The Divine in Contemporary Love Poetry

The divine in contemporary love poetry is subject to revelation to a contemporary love poet on an individual basis, in every era. That includes the current era, as revelation leading to divine awareness by a contemporary love poet has never ceased. 

This is beyond mere speculation about religion as the divine may be revealed to a contemporary love poet in many unique ways, even now. It is often the revelation of the divine that inspires the contemporary love poet to write his or her contemporary love poetry. This kind of poetic inspiration may also be what he or she refers to as his or her muse.

Sometimes it is the awareness of the absence of the divine that leads the contemporary love poet to engage in a literary pursuit to seek out the truth about the reality of the divine. He or she may be wallowing in self pity, or dwelling in sheer despair, while simultaneously crying out to the divine for answers, when revelation occurs.

Critics and other readers of a contemporary love poet's work are often able to trace and document the progressive revelation of the divine to a contemporary love poet. This not necessarily evident in the writing of every contemporary love poet, as revelation is always a one-to-one experience with the divine and each experience is totally unique.

Writing contemporary love poetry with respect to his or her unique revelation of the divine, or by the divine, is something that only an individual contemporary love poet can do. In other words, he or she experiences the reality of the divine or revelation from the divine, becomes inspired to write contemporary love poetry about it and proceeds to do so. He or she is invariably isolated by his or her thoughts, whether alone, or in the midst of others including family or friends.

Thus, a contemporary love poet may experience a lonely life, even one in which he or she feels totally separated from everyone, is unable to relate effectively to anyone and seems almost overwhelmed by the lack of revelation, or the revelation itself, when that happens.

When a revelation actually occurs, it is often sudden, like an enlightenment, an awakening or an unexpected awareness of the revelation of new truth, or the overwhelming presence of an almost over powering, totally consuming kind of love, or manifestation of the divine.

Shortly thereafter, new life becomes evident in the writing by the contemporary love poet who has received a divine revelation, or entered into an awareness of the presence of the divine.

Of course, not all comprehend the contemporary love poet's experience, even if they recognize the transition in the contemporary love poet's work; nor do they need to do so. It is the contemporary love poet's personal experience, no one else's. It is only his or hers to write about.

The task of the contemporary love poet who has received divine revelation or awareness of the divine becomes that of documenting it. He or she may feel obligated or even compelled to do so, regardless of his or her situation or circumstance. In other words, wherever the contemporary love poet is at that time, he or she will likely find some way to record it, often for the sake of others, or for posterity.

Literary historians often uncover fragments of contemporary love poetry that reveal revelation to a specific, contemporary love poet many eras later, even though during its actual time of writing, it may not have been understood or accepted in the literary world, or elsewhere.

To the contemporary love poet who has experienced an encounter with the divine in some manner, life is not necessarily easy, particularly if his or her experience appears to be too radical at that time. For example, his or her poetic ranting about sudden awareness of the divine or a revelation from the divine, may meet with utter rejection from others. Disbelief is not uncommon.

Regardless of the response of others, a contemporary love poet who has an encounter with the divine, or is given revelation of some kind by the divine, knows the reality of it. To him or her, it is real. He or she also recognizes its true value, even while others may not, and his or her contemporary love poetry invariably reflects the gift that he or she has received.