SOLITUDE
They say that
To be alone is
Either a heaven or
A hell
I’ve seen both
These moments
Something between
Zen or
Near suicide
An epiphany
Or a failure
A reckoning or
A dream
It’s humanity
It’s just about
Being human
It’s either desperation
Or the muse
The silence
Or the weary
The lonesome heart
Of all that is either
Noble or fair
Rich or poor
Loved or unloved
And in this
We become
And in this
We find what
Defines us
For
The soul
Is a silent
Angel merely
Waiting
To speak
“In older myths, the dark road leads downward into the Underworld, where Persephone is carried off by Hades, much against her will, while Ishtar descends of her own accord to beat at the gates of Hell. This road of darkness lies to the West, according to Native American myth, and each of us must travel it at some point in our lives. The western road is one of trials, ordeals, disasters and abrupt life changes — yet a road to be honored, nevertheless, as the road on which wisdom is gained. James Hillman, whose theory of ‘archetypal psychology’ draws extensively on Greco–Roman myth, echoes this belief when he argues that darkness is vital at certain periods of life, questioning our modern tendency to equate mental health with happiness. It is in the Underworld, he reminds us, that seeds germinate and prepare for spring. Myths of descent and rebirth connect the soul’s cycles to those of nature.”
THE JEWEL
What we once had was poetry. Visions and star dust. Translucent. Death to the machine, the grind the walk that we must walk. The everyday pantomime of social media and daily life. I am bored. Asleep in the 21st century. I want monoliths, transcendence and truth. Moments of humanity that don’t come with a price tag or a sale, a selfie or a headline.
“In every bit of honest writing in the world … there is a base theme. Try to understand men, if you understand each other you will be kind to each other. Knowing a man well never leads to hate and nearly always leads to love. There are shorter means, many of them. there is writing promoting social change, writing punishing injustice, writing in celebration of heroism, but always that base theme. Try to understand each other.”
R.M. ENGELHARDT 