Not only is Imtiaz Dharker a poet and artist, but she is also an award-winning filmmaker, particularly known for her documentaries. Often, Dharker's poetry takes on the qualities of film with its deeply evocative sensory details. "The right word," however, engages with film in a different way. The most important sensory details in the poem are that the boy's hand is too steady, his eyes are too hard, and he takes his shoes off at the door. Other than that, the details are unspecific or changeable.
Despite the low volume of sensory details, this poem still engages with film the way an editor would. While the process of editing is inherent to both poetry and film, it is not often that drafts are included in the final product. But "The right word" was purposely crafted to show different 'takes' of the same 'scene.' Each time, the context changes. In the first stanza, the boy is a terrorist lurking in the shadows. Later on, he is a child who resembles the speaker's son, and he is lost in the shadows. The relationship between the boy and the shadows, as well as between the boy and the speaker, changes in each stanza. This demonstrates the power that words have over one's understanding and actions in the world.
To see a poem by Imtiaz Dharker engaged through film, check out the film "Underlines/Overhead," available on YouTube. Though Dharker did not direct this short film, it showcases the film-like quality of her poetry.
