- Isurinie Anuradha Mallawaarachchi discusses her debut book ‘Flowers Teach Me to Let Go’
By Shailendree Wickrama Adittiya
Isurinie Anuradha Mallawaarachchi is a lecturer in English and sociology, a poet, and an attorney at law, but said her passions lie in teaching and writing. She recently published her debut book, Flowers Teach Me to Let Go. The collection of poetry covers themes like love, sex, familial relationships, identity, and trauma.
“I think mental health is also a central focus in what I write, mainly because my work was initially meant to be personal,” Mallawaarachchi said. Considering this, as well as Flowers Teach Me to Let Go being her first book, we asked the poet what went into putting this collection together.
“I write about my experiences, emotions and certain political incidents that moved me. It started off as something therapeutic and personal that I did to deal with negative emotions, but I ended up posting my work on social media,” she said, adding that she received a lot of positive comments about the poems, with her friends saying they could relate to what she was discussing. This is what made Mallawaarachchi want to publish her work, as it would reach a larger audience.
It is fair to say that for many, writing, especially poetry, is a cathartic experience, and it was no different for Mallawaarachchi, who said: “It indeed is a cathartic experience for me. For example, certain things that worried me before writing some of my poems did not worry me after writing them, because I practically transferred my emotions to the poems. Quite frankly, when I re-read my poems, it feels like a hug from my past self to my present self.”
Mallawaarachchi elaborated that reading and writing poetry mean a lot to her, as they are how she expresses certain parts of herself that she is unable to express through other means.
Flowers Teach Me to Let Go is dedicated to the reader for not searching for the poet in the poems, but instead seeing themselves. This leads to the question of balancing writing poetry, which can be extremely personal, with letting poetry exist as a separate entity.
“Clearly, when someone writes personal poetry, they also face the risk of exposing their quite intimate experiences to the world, but I think that the moment I publish them, they cease to be only mine. I think that is the wonder of poetry – despite what the poet felt when writing the poem, the reader can connect with it in any way that they want.”
Mallawaarachchi went on to say that through the book’s dedication, she wanted to highlight that the reader can read poetry, whether hers or someone else’s, forgetting that they are reading about just one person’s experience or emotion.
“It gives them more space to connect with the poem and makes the poem a larger entity than what they perceive it to be.”
A mere glance at the cover of the book makes one wonder about the symbolism of flowers and the significance lent to it in the poems. Not only is the collection titled Flowers Teach Me to Let Go, but the cover illustration also features sunflowers.
The poet explained that as an individual, she absolutely loves receiving flowers and even has tattoos of flowers.
“Something I have noticed in flowers is that although they are generally perceived to be there to ‘beautify’, they also serve the purpose of procreation. It fascinates me how flowers just bloom so beautifully, evolve into fruits that help in the process of procreation, and then wilt away. So for me, flowers symbolise the idea of beauty, letting go, and growth.”
Announcing the launch of the book, The Jam Fruit Tree Publications and Writer’s Club shared praise from poet Vivimarie VanderPoorten, who said the connection between flowers and physical and emotional scars can be interpreted in any way the reader wants. This brings one back to the topic of having one’s work subject to different interpretations. While some tend to be apprehensive about this, Mallawaarachchi said it was quite heart-warming as well as empowering.
“Like I said, what motivated me to publish my poems as a book was the feedback I received from my friends that their own experiences resonate with what I had written. It convinces me that I am not alone; it assures the reader that they are not alone and that we are in this community of shared emotions,” she said.
While Mallawaarachchi is currently working on the Sinhala translation of a Malaysian English novel, Flowers Teach Me to Let Go can be purchased from The Jam Fruit Tree or by contacting the poet on Instagram at @flowersteachmetoletgo
