Steve's poetry collection in Seeing From An Unprotected Perspective is a bold and enduring statement that grips the heart and soul, opening wounds, compelling the reader to feel emotions they are not ready to endure. From the very first poem, untitled:
Night creeps upBlack onyx cakeInfinity in a pool of still waterWedding chimes of ringletsRing on the silent surface of the sky.Nature is feasting
Through the language, the reader is drawn into the poem's powerful imagery. Because of the intensity of the language, these ordinary images are transformed into symbols of longing, loss, wonder, and despair. Steve has the remarkable ability to render each of these emotions: love, hate, sorrow, wonder, and despair through these images, allowing readers not just to comprehend the poem's power, but to feel each emotion as it unfolds, sometimes gently, and sometimes violently.
Each poem moves with grace, each line carefully crafted. The lyrical refinement in each structured line of prose has been chosen with careful precision, enhancing the reader's connection to the work, dare I say, the artist's soul. The simple yet powerful prose invites the reader to slowly embrace each line, absorbing the poem's full meaning. This was the first poem I read in the collection. I randomly opened the book to this page and, to be honest, got lost in it's power.
My eyes follow you, purgatory sky,
to the edges of limbothe netherland where there is nothingbut the appearance of creeping darknessacross the fading horizon.
I have become bewitched
watching the clouds drift by.
Some of us who yesterday lived
have died.
Life has no fondness for memory.
Maybe it is because I have lost loved ones, maybe it is because I still feel their presence at times. It really doesn't matter; what does matter is that this poem, unnamed, spoke to me. It ripped at my insides, begging me to listen to its words, commanding me to feel the emotions buried deep down inside, refusing to be ignored.
Like this poem, at its core, this entire collection of poetry demands you listen and compels you to feel that raw emotion buried deep inside you. The poems do not shy away from the vulnerability of grief, love, anger, and hope. They test your ability to withstand it. I dare you to try.
Each poem creates a powerful imagery, elegant language, and raw emotion, which makes the reader feel vulnerable and capable at the same time. Capable, because by simply letting ourselves feel each heartbreaking emotion, and the simple wonder of the world around us. Through these poems, we enter on a journey of healing and self-discovery within ourselves. It is a work that lingers with us long after the page is turned, long after the book is complete. It echoes in the reader’s mind and heart, a reminder of how deeply poetry can move us when it dares to be both beautiful and unflinchingly true.
Steve Emma is a poet not afraid to test the limits of the emotions we are capable of. He's not afraid to make us feel what we dare not feel. He dances on the edge, testing us, daring us to continue to read, to feel, to heal, and to rise above what we thought we could not endure.
You can find more of Steve's work here on his website, along with some of his incredible wooden sculptures.
Steve Emma is a poet not afraid to test the limits of the emotions we are capable of. He's not afraid to make us feel what we dare not feel. He dances on the edge, testing us, daring us to continue to read, to feel, to heal, and to rise above what we thought we could not endure.
You can find more of Steve's work here on his website, along with some of his incredible wooden sculptures.
To purchase your own copy, it's available on Amazon.
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Until next time,
Enjoy the Moments, Cherish the Memories!
- Cynthia
Please note: All photos and poetry are the property of the author and used with the owner's permission.
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