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Commentary
I often think of Stephen Crane’s poem that goes like this:
A man said to the universe:
A Man Said to the Universe by Stephen Crane
“Sir, I exist!”
“However,” replied the universe,
“The fact has not created in me
A sense of obligation.”
I have read this about Stephen Crane:
influenced by the Darwinism of the times, Crane viewed individuals as victims of purposeless forces and believed that they encountered only hostility in their relationships with other individuals, with society, with nature, and with God.
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/stephen-crane
You can see that sense of hostility in Crane’s poem about a man addressing the universe. Perhaps you see it in my poem as well.
I’ll admit: I’m expressing a sense of isolation or alienation–perhaps even hostility–that I feel all too often these days. It’s akin to what Stephen Crane expressed. My sweet Christian friends will be quick to remind me of our shared faith in a loving, embracing God. But that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t express my occasional dark thoughts in poetry. Otherwise, how many Psalms would we have in the Old Testament?
(background image by John Paul Edge on Pixabay)
