At Pakistani journalist-poet Kyla Pashas first reading in India,the office of her publishers,Yoda Press,was packed to capacity. Possibly because Pashas poetry has been described by art critics as an effortless marriage of politics and love,the two topics weaving into a tapestry that is vivid yet not verbose. Everything is genocide now. You cant take two steps without seeing a massacre,so I dont go anywhere, read out Pasha,30,from her book High Noon and The Body distributed by Cambridge Press. Pasha,based in Karachi,writes for Global Comments,an online publication and is the editor for another online magazine Chay that focuses on issues of gender and sexuality. Publishing poetry is an oxymoron. You may not speak to people but you may write out five pages of angst and read them out to an unknown audience, says Pasha. Growing up in the 80s in a Left-leaning family has also predisposed Pasha to mix politics with passion. My father Naeem owns an art gallery and there was a lot of censorship. As soon as the censors arrived he would hide the works that may have been controversial,and take them out when they left, says the poet. The slim anthology of poems has been written over several years and promotes a style distinctly Asian,given that America from where she graduated in creative writing,does not promote wearing ones heart on ones sleeve. They would often push me to find a metaphor and I did that sometimes but for inspiration I would look to a poet like Pablo Neruda, says Pasha. As for labels,Pasha does not relate to the term woman poet,I do not thing it is a real category,I prefer being called a Pakistani poet, she says. Great verse has no boundaries .
