Desperation in Contemporary Love Poetry

In any specific time or era, including the present, there may be an element of quiet desperation evident in contemporary love poetry.

The contemporary love poet may not necessarily have a quiet voice that speaks through his or her poetry. Many relatively vociferous and prominent contemporary love poets in every era including the present, cry out to others, in fact to whoever will listen, seeking to proclaim in whatever way possible desperation that voices an urgency related to a specific need or concern.

Unfortunately, there is no obligation for fellow man to hear or respond to others, although the true understanding of the concept of the human factor in mankind, namely that of love, must suggest a moral and ethical obligation to acknowledge and respond to fellow human beings in an appropriate manner, particularly during a time of their desperation.

How to respond becomes another question that often remains unresolved in many eras.

When fellow man fails to respond ti his fellow man, or simply ignores his desperate cry and does not respond, or responds inappropriately, the contemporary love poet may cry out silently, verbally or otherwise in his or her poetic writing to the divine of his or her understanding.

There is often a sense, understanding or a feeling of the divine as somehow being the last resort, yet still coupled with some kind of expectation related to the element of hope when this happens. Sometimes there may be no expectations at all, only non-expectation related to disbelief that prevails in the heart and mind of the contemporary love poet and others.

A cry for "sympathy" or at least "empathy" related to awareness, acknowledgment and understanding are part of the contemporary love poet's plea to others and the divine.

Sympathy requires active participation and involvement, while empathy allows a distancing that may prove to be a better way to respond. A sympathetic man or the hopefully sympathetic divine, actively participates while a man or the divine demonstrating empathy, assists from a distance.

The silence of the era of the contemporary love poet's writing in any era, may condemn the poet and his or her contemporary love poetry, at least as far as others are concerned. Who listens to an unanswered poetic voice that speaks on and on, often from from era to era?

Perhaps it is only the historical aspect of contemporary love poetry that reveals whether or not the contemporary love poet's desperate plea has been answered by others, or by the divine. The darkness and despair depicted by any contemporary love poet may not be resolved in his or her own life time. It may be later eras of contemporary love poetry that reveal the truth as part of a greater plan for humankind.

Yet hope is not misguided or lost in any era, even with the passing of a contemporary love poet. His or her critics live on from era to era, often reviving the hope of the contemporary love poet and others.

The dream of humankind is one that is beyond the horror and terror of desperation manifest in some of the poetic writings of a contemporary love poet, in fact, all contemporary love poets throughout the course of history, to be even more specific.

Perhaps in some way, each contemporary love poet experiences some degree of desperation that also includes an element or glimpse of hope somewhere. It is more evident in the collective poetic works of some contemporary love poets than in that of others. Desperation is there, but resolution is inevitable in some way and always possible.