45° of Crests & Valleys

45° of Crests & Valleys.

Poetry, whether performed or read, merry or melancholy, evokes a sense of movement. From
celebrating birth, praising achievements to paying tribute to the dead, poets use cleverly crafted words to
paint a mood or tell an episode of a journey.
Maruping Phepheng has done exactly that in his latest anthology – capturing his journey of life
from him turning 45 this year to an imagined beyond. It's a big imagination because he opens with
poem “Forty 5” and continues with titles bearing numbers subsequent to 45 until the last poem “Ninety”.
Poets' biggest challenge is the ability to find and shape the right words to express a feeling, and
retain the interest of the reader. Phepheng manages to pass this test with the skill of a consummate
wordsmith to produce a deft work of poetry.  He takes off on his journey with the lines "like a
graceful/calm river flowing", and finishes off with "conclusions are/mere beginnings". To borrow from pop
culture, Phepheng has nailed it.