Descendant and Ancestor: Review of Sheniz Janmohamed's Reminders on the Path
Sheniz Janmohamed, Reminders on the Path.
Mawenzi House, 2021. $19.95.
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Sheniz Janmohamed’s third collection of poetry, Reminders on the Path, expands upon existing themes of travel that occur both amidst nature and close within ourselves. However, the sacrality of her writing does not waver in this new collection. Reminders on the Path begins with two epigraphs: one by Ryokan Taigu, a Soto Zen Buddhist monk, and another by Abu Sa’id Abu’l-Khayr, a Persian Sufi poet. With epigraphs from writers with such a rich perspective on introspection, Janmohamed tells us that these penmans and their philosophies act as a sort of guide for the reader to expect what is to come. Sections of the collection are named so as to be thematically in line with the intentions of the book: “Inheritances,” “Embark,” “Re-Turn,” and “Home.” Each section’s title page is accompanied by a beautiful illustration that allows the reader to take a second as they reach the metaphorical landmark and see how far they have come along this path.
Janmohamed includes an eloquent ‘Author’s Note’ to prepare the reader before they embark upon their journey. She mentions how this book is one that emulates the lands that are intrinsic to her experience as someone who has roots in Kenya, India, and Canada. The context Janmohamed provides is inherent to practices of storytelling: this is a tale that is told by a brown woman who bears a knowingness that she is not only a descendant, but will also be an ancestor. This hyper-awareness of one’s positionality in their lineage is deeply entrenched in her writing and makes itself known in her poetry.
Consider the first poem of the collection titled “Ancestors” where Janmohamed says, “I am clay / moulding itself over and / over again” (6). By expressing the sentiment that energy cannot be created or destroyed, this quotation gives the reader a visceral image of the ways in which, as descendants, we are made of the same foundation as our ancestors. In these few lines, Janmohamed gives us an affirmation, a mantra, and hope for when we are feeling disconnected from the world. This first poem sets up the collection to be one that provides warmth and encouragement upon our journeys, whether physical, mental, or spiritual.
In a similar thread, we see the dark underbelly of generationality in Janmohamed’s poem “Like this.” The poem begins with the first stanza: “I speak a language unspoken, / of timeless streams of blood / poured from one chalice / to the next — / an unbroken lineage of ache” (32). Again, Janmohamed has mastered the art of the perfect metaphor: viewing lineage as blood poured from chalice to chalice. This metaphor is more solemn; there is a note of yearning for something more beautiful to pass on. A deep sense of empathy is drawn out of the reader in these mentions of generational curses, and an excitement emerges when discussing the breaking of them. Janmohamed shows intentional care in the way these poems are crafted. Emotions of despair or hopelessness are paired with inspiration so as to leave the reader with a realistic, yet optimistic, state of mind.
Janmohamed’s use of the first person awakens a sense of purpose in the reader. This happens both in single lines and in entire poems. The former can be seen in her poem titled “Facing the Garden Wall” in which she writes, “I sing myself home” (55). This line holds both power and peace in its brevity. We see Janmohamed’s influence from the birds and how their independence is something that she admires and aims to emulate. The latter is seen in the untitled stand-alone poem that reads, “What does the crescent moon / know about being full? // Even when incomplete, / I’m whole” (59). For this to exist on its own page and without a title furthers the author’s belief of taking up space, as this poem is just as valuable as the others that exist in a longer format. The structure and the content of the poem make clear the intention of the piece, a talent that Janmohamed has clearly shown she is able to do with ease.
Another skill of Janmohamed’s that does not go unnoticed in this collection is her ability to end a poem (and the collection) on the note that best suits it. Consider the poem “Garden within Gardens” where the poem ends with the line, “May it remind you — dusk is as brief as a sigh” (35). In this poem, Janmohamed speaks about the labyrinth of life, and how temporality is but a suggestion. For this poem to end on the line that it does is to teach the reader the value of patience, as this poem, too, feels just as brief. Despite the fact that in this poem, we may hope for more lessons to be taught by Janmohamed, she leaves us on a note that we may apply to situations where it is needed: giving us the knowledge to fish rather than the fish itself.
Janmohamed ends the collection with the poem “Breaking Bread,” which is the only poem in the final section (fittingly titled “Home”). She brings us and the collection home with this poem that has notes of nostalgia and reminiscence. All in all, we are able to reflect on the journey that Janmohamed has so graciously guided us on with adoration and deep appreciation as this poem sends us off.
Sheniz Janmohamed, in her third book, does not fail to conjure up the most beautiful imagery paired with the most magnificent of lessons. These poems truly reflected the book’s namesake as reminders on the path.
Namitha Rathinappillai (she/her) is a Tamil-Canadian spoken word poet, artist, and writer who has entered the poetry community in 2017. She has been involved with Urban Legends Poetry Collective (ULPC) ever since her engagement with the Ottawa arts community, and made ULPC history as the first female and youngest director. She is a two-time Canadian Festival of Spoken Word (CFSW) team member with Urban Legends Poetry Collective, and she published her first chapbook, Dirty Laundry with battleaxe press in November 2018. She has been involved as a performer and a workshop facilitator within the Ottawa community at spaces such as Tell em Girl, Youth Ottawa, the Artistic Mentorship Program, Carleton Art Collective, The Fembassy, Youth Services Bureau, and more.