90 Two

Dastan Khalili ushers in a new style of poetry that makes it mightily easy for anyone to become a poet. 90 Two is written in Dastan’s new style of poetry called DiaVerse, and its distinctive feature is that every stanza does not exceed two words. Dastan believes DiaVerse compels writers to discover the simplest way to express themselves and also makes poetry accessible to a wider audience. The book is a collection of the best poems Dastan has written since the conception of the style in 2015 and his artistic images, which illustrate the poems they appear with.

The poem, Covid-19, reminds readers of the fragility of mortality and to focus on the bigger picture in life. Two paths express the poet’s decision to choose love as opposed to choosing fear. The other poems in the book explore such diverse themes as dreams, emotions, the earth, meditation, eternity, philosophy, and self-awareness.

As the world becomes more computerized and attention span decreases globally, Dastan Khalili’s groundbreaking idea is a perfect, well-timed addition to the art of poetry. I would never have guessed that such profoundness and depth could be found in poems with not more than two words per stanza. Dastan’s DiaVerse gives the audience more space to personalize the poems than traditional poetry styles. The words ignited in me feelings, thoughts, and memories at a rate much higher than any form of writing I’ve come across. For example, reading the lines “Unlocked moment” and “Cracked open” from the poem, Mind fold, took me back to opportunities and friendships I wished for and eventually gained.

I especially loved the poem, Noble, as it was such a soul-lifting and therapeutic experience to meditate on the words of the poems. Since the poem lists the best of human qualities, I felt more abundant and was filled with various positive emotions while reading it. I would definitely return to that particular poem and others like it in 90 Two to revitalize myself when I feel depleted.

The beautiful pictures of cloud-filled skies, rainbows, flowers, and outstanding patterns are immensely satisfying to view. Besides telling the author’s story graphically, the images in the book depict our world as colorful and richly diverse. Even though some poems include sentences that spread across different stanzas, I found I gained more from stopping and reflecting on one or two stanzas of each poem.

90 Two is proof that the biggest rewards can be found in the most concise forms. DiaVerse, as introduced in the book, is a message to all artists to never stop thinking outside the box and finding new ways to express themselves.