Musings on the "Earthen Po[e]t-ry".
What is it that impels one to read and relish poetry? Is it its rhyme? Its rhythm? The alliterations? The cadence? The ingenious imagery? The artful allusions? The perfect pacing of words and phrases? The flight of fancy? The intuitive thoughts inhabiting the poetic space? All of these help, for sure. But what matters the most is the overall feel it leaves one with, after one has read it. . . that feel which eludes words. .. . the feel that silently reshapes and reforms one's heart without one's knowing. Even a lone line can sometimes accomplish this feat.
"Anyone can be a poet," the poet herself asserts, provided you can "stare a little longer, feel a little stronger and think a little deeper". That is precisely what this poet's pieces of poetry do to the reader. They drive one to feel stronger and, I would add, see into things. They shine their light on things which we have been blind to. The poet's longer look, stronger feeling and deeper thoughts motivate the reader also to see, feel, and think in ways different from those he or she is accustomed to. Thus, through her poetic alchemy, the poet transmutes the reader to become poetic. One joins and shares in her way of life that she calls poetry.
Her way of life which she calls poetry is what holds together the pieces in this anthology. It is a vision of life which assigns everything in nature and life its rightful place. In her poetic space there is no human-made morality that divides nature and life into good and evil: the dark is there for the star to shine and the light is there for the diamond to dazzle; being black does not weigh you down, nor does being white lift you up. In her own words, "What if the sun has set? You still have the moon", morons!
When one follows a way of life, one has also unflappable convictions. A poet who views nature, not with the twin eyes of good and evil, but with an eye of intuition can really see into the divisions created in the society. . . especially those created by the do-gooders: the law makers, the politicians, the moralists and the activists who tell you what is good for you and what is not, as if you did not have the intelligence to decide it. To those who define and dictate what freedom is these brilliant lines will definitely send a message:
"Force me not, to wear your choice;
Call me not oppressed or terrorized.
If you want to walk naked
I want to roam covered.
Remember! We both desire liberty,
Just differently."
This earthen pot of poetry is full of such brilliance.
What is it that impels one to read and relish poetry? Is it its rhyme? Its rhythm? The alliterations? The cadence? The ingenious imagery? The artful allusions? The perfect pacing of words and phrases? The flight of fancy? The intuitive thoughts inhabiting the poetic space? All of these help, for sure. But what matters the most is the overall feel it leaves one with, after one has read it. . . that feel which eludes words. .. . the feel that silently reshapes and reforms one's heart without one's knowing. Even a lone line can sometimes accomplish this feat.
"Anyone can be a poet," the poet herself asserts, provided you can "stare a little longer, feel a little stronger and think a little deeper". That is precisely what this poet's pieces of poetry do to the reader. They drive one to feel stronger and, I would add, see into things. They shine their light on things which we have been blind to. The poet's longer look, stronger feeling and deeper thoughts motivate the reader also to see, feel, and think in ways different from those he or she is accustomed to. Thus, through her poetic alchemy, the poet transmutes the reader to become poetic. One joins and shares in her way of life that she calls poetry.
Her way of life which she calls poetry is what holds together the pieces in this anthology. It is a vision of life which assigns everything in nature and life its rightful place. In her poetic space there is no human-made morality that divides nature and life into good and evil: the dark is there for the star to shine and the light is there for the diamond to dazzle; being black does not weigh you down, nor does being white lift you up. In her own words, "What if the sun has set? You still have the moon", morons!
When one follows a way of life, one has also unflappable convictions. A poet who views nature, not with the twin eyes of good and evil, but with an eye of intuition can really see into the divisions created in the society. . . especially those created by the do-gooders: the law makers, the politicians, the moralists and the activists who tell you what is good for you and what is not, as if you did not have the intelligence to decide it. To those who define and dictate what freedom is these brilliant lines will definitely send a message:
"Force me not, to wear your choice;
Call me not oppressed or terrorized.
If you want to walk naked
I want to roam covered.
Remember! We both desire liberty,
Just differently."
This earthen pot of poetry is full of such brilliance.
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