The ninth pawn lives on the edge of reality, a mischief of the subconscious. It is a missed opportunity conflated into a regret of unfulfilled life, a minor joy which blossoms into ecstasy, a drop of thought which can unfurl a paradigm, a tiny desire which becomes unquenchable thirst of quest, an irrelevant misunderstanding which becomes a running feud of distress and argument with the world.... The ninth pawn sits at the back of our minds, frequently expressing itself in our actions without our knowledge, not waiting for us to hear it, but always pulsating with the potential to bring us in touch with magic and meaning of life. Herein dwells the wonder and promise of the mind.
The short verses here are an invitation to the reader to paint the nuances of this non-existent ninth pawn which governs our lives as the invisible hand. They are simple drops of incipient thought; incomplete emotions looking for their outlets. By themselves, they are of limited consequence, like the ninth pawn, and left to their devices, they might well merge back, un-composed, in the infinite book of unwritten verses. Their flight cannot materialize without the reader's indulgence, and her own interpretations in metaphor of the inspired thought. They are meant to trigger introspection, images, stories, and analytic extensions of what may or may not have been implied.
If you like Piet Hein's "Grooks" and haiku's, then here is a book with which you will fall in love...
Fafat, Vijay: - ""An Engineered Banker with poetic fancies at heart" is how Vijay Fafat describes himself in self-effacing moments. Born and brought up in Mumbai when it was still "Bombay", Vijay spent half his life in the US before migrating to Singapore. Vijay has published 2 books featuring ultra-short short English verses: - "The Ninth Pawn of White - A Book of Unwritten Verses", and - "Quiescence- Musings Against A Setting Sun" He is currently working on a few different writing projects, still learning the craft of it... - a book on Urdu shayari with English translations, - a novel which revolves around the Indian epic, "Mahabharat", - a collection of stories where mathematics, magic realism, mythology, science fiction and metaphysical aspects of the world are central features. - a book of English poems Over the years, he has subconsciously realized that one's profession may provide subsistence, but it is really the moonlighting on your secret passion which sails your spirit. Vijay ardently believes that any form of writing should be immersive, taking the reader on a mind's journey where she feels one with the created word. Whether it is a jolt of Magic Realism story, a set of struggling verses, or even a technical paper, it is the conviction of the writing which is its innate force, its raison d'etre. Vijay enjoys taking leisurely breaks for nature-travel with his family, dragon-boating, reading Borges and Bradbury, indulging in hilarious karaoke sessions, and spreading a lighter mood all around over cups of tea and banter. Look him up when you visit Singapore, or write to him at vijayfafat@gmail.com."
