Sunday, February 17, 2013

Wondering Where I've been and Poetry

Easy. Researching and planning my six page essay on people's perception of evil.
That's it.
It's complicated messy work in which I constantly question what I'm researching, why I'm researching it, is the topic I'm doing actually good and if so, if I should revise and etc etc.
I think I've reached the point where I'm going to keep my topic. I jumped from Sailor Moon to the role of evil in literature to public perception of evil.
Obviously, I have a questionable interest in children's tv shows and evil, but whatever.
The angst surrounding the annotated bibliography was ridiculous and hard and my heart was breaking, but I managed and now I'm on the right track. I think.
There's this great poet I found accidentally by researching for this essay.
Here's one of his poems. (And another after it)

Unde Malum

Where does evil come from?
It comes

from man
always from man
to man
- Tadeusz Rozewicz 

Alas, dear Tadeusz,
good nature and wicked man
are romantic inventions
you show us this way
the depth of your optimism
so let man exterminate
his own species
the innocent sunrise will illuminate
a liberated flora and fauna
where oak forests reclaim
the postindustrial wasteland
and the blood of a deer
torn asunder by a pack of wolves
is not seen by anyone
a hawk falls upon a hare
without witness
evil disappears from the world
and consciousness with it
Of course, dear Tadeusz,
evil (and good) comes from man.
-

Rays of Dazzling Light
Light off metal shaken,
Lucid dew of heaven,
Bless each and every one
To whom the earth is given

Its essence was always hidden
Behind a distant curtain
We chased it all our lives
Bidden and unbidden

Knowing the hunt will end,
then that what had been rent
would be at last made whole:
poor body and the soul
-

The poet's name is Czeslaw Milosz. Who knew my research will help me find a poet that I actually like?*

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