to taste of salt (english poetry)


I spent a good deal of December avoiding the written arts entirely; there was this sentiment of emotional threshold, a sensation that the stacks of words I was creating were cindery distillations of ire or sadness. The purge I necessitated to convalesce informed my Art, but I thought it should be contrary, that my Art should instruct the purge, navigate the healing, become a beacon of undiluted self that extended structural fingers of beauty to raise me from any form of depth.
My creative reluctance ended with this piece, a malformed narrative schematic-of-a-poem, overwrought and of painful reading, written in a about forty minutes without interruption. I returned to my methodical alcove and once more resigned to the weight of my distortions, yet I’m not ashamed, strangely, because I must herald the authenticity of my expression even when it is a shattered crystal, even when I’m met with the countenance of what I sought to exile from myself; because it is impossible to heal when we are eternally bound to the shame of hurting.

JoãoMaria

Published by João-Maria

A tick clinging to the bristles of a purple boar.

28 thoughts on “to taste of salt (english poetry)

  1. Your writing is beautiful, as is your writing about your writing ❤︎

    One bit of feedback – the format of attachments makes the text hard to read, even on desktop browser, but especially on mobile…

    …that said, the formatting of the poems themselves is also beautiful

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I’ve noticed it as well, Nadine! It’s because of the automatic resizing coded into the reader, which I counter by hard-staticizing the images to their full size. Problem is, WordPress is terrible at retaining the idoneity of the verses directly in its editor, especially when the verses are either long or stylised with dead space.

      I do so terribly wish this platform allowed for more intricate editing of posts, but I’m sure there is some solution out there that I am yet to find.

      Thank you so much for your kind comments, you inject me with brightness every time you do, I’m boundlessly grateful.

      Liked by 3 people

      1. Aw what a lovely reply!! Thank you dear João-Maria, now you’ve brightened my day, too. Truly…. much gratitude. And I do understand about wanting to preserve the aesthetic. It’s a work of art!

        Liked by 1 person

  2. I am reminded of the words of Tuku about the use of music in all facets of life in Africa. “We always make sure we beautify the truth.”

    We don’t always get to choose our truth, we do get to choose how we express it and whether we share it. Thank you for your choices. Your work is beautiful.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you so much, Jambo. Music is this nervous, pulsing effusion that can transmit a magnitude of symbols that words often cannot; I’m sure they are correct, that we do it to titivate the truth, but I find that we also do it because we are allowed communication in an unpolluted medium, unlike language, which lacks no pollution, unfortunately.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Beautify in terms of uncovering what is beautiful which, at first glance, might seem polluted. I think words have a different entry point into our consciousness than music but the same potential for reconnecting with our own truth in a joyous way. Regardless of whether that truth is painful or delightful. Those who are willing to feel something fully and communicate that experience to others with the kind of skill you have are indeed a gift to us all. Thank you.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Thank you so dearly, you grace me with such heart-bound compliments, I’m a bit beyond my abilities to compensate. You’re also a beautiful spirit, from what I’ve read from your blog. You seem heliotropic to me, chasing the mantle of sunlight in both its harshness and gentility.
        Again, thank you so much for your words…

        Like

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