Poetry (my elusive muse)

Despite the difficulty she gives me I still adore her. Even though Story her sister captures most of my attention.

Poetry 

(My elusive Muse)

By

Carlos Lorenzo Estrada 

What is poetry

but a dance within language 

An art to challenge the mind

Open vistas of fantasy, history, empathy, mystery 

A rythmic flow into the stream of consciousness.

Mindful and meandering  

Defining repetitions of

Eloquent enigmatic thought.

In a dirge of sustained proliferation 

In a universe of spatial awareness 

Conceptual fragmentation 

Elucidated illiteration is our remediation.

It is where we find the sublime 

The imperfect perfect.

A multitude of limitations 

Aspirations and dedications.

Ask questions of our humanity 

Define our better qualities 

Reveal vices, virtues 

Amalgamation in surreptitious profundity.

Reveal abstraction in mystery 

Divinity in history.

Find relevance in insanity

Harsh statements in profanity.

Dance between the colors of painted verse

Let stanza be palette, canvas be rhyme

Your mind the brush; your heart the crime.

Give life to words for if they are unspoken 

Then they truly no longer exist.

And in a void of unsaid thought 

Lies our nihilistic demise and the ending of art.

Author's Note

Thank you for taking the time to read these words. My poetry muse was a bit angry I wasn't listening to her rants on this subject. She was somewhat persuasive in her rage that I managed to take notes on some of the things she said. I believe women are correct in that we ignore them when we actually should be listening. She is much wiser then I.

Reviews

[emmajoy]

' Amalgamation in surreptitious profundity. ' - such grandeur and prowess wrapped in the gentle yet rhythmic slip into, ' Dance between the colors of painted verse - Let stanza be palette, canvas be rhyme - Your mind the brush; your heart the crime. '

There are moods in this post - each fighting for foreground.. but, always, an echo of read, think, listen and.. re-read. The muse lives on!

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Thank you, Emmajoy, for reading and commenting on this poem. Each stanza alluding to the many ideologies of poetry from intellectual to ethereal nature I was hoping to convey how we aspire to capture them. In the imperfect perfect we are never satisfied as creators with our art despite its sublime beauty in the eyes of others. But the 7th stanza remains my favorite because of the visualization of how I see our art, we are painters of words. Without our color the art ceases to exist. And yes as you say so eloquently the muse truly lives on. Thank you again.

[Carina Baumert]

A very descriptive take on what poetry means to you. I like how you explored the different avenues of what poetry can do for us, once we feed it with thought. Very well done.

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Thank you Carina for your kind words. This poem is a book end to another called "Speak Truth". They talk about the aspirations, value, and joy in this art form of writing. Its purpose in our lives and how it makes us just better human beings. Thank you for your wonderful comment. I greatly appreciate it.

[Carina Baumert]

My pleasure

[lightsong]

a taste, pictures, thoughts... of what it is poetry for You, it's like You opened the door to your own worlds allowing us to sneak, there is something that we are all connected to in poetry, and there are other things that only a poet and his poetry are connected to, and here come the specialty and uniqueness of each poet. love this my friend.

"I believe women are correct in that we ignore them when we actually should be listening." yes true :)

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

thank you so much for the kindness of your review and comment. This poem along with 'Forgive' was perhaps my journey into how art defines aspects of my heart. What hopes and aspirations I draw from it. Where it comes from and what I inspire for it to be for the reader of these words. It is a sacred place I believe that resides in the deepest parts of our soul that we pull from or is revealed to us from secrets of our own selves. It is the words we hope to make people feel and see the world as we ourselves believe it to be. The place that holds the best of our humanity and the creation inside of us. Thank you again.

[lightsong]

You are so welcome my friend, and I can see how so much giving and dedicated to your art, soon I will check your "Forgive" poem~

[Re-Pete]

very thorough description. it is all of those things and more. we are the poetry. the poetry is us, lives in us and reflects experiences good or bad and everything in between. very good piece of writing ... :)

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Thank you, Pete, for reading and commenting on this bit of poetry. I could not have said it any better then how you described in your words. We truly are the words we put out into this world and they reflect us. Thank you again.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

The imperfect perfect combined with the mystery....that is poetry, real poetry.
And the seventh stanza truly depicts the participants and the dance of poet with muse.
She surely can be an elusive partner.
If we don't write, the words will disappear, there will no longer be poems....and our legacy will
absolutely end.
j.

