Spirits In Peace Blog

Love poetry may or may not be romantic, but it always has something to do with passion. A poet need not be writing about a significant other or a relationship when writing a love poem, for writing itself is a passion, and what writer does not love to write?

One can, of course write mechanically without passion, and that most certainly has been done by a great many. But the soul of a poet is one of passion and love, and that translates into each and every piece of work.

There is the obvious type of love poem that deals with a specific object of one’s affection, to use a common expression. But one can also love the entire human race, the planet, and the universe. One can most assuredly love one’s God as one understands God. In fact, if one does not love humanity, how does one purport to love a specific member of that species? Without love of all, how is love of one possible?

In the final analysis, we are all a part of this magnificent universe, and we are all of that Oneness. And in that realization lies Love in its truest sense, the kind of Love that gives rise to the most eloquent and profound of love poems.

In these times of world-wide upheaval and tumult, it seems more important than ever that we direct our focus to humanitarian issues, that we keep the ideals of freedom and social justice first and foremost in our minds.

As governments change, the economy flounders, and war rages on in many parts of the world, I feel the need to reiterate my often-expressed notion that we cannot continue to divide humanity into winners and losers. To do so is to keep someone in a hurt, angry, and upset frame of mind, and how can we achieve peace when such is the case?

As long as people feel discounted, disenfranchised, and voiceless, there will be problems in the world, and we cannot solve them by fighting, by perpetuating more of the same win/lose mentality. We must listen, and that lost art needs to be rediscovered.

Our Aboriginal Peoples have long understood the art and technique of dialogue and communication, and much could be learned from their practices. They have never walked away from their meetings until everyone has been heard. The traditional practice of passing the Talking Stick provides each with his or her opportunity to speak.

My work often reflects this idea. There is no greater poetic inspiration than love for one’s fellow human beings.

We need to adopt a similar practice is governing bodies world-wide and in the United Nations. The G8 cannot continue to run its agenda and expect the rest of the world to fall in line; it just doesn’t work that way. We need to pass the Talking Stick, and in that process omit no nation.

How often do we need to be retaught the same lesson?

I am often asked where I draw inspiration for my work. Like most poets, I suspect, I do not sit down and think, “Today I am going to write a nature poem.” It simply happens, poems being gifts rather than planned events.

Of course I draw inspiration from nature, although the source is not always clear-cut and obvious. Often such matters are subtle. I might be outside, for example, on a pleasant summer day, and while reading or weeding my flower beds, I might hear the call of a cardinal or notice the fragrance of peonies. The beauty seeps into my subconscious, even although I am preoccupied with something else at the time. A poem does not immediately emerge, but later on, one might begin picking in my brain, and it might not deal directly with cardinal-twitting or peony-scent, although such might be contained in the imagery, even if the poem is perhaps more spiritual in its focus.

Since I love the environment and have a deep and abiding love for Mother Earth, I consider myself, in some ways, first and foremost a nature poet, since the beauty and magnificence of this planet is a constant source of poetic inspiration for me. Although I write on many varied themes, my imagery is most frequently drawn from nature.