by Maryam Imogen Ghouth
Reviewed by Neil Leadbeater
Maryam Imogen Ghouth divides her time between Mallorca, Spain, and Dubai, UAE, where she publishes poetry in visual, audio and written forms. She began her journey in the arts in 2019 by making poetry films that explored psychological themes such as existential crises and belonging. In 2020, her series, ‘Journey of Becoming’, was chosen for screening at Dubai’s art-house cinema, Akil, in celebration of female artists. Since then, she has directed or co-directed many other poetry films, several of which have been produced in both English and Arabic. In late 2023, she began submitting her works to international film festivals and has received several nominations and awards for her poetry films ‘Bubble Hat’ and ‘Not Alone’. Some of her poems have been used as lyrics and spoken word for musicians and producers and as guided meditations for wellness practitioners.
‘I Ask My Being’ is described as being a chapbook and complimentary album. A QR code on the first page connects readers to an audio version featuring the author narrating her poems set to original music crafted by composer and pianist Arash Behzadi.
The collection comprises 15 poems of more or less equal length. The title of each poem consists of a single word which focuses the mind in concentrated form. Each poem is prefaced by a quotation culled from sources as diverse as Virginia Woolf, Carl Jung, Stephen Hawking, Rainer Maria Rilke, Alexander Solzhenitsyn and Kahlil Gibran. A prologue and an epilogue open and close the sequence at either end of the collection. Subjects covered are far-reaching and open-ended allowing free-reign to the imagination. For example, there are poems titled ‘Truth’, ‘Rumours’, ‘Doubts’, ‘Demons’, ‘Faith’ and ‘Wonderment’. Each poem explores an aspiration, charts its accompanying struggles and dwells on various observations to help her find solace in her experiences.
One of the many strengths in this book is the way in which Ghouth exercises control over her subject-matter in order to arrive without deviation at a true understanding of what it is that she is aiming to express. Ghouth makes repeated use of the first person singular as she takes us through her journeys of self-discovery. Having said that, she makes each poem universal in its overall appeal. At several moments in the book Ghouth names well-known personalities such as Rachel Carson, Henri Rousseau, Johannes Kepler, Martha Graham and Abraham Lincoln in order to lend weight to her reflections. At every stage she chooses her words carefully so that there is never at any point a word that is out of place. Precision is key and she is a master of its art.
Ghouth embraces whole-heartedly the creative powers that she has been given as an individual. In ‘Integrity’, she writes:
The whorls and lines of my path,
like a fingerprint, cannot be cloned;
it is from these ridges that my art unfolds,
and it is for the making of art
that my heart sings.
The separation of that final line from the preceding stanza lends emphasis to her statement. To be true to one’s own self and to write from the heart is surely the goal of every writer. In this poem she offers up good advice to any writer in search of “a life of purpose, / of substance, of creative freedom”, one who must overcome the temptation “to overproduce in fear / of being forgotten” and thereby “dilute the nuance and complexity” of their offering.
In other poems, Ghouth asks for courage to make mistakes, for strength to endure unkind rumours, for resolve to uphold her integrity, for patience, for boldness, for wisdom. True to form, each poem begins with the words ‘I ask for…’ which leads into a conversation with the soul within.
Two poems in particular that caught my attention were ‘Time’ and ‘Child’. In the former, Ghouth reminds herself (and, by implication, all artists) that inspiration cannot be rushed. It comes to us when it is ready and in its own time:
Yes, I have caught myself
courting the hubris of busyness,
rushing the harvest.
Life has a way of slowing me down,
interrupting the sprint
between my doing and my doing.
I ask for patience
to embrace such moments,
to view each delay as an opportunity
for rest, for play, for unity…
Downtime, when viewed in this way, can also be productive. It gives the subconscious time to catch up and offers us the means of recharging our batteries.
In the latter, a distraught childhood is revisited, healed and transformed when seen through the lens of experience and acceptance and the power of positive thinking:
I ask for tenderness to love the wounded child within.
I am sorry I denied you for so long.
It has taken me years to accept the dark
places you have been.
…..
I will transform
your wounds to love.
In ‘Wonderment’, the final poem in the book, Ghouth sees her world as being “but one spark / amidst billions” urging her “to seek out life from life / for life”. Just so, the netted veins in the single leaf on the front cover speak to us of a singular existence but also one that is connected to the larger tree of many and all.
This beautifully crafted collection is a storehouse of wisdom. In many ways it put me in mind of the writings of Kahlil Gibran. Memorable lines, without appearing to be didactic, may be found on every page. Ghouth’s verses are poetic homilies for our time.
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