Where is God in Contemporary Love Poetry?

Many contemporary love poets, as well as critics, readers and others, have wrestled with the question of God's reality and His whereabouts, throughout the different eras. That same question is still being asked today. If God is real, where is He?

Is God really that evasive?

Every culture has a unique understanding of the divine that surfaces at some point in time, even though there may be no actual reference to the name God, as in the way Christians refer to the divine.

Some may suggest that the concept of the divine is ingrained so deep in the depths of the human soul, that each man or woman has to search inwardly. It is possible to find the divine in that way, and many contemporary poets have done just that.

Searching for God can become a personal quest for a contemporary love poet. In fact, it often becomes a relentless task for many. Interestingly, their experiences are documented poetically all around the globe, in every era. It is not a new phenomenon unique to this era, as this has been happening since the beginning of humankind's search for the divine. In other words, the quest is as old as humankind.

Others suggest that with respect to animism, the divine is virtually everywhere, in every rock and tree, even in the waters of the sea. Many discover some understanding of the divine in this way. Who is there that can deny God's omnipresence?

To others, God may be perceived in the eyes of another person, sometimes those of an infant, a child or even in the eyes of an elderly man or woman. God is known by the heart of lovers who discover the divine in their love for each other.

Atheists invariably try to argue that there is no God, but to someone who has come to know God through contemporary love poetry, or in other ways, the atheist argument is futile. The reality lies in the fact that he or she simply does not know God, but the atheist argument can not and certainly does not negate the personal experience of anyone else.

Is there a God? Yes, no, maybe so, the agnostic will argue, uncertain of his or her own personal stance on the reality of God. And yes, there are atheist and agnostic love poets, critics and readers in all eras, who continue to wrestle with the God question.

Other contemporary love poets may speak to them through poetic writings about their own personal quests to discover the divine. Human experiences are unique to each individual. God can touch and change the hearts and lives of humankind in many different ways.

Contemporary love poets who are experiencing the deepest and darkest hours of their lives, may ask this question, as they write their contemporary love poetry. If God is love, where is that love? In their bleak worlds, at that moment in time, they may not see or know love. Many times, a reconciliation is effected through their personal quests. For many contemporary love poets searching for God, His reality begins to surface from one work  to another, as they write on.

Contemporary love poetry critics, and other readers of contemporary love poetry, are often able to track the contemporary love poet's quest to find God. Some may discover God themselves, through critiquing contemporary love poetry.

Is the quest to find God realistic, particularly in an age of scientific technology and electronic communication? Perhaps one might suggest that it is just as realistic as following one's muse, or writing contemporary love poetry on inspiration. In other words, yes, it is realistic to try to find God in any era. Many contemporary love poets, critics and readers know the reality of finding God at some time in their own lives, too. Because of this reality, the quest for the divine is valid and continues on.

There is a higher understanding of God, however one would refer to Him, if one can see the tremendous power of the love of God manifest through contemporary love poetry. There is also a far higher set of values manifest by contemporary love poets who find new freedom through their personal quests to find God. Contemporary love poetry is just one of the tools God uses to teach humankind about Himself and His love.