Now to the section of spices Nouns, verbs, adjectives Oh! so flavourful Stock well on the sturdy nouns Add specific, accurate verbs in abundance But use adjectives sparingly Like a sprinkle of saffron Then go to the floor of poetic elements Where they store rhymes, rhythm, prosody Choose with care They’re the symphony of sensation To enhance the flavours of your creation Carefully blend the chosen ideas Like a master chef Marinate them in emotions and thoughts Debone each word with skilled finesse So every morsel is tender and succulent Let the composition simmer and sizzle Then garnish it with vivid imagery With the perfect balance of senses Until the aroma of poetry, fills the page Creating a visual feast for seeking eyes Inviting readers to savour The delectable treat for soul and mind Like a gourmet meal, leaving an everlasting taste

The poet Rajiv Khandelwal is widely known for his innovative and experimental approach to writing poetry among the fraternity of English poets in India and abroad. The present poem, ‘Poetic Culinary: Words on the Menu’, is an enchanting and delightful exploration of the art of poetry writing. Rajiv Khandelwal has a dexterous knack for using peculiar, uncommon, yet apt images, metaphors, and similes in his poems, with the result that his poems are received with a positive sense of awe and admiration by his avid readers.

‘Poetic Culinary’ is an impressive and beautiful poem in which Khandelwal uses culinary imagery for the purpose of his poetic artistry. Like a master artist, the poet portrays the poetic process with the help of his ‘memory store’, where shelves of ideas softly sigh and the imagination is invited to gather ripe fruits. He makes a selection from the menu of the master chef’s kitchen to suit the figurative components of his poem. The congruity between the chef’s menu and the poet’s poem is a remarkable poetic feat. As culinary art satisfies the carnal senses of human beings, the poetic art nourishes the soul and leaves an everlasting indelible impression in the mental domain of the poetry lover.

At the very outset, the poem attracts the reader and invites them to “Step into your memory store” where “shelves of ideas softly sigh.” With the help of the metaphor of shelves and fruits, the poet evokes the further possibilities of fertile imagination.

The poet then comes to the process of crafting poetry. He compares words to ‘spices’. As spices are carefully used for cooking, so words — nouns, verbs, adjectives — need as much care. The poet suggests:

Stock well on the sturdy nouns Add specific, accurate verbs in abundance But use adjectives sparingly Like a sprinkle of saffron.

The poet lays emphasis on the use of precise language in poetry. ‘Sturdy nouns’ and ‘accurate verbs’ make the poem artistically strong and more appealing. The imagery of saffron adds to the poetic flavour of the composition. Judicious use of descriptive words enhances the poem’s inherent meaning and value.

With ‘the floor of poetic elements’ now prepared, the poet directs his discerning attention to ‘rhymes, rhythm, prosody’ to create:

the symphony of sensation To enhance the flavours of your creation.

These elements are indispensable as they enhance musicality in the lines and depth in the whole poem. The vivid imagery of ‘symphony and sensation’ adds melodious music that evokes relevant emotions in the reader.

The poetic process moves on further: Carefully blend the chosen ideas Like a master chef Marinate them in emotions and thoughts Debone each word with skilled finesse So every morsel is tender and succulent.

Khandelwal’s masterly stroke is evidently laudable when he, like a skilled chef, suggests blending ‘the chosen ideas’ and marinating ‘them in emotions and thoughts’ to make the poetic dish palatable and the reader imaginatively excited. The expression ‘every morsel is tender and succulent’ shows the poet’s deep understanding of the sensory appeal of poetry, further evident in the following stanza:

Let the composition simmer and sizzle Then garnish it with vivid imagery With the perfect balance of senses Until the aroma of poetry, fills the page

The variegated visual feast is rich with memorable sensuous words and expressions: ‘symphony of sensation’, ‘enhance the flavours’, ‘marinate’, ‘debone each word’, ‘morsel is tender and succulent’, ‘aroma of poetry’, ‘simmer and sizzle’, ‘garnish’, ‘balance of senses’, ‘visual feast’, ‘delectable treat’, and ‘a gourmet meal’, leaving ‘an everlasting taste’. In the Keatsian vein, Khandelwal is a sensuous poet through and through.

To conclude, ‘Poetic Culinary: Words on the Menu’ is undoubtedly a masterpiece poetic composition in which Rajiv Khandelwal has used his pen skilfully to explain the poetic process with the help of culinary metaphors. With its logical flow and vivid presentation of highly evocative images, the poem has become delightful reading. The poet has succeeded in establishing the veracity of his deep-felt notion that poetry has the power to nourish the soul and is capable of leaving an ever-lasting imprint in the minds of readers. Khandelwal has proved that a balanced combination of thought and emotion certainly goes to make a memorable piece of poetry.