The Apocalypse in Contemporary Love Poetry

Throughout the course of contemporary love poetry, there have been numerous apocalyptic contemporary love poets. The same is true in the current era as the literary phenomenon continues. [.

How to understand the apocalyptic in any era can be problematic for contemporary love poets, critics and other readers like historians alike.

What does the word apocalypse mean?

The word apocalypse appears to have a double meaning with respect to discovery, or revelation, as is recorded in the book of Revelations. It also has another more negative, dark, tragic, futuristic side. Appearing to be prophetic, this side focuses on sudden events of a calamitous nature for humankind, as well as for the world in general. For example, it stresses loss and disaster on a humongous scale, thus creating fear in the heart and mind of humankind.

A question often arises with respect to an apocalyptic contemporary love poet in any era, as to whether or not he or she is actually a true prophet who is able to predict future events, or merely a pseudo-prophet who is not gifted in that respect.

The question of love is also raised in regard to apocalyptic writings discovered in contemporary love poetry. For example, a Christian, contemporary love poetry critic or reader may ponder over the utterances of contemporary love poets, wondering whether they are prophetically justified with regard to the love of God and fellow man, or maliciously by someone attempting to instill fear in the hearts and minds of man.

Another question that arises with respect to the apocalypse is how the contemporary love poet understands the apocalyptic message he or she conveys to others. Is it pertinent to his or her time or is it more applicable to some time in the future?

In retrospect, critics of contemporary love poets and readers may attempt to apply apocalyptic events found in contemporary love poetry to actual historical events.

Since the contemporary love poet in any era has relative poetic freedom of expression, his or her vision of a pending apocalypse may reflect what is actually happening in his or her own era. His or her perception and thus, creative imagination as well, may be distorted, particularly when there are problems associated with reality. Fear often results in negative creativity with mental health implications.

Fore-telling is another possibility as a contemporary love poet attempts to fore-tell the future with the hope of saving the lives of others. For example, a fore-teller may see and depict in his contemporary love poetry, a great famine and nuclear holocaust and thus, lead others to build bomb shelters and stock pile large amounts of food and water that will enable them to survive.

The apocalypse portrayed in the contemporary love poetry of any era often raises serious questions about the ultimate fate of humankind.

No two contemporary love poets ever convey exactly the same apocalyptic message, although throughout different eras, there may be similar messages discovered in contemporary love poetry. How seriously they are taken, or otherwise acted upon, depends a great deal on the belief systems of the contemporary love poets, their critics or other readers.

To most people, the apocalypse remains somewhat of a mystery regardless of when or where the contemporary love poet writes about it in his or her contemporary love poetry.