Cherish in me - Make my soul renew

Abide in me - Evening sets anew ...

Darkness deepens - My senses unfold

Ebullient the verse - My heart and soul behold!

What an awesome combination it molds to the mind’s eye to adorn the stupendous and labyrinthine fusion of poetry and passion! A structure so visceral, yet untouchable, we are drawn to it as we struggle constantly in our humane endeavor. Passion overflows in all spheres of existential living and distances our embodiment when we encounter its anatomy in poetry.

As individuals, we are a manifestation, a realization, of the wholesome presence of passion in our lives. When encountered in poetry, it can throw us off ground as we are drawn to its ardent prevalence, its magnetic structure, its temperament and riveting domain. Passion penetrates the deepest core of our true essence. It is encountered in the air we breathe, the sounds we hear and the sights we see. In its state of equilibrium, passion pervades our deepest soul … we may not be able to justify its existence … but we can feel its presence – it is indestructible.

Why journey on a path of passion and poetry? Why is passion so deeply rooted in the mind of the poet? Why do poets have that ardent desire to entice us with such strong passion? The answer, dear friend, stems from the fact that poets are human beings, who are strongly affected by passion … in all its form … and who desire to unleash the intricacy of passion as they sense it, feel it, encounter it and adorn it. A poetic mind has the ability to temporarily shut down anatomy and tell the world the burning, heartfelt story of passion as it affects their lives. This is their means of survival … of releasing all that is pent up and frustrating … this is their elixir to sanity … their wisdom and their innocuous means of survival in a therapeutic sense as they journey the ups and downs of living in their poetic world where tranquility reigns – always.

A poetic response to passion is a heart wrenching dramatic influx of subtle and gentle strides. A poet will observe passionately the dawn of a new day, a sunrise, a sunset, and the bountiful birth of nature. A poet will articulate the mind’s eye with surmounting visual manifestation, allowing to intake only that which will give rise to passion – be it beauty, a rainforest or a tender leaf shining gloriously with the sun’s rays after the sweet smell of rain. In the same context, poetry can transform the intense emotion, anger and affection derived from passion in a dedication only understandable to a poet.

The gratifying reward of throwing all your passion into your poetry is abundant. To the poet, it is akin to a well versed symphony with all the musical cords striking in perfect harmony. A poet strives to write with fervor as if there was no yesterday and there would be no tomorrow. A poet embarks on the mission feverishly, caged in a fantasy world where time stands still and nourishment is but for the hungry. There is no disguise, no mask … just poetry in its finest form, an imagination enunciated to perfection.

And finally poetry enters into a state of equilibrium for the moment. There is no monotony, no ambiguity – just the permeation of eternal rhythm and rhyme – a display of pure artistic endeavor and a poetic, soul-searching extravaganza of passion and poetry.

Kahlil Gibran wrote in “The Prophet”:

And when the storm comes, and the mighty wind shakes the forest, and thunder and lightning proclaim the majesty of the sky, - then let your heart say in awe, “God moves in passion”.

And since you are a breath in God’s sphere, and a leaf in God’s forest, you too should rest in reason and move in passion. 

 

© Laura Simoes

June 2008