Firesmoke

Sheniz Janmohamed's second collection continues the poet's journey, tracing the inception and annihilation of sacred fire. In a series of highly evocative, personal poems, Firesmoke explores the meaning of truth and the self, finding them both in form and emptiness. In her unorthodox, broadminded quest for understanding, Sheniz evokes the teachings of Sufism, acknowledges the restorative power of the Mother Goddess and honours the alchemy of nature. Life and death do not exist without each other, just as fire produces both ash and smoke, one falling to the ground, the other rising into space. "Sheniz is a powerful voice with a refreshing resonance among the best new Canadian voices. Her poems espouse a system of love-based faith which celebrates life and revival in the midst of death and decay, and presents a Sufism that looks back and races forward in the age of instant communication." --Julie Mehta, academic and author of Dance of Life: The Mythology, History and Politics of Cambodian Culture Praise for Bleeding Light:"Sheniz Janmohamed is one of a very few new poets who has mastered the form of the ghazal in a way that brings together the emotional aspects of the form and the expectations of the listeners who know the form and its cultural unity: mystic illumination, rhyme, refrains that exude passion, and couplets with wise insights. The couplets in her eloquent and appealing ghazals dazzle one with their precision, sudden turns and brilliant use of the cultural memory of language and imagery." —The late Dr. Kuldip Gill (Professor, Poet and Mentor)