In these poems, Sen reflects on an experience which is international, and establishes his poetry as a conversation amongst diverse voices. Whether in response to the art of China or France, travel in the USA or Germany, or residence in Calvinistic Scotland, Sen's insights are enriched by their Indian frame of reference, just as his poems set in India are marked by a sensibility which has absorbed the world outside.

Perhaps the most moving poem in the volume is ‘The Garland of Stars,’ in which the speaker tells his friend of his ‘love’ for the latter’s wife: ‘At that time I told your wife, "I love you," and she shuddered / not understanding, but only you know what I meant.’ But the poem is more than an expression of platonic love; it is an attempt to unravel the enigmatic ‘syllabics’ of loneliness and communion: ‘I’ll always wax and wane in a kangaroo pouch, heavy / and weightless like the moon’s breathing belly...’

Sudeep Sen lives and works in New Delhi & London. He is the editorial director of AARK ARTS.