Glory Days in Contemporary Love Poetry

Historical accolades are often interpreted by critics and readers of contemporary love poetry as the glory days of contemporary love poets. Why do contemporary love poets receive these kinds of historical accolades? Are they appropriate, or is there some degree of exaggeration in this kind of a world view of contemporary love poetry? In other words, why are contemporary love poets glorified to some extent in every era?

Being realistic, it might be suggested that not all contemporary love poets or their works, are always held in high esteem. In fact, the majority often go unrecognized or unacknowledged by others, either inside or outside literary realms, thus being accorded little, or no recognition by others. This is something that occurs in every era, including the present one.

Should contemporary love poets glorify themselves and their work, in order to achieve acknowledgment or recognition for their efforts at writing contemporary love poetry?

From a Christian perspective, the Bible instructs us to do the work of our hands diligently and to glorify God, in conjunction with loving God and others. We are not instructed to glorify ourselves, or our work. The nature of the contemporary love poet is such that by his or human nature, he or she instinctively seeks to glorify him or herself. This may also include attempts to glorify his or her contemporary love poetry, as well. Self-glorification, unless it depicts the divine self, is not usually very successful. In other words, all of the best efforts of a contemporary love poet may fall by the wayside during any era. Why is that?

Remember that the true focus of contemporary love poetry is on love, in conjunction with truth. Why should contemporary love poets be acknowledged by contemporary love poetry critics and others, if their work lacks the basic inspiration of love and truth? Self love is not sufficient to inspire others, and in fact, self love may result in others turning away from the poetic voice that focuses on itself. The same is true with respect to non-truth. Divine self in the contemporary love poet is far more highly likely to receive acknowledgment by contemporary love poetry critics or other readers, who in turn, may be seeking answers or the divine within themselves.

The glory days of old, to the contemporary love poet in his own era, may not have seemed quite so glorious then. In fact, they may be more like the gory days of old, when contemporary love poets were trying to survive or at least exist on some level, in a world where base survival was almost impossible, especially for anyone struggling in the literary world.

What contemporary love poets may convey in contemporary love poetry in any era, is often the sheer desperation of humankind.  Contemporary love poetry may depict the contemporary love poet's personal cries to God and others for help.

History may accord contemporary love poetry some sense of glory days, as opposed to gory days. At the same time, there is more than just the gory element in contemporary love poetry in any era, particularly when God is glorified by contemporary love poets.