Welcome

THE SOUL OF A YOUNG MAN

The objective of this work is to assist revival of poetry within popular culture. We live in an extremely visual culture, which has caused a decline in the reading of poetry. But of recent years there has been a new interest in poetry readings, oral poetry, lyrics and other popular forms.

The artwork and the photography in the present volume is to link hands with the visual forms. I have been writing poetry since I was fourteen, but I did not make an effort to publish until I visited the eternal city, Rome. The Roman’s passion for life, for love and for art inspired me to give myself to artistic pursuits. Upon my return to America, I became consumed with literature. In my spare hours, I investigated contemporary as well as classical sources.

In my research, I took to the artistic movement, surrealism, which in essence is now deceased. Andre Breton, the dictatorial leader of the surrealists, defined it in his manifesto, but Dali and Eluard are its most respected artists. My interest in classical myth surpasses my zest for surrealism. Many would see classicism and surrealism on the opposite ends of the intellectual and artistic spectrum.

Surrealism, a subversive artistic movement, conflicts with the balance, the structure, the harmony and the proportion of classicism. How does one reconcile these strong influences? My view of the ancient world is a romantic one. It is Byron’s vision of Rome and Greece, not Gibbons. So, I have fused a surrealist style with mythological references.

The motivation for dedicating certain sections to other writers – writers who have exercised an influence over my work – is that if readers are enthused by my work, they will have a strong inclination to read others. The glossary also serves this purpose. Not only writers, but musicians, composers, and painters are to be found there.

A noted difference in my work is the presence of love poetry. It seems to me that the American intellectual climate is afflicted with the disease of cynicism; anyone who attempts the opposite is summarily dismissed as mawkish. I have steadfastly refused to partake in the cynical, biting, gothic trend within culture. The hyperbolic and the baroque are my chosen styles; my verse is ornate, florid and emotional. Beauty and intensity, the twin creeds of my poetic faith, resonate throughout the work; my influences derive from this same cult of artistry: Verdi, Puccini, Neruda, Fellini, Lorca, Dalaras, Baudelaire, and Sappho are just a few names to give one a sense of my artistic ancestors. All of these styles be it music, film or poetry are lush, passionate and grand.

___________

POEMS OF BLOOD AND PASSION

Poems of Blood and Passion was written in a furious bout of inspiration during the Spring and Summer of 2005 when I was involved in an illicit Romantic relationship with a betrothed Brasilian Beauty. The Poetry ranges across the varied emotional landscape of Love, Lust, Despair, Anger, and Resignation. Though it was a painful period of my Life, a time when I was often sleeping in the gutter, I always kept my gaze firmly fixed upon the stars, managing to bring forth lyrical Beauty into the world.