Unknown Reaction Poem by Sandra Feldman

Wow, Sandra, this is making me have very deep thoughts. Not as deep as Daniel's though. I liked the words you chose to use to pose this. Well done, Sandra, well done. 10++++++

My take in this poem is different from my peers below - although they are very right. I see it as the crisis of commitment Yeats expressed in his formal poetic language.THE INTELLECT OF MAN IS FORCED TO CHOOSE / PERFECTION OF THE WORK, OR OF THE LIFE. For example, Rilke was so preoccupied with writing his magnum opus, he declined to attend his daughter's wedding (sic) : Great poet, bad father. But it doesn't have to be that stark: it's a question primarily of sacrifice and effort. And to find genuine l-o-v-e, which D.H.Lawrence called A SINGLE PURE ACTIVITY, THE ABSENT CENTER, A SORT OF ULTIMATE MARRIAGE, that can be the focus of one's creativity, and the promotion of your partner's happiness (and yours, too) a fulfillment as complete as anything humanity has conceived. But LOVE itself is fleeting and fickle and may just v a n i s h .... And then where are you? In a state of being wiser and sadder. But is it not worth the risk, the uncertainty, the ebb and flow to achieve CONTENTMENT, THE FULFILLMENT LOVE PROMISES? ? ! Yes? No? Maybe? I don't know. Wise men come and go, ever promising the riddle of life to know; wise men come and go, but only lovers know the riddle of life. (KISMET, American musical from 1953)

My take on this poem is somewhat different from my peers below. I see it as the crisis of commitment Yeats put succinctly in his formal poetic language: THE INTELLECT OF MAN IS FORCED TO CHOOSE / PERFECTION OF THE WORK, OR OF THE WORK.

I saw your comment on one of Jude's poems and thought it would be interesting to hear your views. This is a very fine piece and it's going in my favourites. I think it's mixed emotions. With longer poems I feel relief and regret but if it's an off the cuff piece which flows I get a tremendous sense of exhiliration. There are of course those half finished works which lie in the dungeons screaming to be let out! Writing about the Art of poetry is fascinating and you do it very well in this piece.