We’ve been talking about poetry around here quite a bit lately. So when Kemal Faruquee asked me to check out his poetry website, Kemal Poems, I just had to take a look. Kemal started his site in 2004, and he’s filled it with the poetry he’s written. Kemal’s books, Naive Lip and The Uptake of the Disappointment Concept, are both available on his site. But you can also peruse his site and get plenty of poetry for free if you’re in need of a little fix. Since I seem to be on a mission as of late to bring people back into poetry, a site like this may be just what you need to get your toes back in the prose. (And there is a prime example of why I am not a poet.)
One interesting feature on Kemal’s site is the “New Additions and Poem Genres” category. By clicking on links such as Birthday Poems or Friendship Poems, Kemal is starting a collection of poetry for many occasions. He even encourages readers to send in some they’ve found and would like to share, so if you’ve written some or found a gem, he may just post it for you.
And how is the poetry of Kemal Faruquee? I rather enjoyed reading through them. There’s something of a rambling melodic quality about it that I found made it easy to fall into the flow of the poem. In particular, I was drawn to Imagining Myself an Old Man. It’s romantic and sentimental without the sugary sweetness that can sometimes trip up a poet. Overall, his poems are worth a look–and like I said they’re free. If you’re just meandering around the poetry pool, Kemal Poems is offering you Free Swim Day. Kick off those flip flops and jump in.
