“It’s always
something to know you’ve done the most you could. But don’t leave off hoping,
or it’s of no use doing anything. Hope, hope to the last!”
Charles
Dickens
This time of the year is a period of
reflection for some of us. Witnessing so much violence, hate and extremism across the world,
the mind seeks the light afforded by wisdom and hope. Today’s poetry collection responds to this need. It is a favorite of mine because it offers a sanctuary
of wisdom, a universe of aspirations, and an introspective journey in which the
spiritual-self reunites with the bonds that are meaningful to us, the
connections that leave an indelible memento in the heart…
Confusion and helplessness are part of grief, so it is a relief to settle on this poetical land of fortitude to embrace who we are amid the chaos, to acknowledge that life matters, even when others try to convince us that this is not the case.
Peace without safety may remain
elusive. Yet inner peace is still something one can cultivate amid dire
circumstances as a fuel that sustains one’s inner strength and resilience.
Michael Teichberg’s poetry is unique, but it
contains the wisdom and simplicity of Kahlil Gibran’s poetical style. Teichberg’s
writing is direct and sincere. I am sharing a fragment of his poem “Anger
Management”:
“Always
strive for a life of peace.
For the
heart easily sways to a negative place.
Let not the
things that trouble us, trouble us.
The mind is
fortified by the peace we choose and trust.
Existence is
simplicity and in simplicity
We find
great capacity
To embrace
the positivity and beauty of the world.
We are quick
to react to evil,
Letting
brute instinct unfurl.
But
self-discipline and reason can reign supreme
To overcome
the chaos of our reactive extremes.
Those on the
path to Enlightenment
Must embrace
the oneness of all, without resentment.
In moments
of conflict, patience is key,
For rash
actions only serve to multiply the debris”.
His poems are endowed with percipience and a
sense of hope, but some of them simply feel magical in the way they help us to
connect with our own roots. For example, the first poem, “My Light”, is about
his grandmother:
“New loves
and friendships may arise,
But none can
compare to the familial love
From my
first moments to her final ones.
Her
laughter, my favorite song.”
When he
describes his grandmother, I think of my own grandmother:
“Her warm
disposition, a hug with each gaze,
Her selflessness, a rare and precious gem.”
The metaphor of their bond is accurate and heartening. I feel
the same way about my own grandmothers:
“A bond built on laughter, safety and comfort.
Our own temple, a retreat from the world,
Where we talked about everything.”
This is a poetry collection “to be transported, challenged and moved” while “celebrating life,
love and the nature of reality through a mystic’s lens.”
The land of his poetry is a place where the
reader can take a break and reflect upon the complexity of the self, the
freedom of being detached from the prisons of stereotypes and labels, without
being confined to the tyranny of prejudices.
I appreciate how Michael Teichberg’s poetical world awakens the reader to see something beyond the expected conventions of reality, reminding us that the mystic’s lens nurtures the mind in a way that may leave the soul in a place that is unfamiliar to others. (The author of this blog post creates that lens from the clay of experiences, discipline and steady intentions).
Do I agree with every message? Not
necessarily. I don’t embrace the animalistic concept he shares in a couple of
his poems because this concept can be used as a weapon to place humanity on a
pedestal. The author of this post does not believe that humanity has earned
such a position. (As I mentioned in another post, I don’t need to agree with
everything a writer says to love a book). I also disagree with the drastic
distinction made between East and West in his poem “The Divide”. I don't see "the east as being obsessed with the self as part of everyone and everything else."
Teichberg’s insightful poetry collection includes prose poetry and photo poetry as well…
“Being driven to live
life from within creates a greater mind that when hatched can achieve anything.
A life lived solely externally is one run by shallow desires and limiting
moralities.”
Poetry speaks for
itself, so my words here are somewhat redundant. I will close the post on MichaelTeichberg’s ManuScrita with a fragment from his poem “Babbling Bliss”:
“In the shadowy
corners, where ideas take root,
Like mushrooms sprouting amidst the darkness,
Even as authoritarian forces seek to tear them apart,
Silky threads of freedom persist.
The heart, propelled by revolutionary fervor,
Is catapulted into bleeding passion for change.
Words possess the power to transform,
Turning brothels into sanctuaries of worship,
Where sin and vulgarity can dissolve the veils of myth.”
