Vandana Parashar  reviews poetry collection of  Croatian poet Goran Gatalica

True to its name, this delightful multilingual book of selected haiku Night Jasmine by Goran Gatalica, tingles your senses and takes you to a heightened state of awareness despite all the chaos and uncertainty of present-day living. Gatalica, very delicately and unassumingly, shifts your attention from the mundaneness of your urban life to the wonders and supremacy of nature.

I can't help but mention a few of his haiku which filled my heart with undiluted pleasure. I knew this book would be the one which will make the readers come back to it again and again as soon as I read this very first haiku. I marvelled at how beautifully Gatalica made a little sparrow the centre of attraction and the human a mere speck on the periphery! Such a humbling ku.

passing cloud…

a little sparrow ignores

a sudden passerby

Gatalica urges us to give ourselves a break and observe nature in all its glory.

He implores us to stop the chatter and listen to the nature talking. It’s only when we close our ears to outside noise, can we hear our inner voice. The following exquisite haiku engages all our senses and how beautifully!

empty commuter train—

listening to spring drizzle

through an open window

Gatalica shows us how communicating with nature can be a spiritual experience, irrespective of our religious beliefs. The first line in the following haiku can be a temple, a mosque, a gurudwara, a monastery or our house, and the effect will be the same.

in the churchyard

sharing a birdsong

only with God

Gatalica’s sensitivity towards everything is endearing and touches a chord. From mother to mother nature, ah…the places we find comfort and happiness in…

after mother’s death–

I find true happiness

in cherry blossoms

I have very rarely seen the morbid topic of death dealt with such brilliance as Gatalica has done in the following ku.

deep in the spring

the morning sun touches

the death of a mole

As you wade through this book, you find yourself feeling like you have known Gatalica for a long time and you are fortunate to be friends with this kind, wonderful soul. His mindfulness towards even the tiny creatures is admirable.

a life-long friendship

I mow the grass

far away from an anthill

Gatalica takes us, the readers, on a meditative journey during which we find ourselves pulled into a world that we, in our ignorance and rushed living, seldom notice.

autumnal sounds—

my father shapes the wood

into a violin

anemone bulbs

I sleep wherever

the night catches me

Not only does he show exceptional sensitivity towards nature, but he lays bare his vulnerabilities too, which are sure to strike a chord.

melted snow

my wife’s daydreams

in the fertility clinic

adopting a child—

warmth of

the winter sun

I can go on and on and might end up quoting almost all the poems, but I’ll let the readers savour the book because it’s not every day that you come across a book like this. By sending this book my way, Goran Gatalica has done me a big favour, and I thank him from the bottom of my heart. I wish him great success and look forward to reading more of his books.