‘I’m more afraid of what you will do to yourself than what the world will do to you.’

Hell’s Flowers by Asmita Patwardhan is a special poetry book. Special because of the pure intention and purpose it’s written with. Right from the title to the background story to the titles of the poem, to the richness of imagery, musicality, and abstraction – the poems in this book are both realistic and uplifting. When we think of the autism spectrum, we don’t understand how certain people are denied presence or companionship. But, taking this into deep consideration and regarding it so much more as to create art and care, it’s a brave attempt. The 3 different sections – Secret Garden, Hidden Garden & Forbidden Garden reflect Asmita’s attempt to pay attention, show care, and dig deeper into issues concerning different age groups.

This book is a rejuvenating read. It’s written effortlessly it seems but it’s a personal work, you will sense.

‘Annotate every synonym that tried to mask the word pain.’

It takes courage to write about things we all suffer from but don’t highlight much. It takes courage to talk about something that doesn’t get society’s attention. Vivid imagery, focused poems, and a dedicated effort to present art and healing – this and a lot more is what this book is about!

Congratulations to Asmita for writing this and sending a copy to me! One thing that some people might not like is that sometimes certain things are not easy to deal with even if in words we feel so!