Notions of Poets and Angels

My enthusiasm over joining the community here at Book Marketing Network may be measured by the fact that, upon joining, I immediately created to groups. Hmmm, never did that before.

One of the groups, Poets and Angels, at http://bookmarket.ning.com/group/poetsandangels , seems to have been sparked by recent experiences in literary forums, in which the moderator asked poets to share their “life lines.” They explained that these life lines are favorite phrases, lines, or quotes from specific poems that help motivate the individual to write. The idea, I thought, made sense, but for some reason could not identify any “life lines” of my own. Why was that?

Other writers and poets in their comments on life lines rattled off quotes from Langston Hughes, Shakespeare, Elizabeth Bishop, Rumi, Alice Walker, or any number of others. I got stuck. Then it occurred to me that my individual life line is more like an entire life boat. I am not so much inspired to write by a given line as I am by a given concept or notion.

For example, just the idea of poets and poetry compels me to lift my pen or raise my voice and contribute to what I perceive of as an open dialogue between our collective higher selves. I tend to sense in that dialogue the promise and possibility of a unified humanity and so I write, sometimes joyfully, sometimes with tears blotting my brain.

The concept of angels has a similar effect. Although some are known to possess malevolent as well benevolent dispositions, I automatically lean toward those qualities which make us sing of their divine beauty and their capacity for unfailing love and compassion.

While Poets and Angels often serve as major life lines for me, the Poetry and Angels Group welcomes inspiring and motivational commentary of all kind. Just to get things going, I’ve posted one of my own pieces, Angel of Gratitude, by way of saying thank you to John Kremer for creating this site. I hope you’ll join us at: http://bookmarket.ning.com/group/poetsandangels .

Aberjhani