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Thank you for you kind review, Jacob. The 7th stanza is my favorite of the poem because as you identify correctly it is our artistic dance with our elusive muse cooing and enticing favor for more inspiration. The imperfect perfect is our aspirations in perfecting our art which we are never satisfied with even after completion. We are our worst critic and thus art continues to be a mystery. Even within our sublime creation we find our limitations and yearn for better. And the ending is as you exactly describe. Words are our legacy once they cease so goes art. Thank you again for your time in reading and speaking your thoughts on this poem. I truly appreciate it.

[ExposedSiren]

I love how your words flow together, you are a talented wordsmith. Thank you for posting

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Thank you for your kind words and also taking the time to read and review this work. As writers we are empowered by our voice to reach others. To instill the precious love of art. It is the most human gift that life grants us. Never be afraid to share it and give it to others in friendship. Thank you again for taking the time to read and accept this gift.

[Amber Stone]

a master piece, a beautiful painting written in such awesome verses, thank u Carlos for sharing it.
sincerely, Amber

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Thank you, Amber, for your kind review. I just want to say it is you and others who give true meaning to the words of this poem. It is the artists journey who draws inspiration from Life the true Muse. Story and poetry move us because we identify on a human level with their meaning. We see a piece of ourselves in the words. And it is in the small piece that we create our own art and pass the gift forward. Thank you for giving this work a home in your heart.

[Amber Stone]

:) 0/ thank U from bottom of my heart.

[Neville]

...... I am inclined to agree sir ... however, I do feel obliged to advise you that I found this introduction to your writing, both an enjoyable experience and a real pleasure .. I have a feeling I may be reading more :)

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Thank you, Neville, for taking the time to read and also leave a kind comment. I truly appreciate it. At times I can over flourish a bit on descriptive narrative because I'm so passionate about the themes and subjects in the writing. It is simply the love for the art that reveals itself in that way. Being up in mature years I never want a word to ever be unsaid because the opportunities are starting to feel limited. So I write with a passion as if were my last day in this world. Thank you so much again for reading this work.

[Neville]

my sincere pleasure sir and believe me, I do understand :)

[Fran Marie]

I'm glad your poetry
muse came to the fore
all writings are great
to read; however I tend
to lean towards poetry
for reading and writing
I really enjoyed this one
for sure

you've painted a
picturesque painting
of what poetry is all
about and write we
must; or the ink dries
and fades away


nice work Carlos

[Chris Shaw]

A blank canvas, a palette of paints and some help from a fickle muse. That's poetry preparation for me and appears to be how you get your writing started too Carlos. I was intrigued by your author notes concerning your poetry muse. I think I'd like to have a chat with her over a cuppa. I do think women haven't been listened too, but I am pleased to say I now believe that change is taking place. Your poem made me reflect on why I write. I can only say I am compelled. It is a driving force within me that just has to be splashed on the page. It is always there day and night, sometimes not very productive, sometimes manic, but is is there flowing through my veins. I love your all encompassing definition of what poetry is. Thank you for your poetry.

Chris

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

We share similar traits in writing, Chris. I feel it's always present within me but difficult at times to decipher its meaning. Some times its loud and begging to be put down into pages and other times its too distant to hear. Elusive in my manic thoughts as well. At times it could be a simple sentence or word but I always trust more is revealed if I dwell on its meaning. To me poetry is so musical. It has a self defining cadence and rythm to it. A flow that moves through the mind and heart. The words become tempo and the verses lyrical. It's a very specific and unique form of writing and an art unto itself. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and perspective on this art form. I admire your work in poetry and am inspired by it.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you for those kind thoughts. We are richer on this forum for your presence Carlos.