Henna for the Heart

Love is anguish for some; it is yearning, hope, pain, joy and silent suffering. For Jaihoon, the evocative writer, who has diluted the barriers between sublime prose and mosaic verse, love is discovering the joy of God in every being. Intensely philosophical, as the very title, Henna for the Heart, indicates, this new collection of poems by the young poet, who despite enjoying the joys of modernity have sought inspiration in the philosophy of the mystic poet Jalauddhin Rumi. He reflects a new, hidden face of the today’s youth: One that is unwilling to compromise and fall prey to the all-pervading materialistic culture.

Henna is cosmetic; Jaihoon’s verses aren’t. Like the intense richness of well-applied henna, his lines echo profound thinking; one unlike the henna that fades with time finds greater significance with the passage of time.
Jaihoon appeals to your heart; he would, for, isn’t he on a search for Divine Love even as he roots himself in the demands of the modern world?

Introduction

In today’s world, cosmetics are a multi-billion industry involving complex lab tests, fancy packages, alluring models and lavish advertising. All these are for the clay-made body. Women apply mehendi only for the hand. It only beautifies the outer appearance. But we have casually or consciously ignored the beautification of heart. It is getting burnt with the rays of material greed making mankind a terrifying breed on the planet.

Heart is the core of human psyche. If that is decorated enough, the entire human personality- his habits, character, relationships- will be aligned towards virtue.

We need to initiate new efforts, say a spiritual catwalk, for cleaning our heart of all the filth of hatred towards our fellow humans. And redecorate our hearts with the colors of Love. And the purest of all love is the Love of God expressed in the form of Love for God.

Love is no love at all
If for Him is there not a role

If we succeed, then our hearts will gain the courage and confidence to face the challenges in our life. It will kindle a new flame of hope in His Mercy that shall never fade no matter what storm we face.

‘Henna for the Heart’, my second compilation of poems, is a humble endeavor in this direction to enlighten the heart of dear readers with a ray of hope and beam of Love. Therefore, one cannot expect to find the pleasures of traditional poetry in this collection. As the ‘Poet of East’ wrote,

“Poetizing is not the aim of this masnvi,
Beauty-worshipping and love-making is not its aim”

Publisher: iUniverse, USA
Year : 2003