It's always fun looking back in time - this time, to our October 2006 issue of "The GAzette", GayAuthors.org's previous newsletter. In this second issue, was a Poet's Corner, that I'd like to share with everyone today. Disclaimer - normally I post these past newsletter items as they originally appeared, but for this one, I did edit it to update the links to Luc's forum and to the Poetry Discussion forum. Enjoy!
Poetry is a growing area at Gay Authors. In recent months we have seen an influx of highly talented poets, so it's only fair that they get the recognition they deserve, both on the site and in the newsletter. For that reason we have decided to include a "Poets' Corner" in the newsletter to discuss some of the poetry you can find on the site.
For the first edition we decided to look at the works of a gifted poet and GA Hosted Author, Luc. Since joining the site in March of this year, Luc has shared more than a dozen of his own original compositions in addition to his stories. Below are reviews of two of his poems, "I Don't Know Who I Am" and "Unconditional". If you want to discuss his poems or these reviews then please visit his forum. To discuss the works of other poets at GA you can also visit our new Poetry Discussion Forum.
In Luc's poem
Unconditional
(right), he explains how the narrator rejects attention and love from another person. In each of the first four of the five stanzas, the narrator talks about a different way someone cared for him but how he retaliated and only ended up hurting the person.
What I like best about each of the first four stanzas is the smooth, flowing rhythm of the first two lines and the disjointed, emphasizing rhythm of the last two lines. The smooth rhythm of the first two lines of each stanza makes me think that maybe the narrator quickly, as if it were an automatic reaction, blocked the love he was receiving from the other person. Since the last two lines of each of the stanzas are more disjointed, it makes me think that the narrator may have had some qualms about what he just did, and maybe is realizing what he is doing.
The last stanza shows how the character still loves the narrator unconditionally, even though he may have hurt him in the past. My favorite image from Luc's poem is the line “he offered me his heart; and I ripped it from his chest; throwing it to the floor; to lie among the toys.” I love the image of an injured heart laying on a floor cluttered with toys. It makes me see the heart as something that would get tripped on, or something that just clutters things.
It also may show the childishness of his heart and maybe the worthlessness of it depending on your interpretation of why the narrator sees the other person as he does. “Unconditional” shows the actions and feelings that go along with being hurt emotionally and it shows the wall that is put up to avoid being hurt again.
In another of Luc's poems,
I Don't Know Who I Am
, he masterfully provides a glimpse into the mind of someone who has lost all sense of who they are, someone who feels disconnected from the world, from reality, from everything that makes us what we are.
The poem really describes how everybody feels at times - disjointed, uncertain, afraid and confused. The poem begins by talking about friendship and love, but how even with the love and tenderness of friends it's still possible to feel alone. When he says "I look in the mirror and don't see anyone there" you get a real sense of the emptiness the narrator is feeling. By the end of the poem, you're almost left with a sense of hopelessness, as though nothing and no one can fill that hole inside.
Regarding his work, Luc said, “
Poetry is a picture of the inside of my soul, painted with words, which sounds so stupid, but that is what MY poetry is to me. I don't follow any specific style. I pretty much go with what fits the words and the feeling behind them.
”
Silven & Redlightfeeling
and I wiped it from his face
they cut deep into his skin
that small thing that holds my heart
and I turned a deafened ear
to that voice that sings my soul
and I ripped it from his chest
and still he offered me his love
with arms so tight around my neck
and tears that shed forgiveness
reminding me it was unconditional
© 2006 Luc
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