According to the young poet, Rasara T. Siyara, the idea of writing a poetry collection came out of nowhere. She was simply doing her studies, and having done both OL and AL Literature, she has been loving the subject for a while. ‘The inspiration to write this collection came from Patrick Fernando’s poem, The Fisherman Mourned by His Wife. Afterwards, I decided to write more poems on the theme of love using some of my own personal experiences as well,’ she said. As an eighteen-year-old woman, love is a deep, relatable and meaningful topic for Rasara and all her peers. She explains how at this age, the subject of love powerfully emerges in anyone’s life, which is also the era where young people would make mistakes and learn from it. Thus, her poetry collection, The Ashes of Lost Letters, became a reality. She wants her book to serve as a guide to those like her going through this stage of life, and also for anyone experiencing all kinds of love in general. She writes articles and poetry for the school magazine and is also an avid reader of fantasy and fiction, with romance being one of her favourite genres. She considers Sarah J. Mass as one of her personal favourite authors, and when it comes to poetry, she considers William Shakespeare and William Blake as her favourites.
Rasara finds it easier to put forward her raw feelings in poetry rather than in other literary forms such as short stories or novels. Therefore, she decided to use her talent as a profession. ‘I started emailing publishers everywhere and found The Jam Fruit Tree Publications, which I believe is the best one among them.’ She recalls how she didn’t allocate any spare time specifically for writing. During her study time, she would take a spare paper and write what she felt, and this happened mostly at night. It took her only a month to write fifty poems for her collection. The books that she has read, her own personal experiences and the films she has watched all served as inspiration for her. She wrote more than one poem every day and had no idea that she had this skill before this project began. She also shared how she felt extremely happy after she finished her collection and how she surprised her friends with her book.
Even though the publishing process initially felt big and overwhelming for her, Rasara mentioned how The Jam Fruit Tree Publications made the process smooth and easy. However, like any other new poet, she had her doubts about her work: Will the poems turn out okay? Will they be successful? Will they resonate with the readers? ‘My parents assured me that it’s my first time publishing and that the first step in anything is to try, which is what gave me the confidence to go for it,’ said the poet.
Since The Ashes of Lost Letters is about love, Rasara mentioned how her poetry is similar to letters that house unspoken words. Therefore she wanted the book cover to represent this sentiment and decided to have it designed with a dripping rose and scattered letters. ‘Seeing the book physically come to life is a moment I will never forget. It’s a dream come true for me and I am excited to write more,’ the young poet said. She is both surprised and happy how her dream came to fruition so quickly right after she finished writing her last poem.
Rasara noted how there are all types of love addressed in The Ashes of Lost Letters. Not only the sweet type of love we know but also the painful ones such as unrequited love and the multiple facets surrounding love such as loss and grief. She wants the readers to view her poetry in a woman’s perspective. She mentioned how there are hidden lines in her poetry about the suppression that women undergo in a male-dominant society. Her personal favourite poem from her collection is “Unwritten Confession” which is about the uncertainty of love. She also loves “Rock Hard Heart” which is about the fragility of love. Rasara also shared how the poem, “Bingo” talks about a different kind of emotional and personal experience, which is about the love she has for her first puppy who left them in 2023. She recalled how she was deeply shaken by his departure and how this poem is a significant addition to her poetry collection. She also wrote about certain people that she met and the impression she got from their attitudes and personalities.
Rasara has done a diploma in Psychology and loves to study about the mind and human behaviour which she noted also supports her writing process. After ALs, Rasara is hoping to continue Psychology up until her Masters and believes that psychology and literature go hand in hand. Her ultimate goal is to become a counsellor or a psychologist and continue writing on the side as well.
When asked about her future projects, Rasara mentioned how she is hoping to write a short story for children, and a fantasy novel for teenagers and adults after she’s done with schooling. She wants to encourage budding poets like her to take the chance and put to words whatever story they have within them. ‘If you have a vision, take a scrap of paper and just draft it. The worst that could happen is failure from which you can definitely learn and try again,’ said Rasara. She hopes that those who pick up her poetry collection would deeply understand her poetry and most importantly, relate to them. ‘I want my readers to realise that they are strong enough to withstand both the highs and the lows that come with all facets of love, whether it’s something you’re living through now or a chapter still waiting ahead.’
By Gayanga Dissanayake