The Flapper Press Poetry Café Welcomes Mauritian Poet Alshaad Kara
- Flapper Press Poetry Café
- 5 hours ago
- 5 min read
By Elizabeth Gracen for the Flapper Press Poetry Café:
The Flapper Press Poetry Café features the work of poets from around the globe. It is an honor to share their work and learn more about their lives, influences, and love of poetry.
This week, we are honored to feature the work of poet Alshaad Kara. I reached out to Alsahaad to ask him about his work, his passions, and his influences.
Alshaad Kara is a Mauritian poet who writes from his heart. He won first place at the Boney Cultural Center Valentine's Day Poetry Competition 2024 and was also a winner of the Flapper Press Poetry Café Valentine's 2024 Juliet Poetry Contest. His latest poems were published through Salt Pages, Inner Child Press, and Missives.
Please meet Alshaad Kara!
Elizabeth Gracen: Alshaad, first of all, thank you for sharing your poems with Flapper Press. I love it when we receive submissions from all over the world. I have no idea how you found out about us, so please tell me! Like most Americans, my geography is atrocious, so I know very little about Mauritius. We get to start from scratch with all of this, so please tell me all about you and your country and why you’ve chosen poetry as a form of self-expression.
Alshaad Kara: I believe it is poetry which has chosen me and not the other way round! I began to write poetry so suddenly one year exactly after my grandmother, Jhobeda Ebrahime Hassenjee-Mall, [passed] and also being heartbroken. Words started to flow, and I began to pour what’s in my heart. Until it has its own reason to push me to write, I shall carry love’s flame in my fingers.
EG: Your poems have a beautiful, haunting, almost melancholy energy (at least the three poems that you submitted). Can you tell me a bit about your writing process and what motivates you to create a poem?
AK: My writing process is having as inspiration a Bollywood romantic track because it carries pathos, though I am not much familiar with the language. Then there is a moment or something I have witnessed that triggers the rest. Of course, themes are also great influences. But the real motivation to create my poem is love. Poetry is the medicine that I take to heal the scars around my heart, which refuse to cure since love is selfless and unconditional.
EG: If you were to describe your poetry in a few words, what would that be? Who are your influences (poetry or otherwise)? What are some of your favorite poems by other poets?
AK: That’s a rapid fire question! (haha). I would say “endearment,” “melancholy,” and “romantic.” Rumi and William Wordsworth are, for me, the epitome of poetry, and any poems of them standout. There are writers who also break me with their novels, such as Charles Dickens with the Great Expectations.
EG: Describe the Arts in Mauritius. Is poetry a big part of your culture? How would you describe Mauritians in general? I know that’s a slightly obnoxious question! People are extremely varied and complex, but I’m sure you have a general idea what you think Americans are like (yikes!), so please give me some insight about your culture and the value put on the Arts in your country.
AK: I would decode the arts in Mauritius as part of our history. It has a multitude of facets, and we have incredible artists. Unfortunately, there are not much prospects as a poet in Mauritius. However, Mauritians are supportive of their creative peers, which is one of the reasons I won the People’s Choice 2023 Gal’s Guide Anthology: Journey. I would also like to thank Mr. Jean-Jacques Camy, my French mentor and friend, whom I have written duet poems with. He has helped me refine my poetry.
EG: Do you think poetry is important? In my life, I’ve met many people who don’t like it or simply don’t “get it.” What do you think poetry offers to the world that other art forms or other writing forms simply can’t offer?
AK: Poetry is important since it built the literature, which shows us the beginning of creativity. Though subjective, poetry offers the chance to dream, to transcend time and emotions, to evade for a while, to have a little glimpse of another world in a short span. Just like dreaming and coming back to today’s reality.
EG: What do you hope to accomplish with your work as a poet? Where do you see yourself in 10 years? 20 years? Do you envision always writing poetry?
AK: I really hope to inspire writers, poets, and individuals. I can imagine and dream, but life has taught me that years count as new chapters, and I would rather let it [be] like that and discover rather than pinpoint what are my expectations. But I would like to be a father. I think poetry is that little piece of me which is my world, and I do not think I shall stop writing poetry.
EG: Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me about your life and work. I’m wishing you the very best of luck with all you pursue, and I look forward to your future submissions to Flapper Press! Please let our readers know where to find your work and more about you. Thank you!
AK: Thank you so much once again for having me. Keep on the great work at Flapper Press. They can find me where my name takes me. My social media (Instagram) username is alshaadkara1. Goodbye, everyone!
The Story of the Sky
The lamp of love burns
Unveiling the moonlight.
Upon asking for an eclipse,
The sky responds
To a magical twilight.
The sun gives an ode
To the praises
That the moon leaves
All night
By spreading stars
To illuminate
Its beloved
During the day.
Hearing this,
The clouds took pity,
And covered the day
To allow the sun
To join the moon
In the melody
Of the universe.
This left the heavens
To morn landscapes
Of beauty
Over the earth.
About the poem:
This poem narrates the love story of the sun and the moon with the use of imageries, metaphors, and how the universe conspires to make them join.
Rain-Soaked
Seeing the grace
Of being torn
In a rift
Is the rainstorm
That left me rain-soaked.
Hear the past
Which is a sword
To today's reality.
Hide yourself
In laughter and smiles,
You will get encroached
In losing pearls with endless hopes.
Treasure the silence,
Because it is your best companion
In times
Where you need respite.
Getting a glimpse
Of light on the rain drop
Is just a mere continuation
Of the reality awaiting.
Destiny is an unknown destination
That brooms grace
In a rainstorm
That left me rain-soaked.
About the poem:
The rain plays an important element in impacting the narrator’s perspective and vision on life and reality.
Bluster
Death can be a festival
Of tears and destruction
Hence, unveiling the shades of destiny.
The desire to reach one's destination
Is a mere expected light
Which shall treasure life.
Yet the real trade is the twisted spirit
That ask for respite in the darkness.
Shadows will bloom in white,
Stars will fade into dark,
But destiny will always foray.
About the poem:
This poem brushes the escalating effect of death and destiny.
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