, Poet & Author (PAK)

Saad Ali is erudite and widely knowledgeable. His work has a distinctly metaphysical aura about it. Moreover, his writing is warm and humane, clearly capturing the essence of what it is to be human. His voice is not one that will be ignored.

—Prof. Dr. Lloyd A. Jacobs (MD)

Surgeon, Poet & Author (USA)

Saad’s poetry pushes your mind into the unknown regions of the ego, good and evil, and existence itself. His poetry deals with the greatest philosophical questions of all ages in the most delicate manner. Life, existence, the purpose of humanity and the role of consciousness, the universe and the divine, all questions that do not have set answers, yet Ali manages to not only immerse your mind into these age old concepts, but provides a reader with a personal understanding that touches your heart.

—Dr. Michael Papaioannou (PhD)

Senior Lecturer in Hospitality Management (UK)

Saad is a master of conveying the most complex of ideas and phenomena, in a way that is simple; yet has you exploring, breaking, building, and questioning your very own perception(s); all at the same time. It is unbelievable how he has granted words to an unfathomable ‘Maya’ ... as if he is from another universe, which is above and beyond the ‘ways’ of this world. What we have here is some unconventional poetry that you won’t forget.

—Maraam Pasha (BSc in Management)

Writer & Poet (PAK)

Saad Ali

PROSE POEMS

Βιβλίο Άλφα

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Phone: UK TFN: 0800 0148641 (Toll Free inside the UK)

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©

2020 Saad Ali. All rights reserved.

Front Cover Art is called Fruit of Gods (Digital Drawing) © 2020 and is utilised with the consent of the artist, Jafar Ali, from Sydney, Australia.

Book Design by Saad Ali

Cover Design by Saad Ali

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 08/05/2020

ISBN: 978-1-7283-5267-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-7283-5266-4 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

This book is

dedicated to

the memory of my Nana Jan (Maternal Grandfather),

THE LATE ABDUL RASHEED

And dedicated to my parents,

ANWAR UL HAQ and MEMOONA ANWAR

And dedicated to my brothers,

UMAIR BIN ANWAR and ASIM ALI

You’ll notice scattered throughout my verses as you read many letters common to an array of words—and yet you must admit that different words, from this one alphabet, draw different letters. Which is not to say there aren’t a few common letters running through the lot, or that no two words contain identical sets of letters, but we may claim that as a general rule, all words cannot be spelled the same; thus many other objects may share elements in common, and yet they may be held to differ in their composition. And so it’s right to say the race of mankind must be born composed of different elements from orchards or from corn.

—Lucretius*1

(excerpt from Book II: The Dance of Atoms)

… I tell you again … Death or life or life or death. Death is life and life is death. I gotta use words when I talk to you. But if you understand or if you don’t. That’s nothing to me and nothing to you. We all gotta do what we gotta do. … We’re gona stay and we’re gona go …

—T.S. Eliot*2

(excerpt from Fragment of an Agon)

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I should like to acknowledge my FAMILY:

Parents (Memona Anwar and Anwar Ul Haq) and

Brothers (Umair Bin Anwar and Asim Ali).

I should like to acknowledge the following FRIENDS:

Nikolaos Karfakis, Nabila Gul, Cameron Batmanghlich, Fauzia Sami, George Kokkinidis, George Patsiaouras, Maraam Pasha, Zonaira Chaudhry, Saima Naz, Nashwa Butt, Lubaba Batool, Sukaina Fatima, Ayesha Saghir, Kaukab Jamal, Rizwan Mushkoor, Sidra Rizwan, Sarim Farooq, Timothy Malik and many more from across the globe.

I should like to acknowledge the following PEOPLE:

Ejaz Rahim—thank you so much for always finding a while on you to provide invaluable appraisal of my poetic discourses. It means the world to me!

Farooq Malik—thank you so much for always engaging with me i.e. my verse, my prose and my lyrics. It means the world to me!

Lloyd Jacobs—thank you so much for your invaluable critique of my poetry. It means the world to me!

I should like to acknowledge the following JOURNAL:

The Ekphrastic Review—founded by Lorette C. Luzajic (contemporary artists, writer and photographer from Toronto, Canada). The Journal has been a source of great inspiration for me during the past three odd years or so.

I should like to acknowledge the following DIGITAL-ENCYCLOPEDIA:

Wikiart.org, which is a great source for accessing the digital images of the artworks (paintings, sculptors, drawings, et cetera) of almost every classical, modern, postmodern and contemporary artist.

I should like to acknowledge the PUBLISHER:

Shiela Dela Vega, Charmaine Bailey, May Arado, Design Team and all the Team Members at AuthorHouse UK/USA.

I should also like to acknowledge the TECHNOLOGY:

My Smart Phone, Laptop, Desktop and Printer at home; and of course, the electricity and the internet; and of course, Google (Google Chrome) and Microsoft (especially, Outlook); and of course, my Car, Microwave, et cetera.

The Βιβλίο Άλφα of Prose Poems wouldn’t have come into existence without all of you.

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

Prolegomenon

PROSE POEMS

Βιβλίο Άλφα

I. Small, Medium and Large

Accounts of Human Condition

Transition

The Message

The Hanuman Langur

Late

Poet and Poetry

Composing Art

Look! There is a Poem!

Self-Portrait

Pilgrimage to Hellas – 2014 C.E.

Co(m)motion at 06:06 AM – PM

The Kaal: Three (3) Ante Meridiem

Finding un Stylo and Blank Paper at a Local Café

The Fire – 2000 C.E.

Catching the Train to Czestochowa

Letter to Lorette

Peasants

Curtains

Life

An Uber Ride – 2018 C.E.

A Poem with Errors (1)

A Poem with Errors (2)

Writer’s Block

Critique

Haiku

A Prose Poem Without a Title

A Prose Poem Without a Title – I

A Prose Poem Without a Title – II

Yes, Before I Forget

Houris

… And You’d Think

Expectations

Empathy

Tomorrow

Mind and Heart

Chores

The World

Circle

Matchbox with a Picture of Kite

Reminiscing and Remembrance

A Child’s Mind