Recently, contributing editor, Carl Scharwath, conducted an interview with Sabrina Rubin. Below, he writes a compelling introduction before his initial interview with Sabrina.
Sabrina Rubin is generally a modernist Bangladeshi poet. She is also a prolific poet and her poems are of outstanding intellectual quality. Incidents of everyday life can be found in much of her poetry but in a very symbolic and complicated way. She frequently experiments with form and content in English, always. She often approaches surrealism and expressionism in her works. She uses the imagery of varied urban motifs and infrequently rural motifs like moon, sun, sky, lush greenery, clouds and other natural wonders in her poetry. Her poetry shows a considerable degree of social awareness and a sense of satire. Sabrina Rubin was born in Jessore district that came into existence with the natural siltation process of the Ganges river. On the map drawn by Ptolemy, Rubin's birthplace finds proximity with the ancestral home of Rabindranath Tagore and sonneteer Michael Madusudan Dutta. Thus, poetry came to her as a gift of nature. She is gifted with versatility and lofty intellectual caliber that enabled her to compose passionate and enthralling poems. In her professional life she is a reputed physician as well as an enormously influential woman with huge charismatic zeal. She is quite accomplished in the domain of art and literature. Poet Sabrina, is always mindful of being indebted for Allah's bounties, big and small, and articulates his or her feelings at every step to express gratitude. This feeling of constant gratitude has an incredibly significant bearing on everyone's deeds. This is because a grateful servant finds great happiness in doing the deeds that are pleasing to his or her Benefactor. Sabrina Rubin is a popular for the handling of unusual, whimsical and innovative imagery in his creations. Her poetry has superbly documented pains, agonies, weal and woe of human beings. her poems are distinguished for their highly expressive and communicative, poignant and symbolic traits. She is today, a role model to all her fellow writers having authored of multiple writings. She has won several awards during her ten-year writing career from Russia, Italy, Palestine, Peru, Kazakhstan, India and Bangladesh. Currently, she has created the biggest impact after earning and winning various International awards for peace through literature of such stature, subsequently of three gigantic literary institutions from Russia, Palestine and India, combined with Indian Government's 'Gujarat Sahitya Akademi' during India's 74th Independence Day, to honor 350 poets and writers from 80 countries. Sabrina Rubin published many books but SUDDEN SPRING AGAIN and LIMITLESS LOVE are most favorites to her readers. All her books are available on Amazon. Another famous book of hers, in her native language is NISSIDDO NIRBASHON, which can be found on Rokomari.com in Bangladesh.
INTERVIEW
Carl: As a physician-poet like the great William Carlos Williams, first, how do you find the time to write and how has your career influenced your writing?
Sabrina: William Carlos Williams s a great American poet and physician. He is famous for modernism and imagism. William expressed his viewpoint most famously in his poem:
"Asphodel, the green flower."
He wrote "It is difficult
To get news from poems
Yet man die miserably
Everyday
For lack of what is found there."
Thank you so much for comparing me with such a great personality. I always keep in mind a line written by great poet and physician, Aton Pavlovich Chekov...'Medicine is my lawful life and literature is my mistress, when I get fed up with one, I spend the night with the other.' Thanks to Almighty, that He has given me the wonderful blessings. Being a physician, I don't get much time in daytime, so I spend my time during twilight with my writings, when birds are flying back to their nest and at times, dark in new moon or mid night flooded by moonlight. My writings and thoughts are also influenced by my career. As I collaborated before with mentally disabled people, so reflections of human psychology and distress of human beings are obvious in my poem. Here, I share my poem:
OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER
Unwanted obsession
Intrusive urge
My life has lack of charge
Distress triggered by thought
Style of life has never been taught
Check the doors whether it locks
My life is fearful never it rocks
Love to combing my hair repeatedly
Monitor all switches are in safety
Spending my time in washroom mostly
Waste my life, though it is costly
Relay on religious amulet
Don't know what is written on my fate
Afraid of losing you dear
Sometimes horror comes in nightmare
Anxiety, mania, panic encircle me
Seeking every time for apology
I am in obsession of compulsion
Save me from this addiction.
Carl: How does your love and gratitude of Allah, guide you in your poetry? Sabrina: I feel my creator everywhere in my every work. He is the one and only who is protector, benefactor and savior. I am indebted for Allah's bounties which I always keep in my mind and I show gratitude in my poetry.
Carl: Please tell our new poets, your best advice about writing.
Sabrina: Feel the readers emotion, study deeply, spread your thought and don't run after recognition, competition or certificates.
Carl: Who is your favorite poet(s) and why?
Sabrina: My favorite poets are Pablo Neruda, Rumi, Wordsworth and Nazrul Islam. I love their thoughtful work.
Carl: Sabrina, please tell us your number one goal concerning your writing.
Sabrina: I have no exact number of goals concerning my writing. I usually write on the flow.
Carl: Thank you again, dear Sabrina, for your time with us today. Sabrina and I have worked on some collaborations and we will include one for you. My last question is what do you like best about being a member of the ILA Group and their magazine? Sabrina: ILA is one of my favorite groups and this is the group where I started writing. I learned so many things while I took part in the competition and came to learn new vocabulary and different poetry styles. I came in contact with great poets and had the opportunity to collaborate with Carl, the great photographer and poet. My heartfelt gratitude to Annette Nasser from whom I learned so many things. Prayers and blessings for all poetry lovers. SAPPHO "I am already dead, or little short of dying" Poetic fragrance came from Greek Lesbos, Melodies of words playing with thoughts Introduced emotion, beauty Expressed sex love, harmony Jingle of Alphabetical tune, ups and downs Theme of "The poetess" or "Tenth muse" Remains a fragmented part of those Ten thousand lines of composition Her poetry is well known Sappho, the great poetess. Violet hair beautiful of Mytilene Praised for "Plato"and "Solon" Attracted to won heart of lady Created ornamental lyrics of Aphrodite, Passionate for intense of provocative line. She was a seductress or femme Mytilene of Lesbos cried Lonely heart left in sea Flew to the sky for tranquility Women of Aristocracy Poet of love and beauty She is queen of desire. "You may forget but let me tell you..."
Included in Sabrina's feature, is a collaboration she did with Carl Scharwath. Photography by Carl Scharwath.
SERENITY I stopped myself Stared at lush green Where life greets its majesty to green Apart from all turmoil Muted serenity waved Light embraced the cosmos Sound of deep silence Senatorial serenity of peace Chirps of unknown blue birds The bygone lovers left the garden chair Unfold my wrapped delighted memory I stopped myself I stopped myself by an eden. © Sabrina Rubin
Photography below, taken by Carl Scharwath, of Sabrina:
Carl Scharwath, from the sunshine state of Florida, is the Art Editor of Minute Magazine and Contributing Editor of ILA Magazine. His work has appeared globally, with 150+ journals, selecting his poetry, short stories, interviews, essays, art/photography, and most recently, plays. He is the author of four books.