“And I discovered something
incredibly therapeutic [when writing]: I saw that the more I released what was
inside, the more I felt rejuvenated and light like a feather.​”
-Mihai G. Paulet, From the bottom of my being

Let’s start with a disclaimer. Disclaimer: poetry is art in words, so you’ll either “get it” or you won’t. And it’s impossible to say that someone’s poetry is wrong or right; poetry–like art–just is.  Instead, the value in it should be determined by what it imparts to another human being.​

This collection of poems, essays and stories is very Walt Whitman-esque, addressing the mystery of exsitence. A profound parallel of this can be found in a poem titled, “A Thought”:

​Light from light, part of
everything,
I am everywhere yet only in
a single place.
I`ve been around this realm
from the beginning,
I live in a wink and only in a
thought.​

I’d love to see Paulet read his poetry live because rhythm is a big part of what takes a poem from just being a set of words, to something that moves. The best person to read poetry is the poet who wrote it.

For the longest, I couldn’t stand reading Seamus Heaney’s work (while studying for an undergrad in English), but after listening to him read his poetry…suddenly, I got it; suddenly, I was awake. The same phenomenon occurred with Walt Whitman. I never fully appreciated Whitman’s poetry until a professor read it aloud and actually showed me how to read Whitman’s work.

Overall, I liked this collection. Of course there were some pieces that didn’t resonante with me, but there were some that did. There’s something very refreshing in Paulet’s passion for life. I think my favorite poem in it is, “The Wish I Wished.” This poem is essentially about looking at a vast night sky and dreaming–something I hope everyone gets the chance to do in their lifetime.

 

-E

 

 

 

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