The Colours In These Leaves

“The Colours In These Leaves” is a body of work that is wholly rendered in the first-person narrative. The manuscript, a hybrid of poetry and non-fictional prose, dwells on the human condition. Introspective, purgatory and sometimes self-interrogating, it examines a wide range of themes, including heartbreak, loss, disillusionment, depression, fickle human relationships and the allure of suicide. Divided into ten sections in a manner that depicts a journey, “The Colours In These Leaves” relies heavily on emotive language, metaphors and (on some occasions) self-deprecating humour to pass its message across. Here, we find a protagonist who at various points in time is navigating a quarter-life crisis, mulling over the exit of a lover, bemoaning the drudgery of corporate existence, suffering a crisis of faith, flirting with the idea of death, acknowledging the distance of friends, or dwelling on the idea romance with utmost cynicism. Amidst the musings and ruminations, the manuscript provides little hope with respect to the subject matter, but it's honest in all its gloom. The essays and poems herein thrive on raw and unfiltered emotion, emphasising content over finesse. With the need for increased mental awareness, this book is as relevant as it is confessional.