What I found particularly interesting about "The Country Without a Post Office" is the calling of Kashmir a country, when it is in fact a a formerly princely state now administered by three countries, Pakistan, India and China. By calling it a country, though without a post office, the poet tries to regain some kind of ownership of kashmir so that it is not just a disputed territory, with no status. By calling it a country he also drags it into the political discourse of what it means to be a country and by association have a nationality.
Though there are attempts at ownership the poet is aware of the inability to actually define Kashmir, due mainly to this fractured nature of the territory. This is apparent in "The Blessed Word: A Prologue"where the poet addresses Kashmir in all sorts of variations, "Kashmir, Kaschmir, Cashmere, Qashmir, Cashmir, Cashmire, Kashmere, Cachemire, Cushmeer, Casmir. Or Cauchemar in a sea of stories? Or: Kacmir, Kaschemir, Kasmere, Kachmire, Kasmir, Kerseymere?"
Thus try as he might the poet cannot reconcile Kashmir under a singular country name even, and even when he returns to the country, as in "The Country Without a Post Office" it is an elusive place, described in terms of fire, and darkness and nothingness.
Though there are attempts at ownership the poet is aware of the inability to actually define Kashmir, due mainly to this fractured nature of the territory. This is apparent in "The Blessed Word: A Prologue"where the poet addresses Kashmir in all sorts of variations, "Kashmir, Kaschmir, Cashmere, Qashmir, Cashmir, Cashmire, Kashmere, Cachemire, Cushmeer, Casmir. Or Cauchemar in a sea of stories? Or: Kacmir, Kaschemir, Kasmere, Kachmire, Kasmir, Kerseymere?"
Thus try as he might the poet cannot reconcile Kashmir under a singular country name even, and even when he returns to the country, as in "The Country Without a Post Office" it is an elusive place, described in terms of fire, and darkness and nothingness.
heavy.
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