“In her poetry Manahil Bandukwala gives us what we perennially yearn for, but always anew, in literature: the exposition and understanding of the human heart. With enviable assuredness through pinpoint lyricism, powerful imagery and symbolism, and visual artwork, Bandukwala speaks to us breathtakingly and knowledgeably of the messiness of a variety of empiricisms that affect us today. Thoughtful and arresting, her poetic explorations of desire — the kinds that are all about love and all about power — illuminate how this multi-faceted intention has created and destroyed individuals and nations. ‘Page-turning’ and ‘storytelling’ are not words usually associated with works of poetry, and yet they are apt descriptors of Bandukwala’s impressive offerings to date.”