Review of ‘Ernesto Sarezale’s poem ‘The aftermath’

 Review of ‘Ernesto Sarezale’s poem ‘The aftermath’

https://www.nationalpoetrylibrary.org.uk/online-poetry/poems/aftermath

I request readers to read the poem first from the link and then only my review. Thanks.

This poem will fit into ‘prose poetry’ due to its length and narrative style. Often a reader finds a monologue or lament or tearful feminine pain in poems. A prose poetry becomes the choice of the poet when she wants the reader in the shoes of an observer to understand the subtle expressions of the poet. The eagerness to deviate from the traditional form of poems is evident in such an attempt. A creative work, among other things, carries a body language too. This poem brims with confidence of the poet. The poet is upbeat having scripted a powerful poem.

There is hardly any need to interpret any part of the poem. So let us find out whether the belly button is the metaphor in this poem; if so, what does it symbolize? What do we infer? The belly button is what remained at the time of my birth when the gynecologists' removed the umbilical cord.  The belly button  symbolizes the end of the safety for ten months that preceded the exposure to decades of struggle ahead. Besides it’s a reminder of a unique connection that can never happen again. A belly button can open the doors for a revisit to the mysterious world of life before birth or it can fit into erotica. The poem depicts a ‘magically realistic’ scenario where the belly button is lost after the act of sex (Gay or male-female doesn’t make a difference here.) What was once so crucial for his survival before birth is lost. But he is not able to focus on it, recall where he lost it and trace it. The emptiness or hole in its place is painful and could get infected. So he is managing with a tampon. Isn’t it strange or rather weird? One loses the belly button, but goes about sans any regret or sense of loss or handicap. Does Sex without bonding or commitment or serious relationship leaves such a hole or vacuum in the minds and relationships? Was one partner casual and the other one serious like looking for a long term relationship? The ending of the poem makes the reader ponder for answers to these questions.