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What is Eve's Revenge?
By Tara Patel, Goan Observer (November 8, 2008)
IT WAS an unusual book release in the sense that in this case it was a book
of poems written over the years by a woman extraordinary, Ethel Da Costa,
and her book of poetry is titled Eve's Revenge, Stories of Nemesis (designed
by Printer's Devil, published and distributed by Broadway Book Centre, price
is not listed). The collection of poems written by Ethel over the years of
experiencing a turbulent life - married, unmarried, single mother, lifestyle
journalist, crusading spirit, seeking always to be a part of the solution
instead of the problem - was released over some jazz, wine and fanfare at
the lovely heritage home of Gonsalves Mansion at Campal on October 18, 2008.
And doing the honours were seven "Adams" or so quipped the poet, all friends
whose help she cherished at different times of her life, namely Ashwin
Tombat, Satish Sonak, Daniel Ferrao, Ralph De Souza, Jamshed Mistry, Brian
Mendonca, Surendra Furtado, Dr. Francisco Colaco, Rajan Narayan and present
for the occasion were others making up the literati and glitterati of Goa.
Eve's Revenge is a painstakingly produced poetry collection with some
tantalizing black and white photographic studies of bodily parts! Courtesy
photographer Prasad Pankar. Ethel Da Costa's poetry betrays as much anguish
in style and substance as the illustrations.the collection sums up her
heroic struggle with being a woman trying to make her life count for
something. Ethel is not the first woman who's taken to putting it all down
in verse to experience the relief of trauma and catharsis .and rise above
the human experience of being used and abused and to constantly begin anew
to play the game of life. It's clear that it's not been an easy life and
Ethel Da Costa's anguish is transparent in her poems of mixed metaphors and
ambiguity.in "Living in Glass Houses", she says, "Everybody washed hands in
clean bowls/men sacrificing my body to their false promises".
What is Eve's revenge? I asked her casually during the course of the
celebratory evening and Ethel replied, "Women are superior to men!" Read in
between her poetry and one gets the idea that this plucky woman tries, fails
and tries again to meet life's grim challenges through being romantic
teenager, tormented wife, a good mother.she comes through with quite a few
flying colours. One cannot but reproduce one of her poems here to capture
the essence of the poet.
THE MAD MAN
(He said I would be dead without him)
They say he was born a maverick
or, so he thought sitting under the banyan tree
watching the distant thundering clouds
lightning streaking across the sky
untamed.
violent.
As the rain poured down the angel's horn
her tears coursed down broken knees
crying at the loss of her childhood and childishness
womanhood in a hurry
the death of happy memories
for time does not heal what the rain seeks to unveil
green grass and new life
wanton soil
red and heaving
against the onslaught of machismo.
writings dumped into the waste basket that swell with torn sheets.
it maketh the beast arise.
No, he never died though they all said he would.
Bud into girl
step by step
blood that flows from within.outside
cleansing
I have only the failing rain to soften the soles of my feet
to quench the thirst of my victory.
Goanet A&E
http://ww.goanet.org
