How the Poetic Form Acknowledges And is Based on Human Endeavor

Photo by Lachlan Ross

The Color of Love by Raymond Quattlebaum is a compelling anthology of poetry that relates to the unconditional love of God manifesting in the natural and dynamic beauty of the universe.

The Color of Love by Raymond Quattlebaum is a brilliant follow-up to his previous poetry anthology, Poetry In Motion. A spiritual successor to Poetry In Motion, The Color of Love is a transformative work that portrays the eternal cycle of natural beauty and a testament of life, showing what indeed is the essence of God. 

These pages are words full of inspiration and insight into a world deeply imbued with reflections on love and divine beauty. The contemplation starts from the cover, showing a breathtaking sight of the moon and stars—pulling readers into growing curious about what these means.

The Human Foundations of Poetry

Every art form is deeply intertwined with what it is to be human; many might even say that it sets humans apart from animals or that God elevated man for their capacity for art. No matter what you think, art is and always will be fundamental to the human experience, even if one isn’t an artist.

Art springs forth wherever humans go; perhaps one can also assume that existing is an art in and of itself—but the most distinctive form of art that resonates with all members of the human species is poetry.

Aside from art, one thing that separates man from beast is his acquisition and formulation of language. It has been said that animals can speak languages too, but how can it compare to human language?

At best, the language of beasts is simply a series of noises identifying each other or warning about threats—it does not hold a candle to human language’s complexities and artistic potential.

Poetry can come from many sources, but there is an implicit and explicit understanding that whatever is written into poetry is, at once, a testimony to human existence and an investigation into the human condition. Mary Lee Morrison claims that “Poetry makes us human,” and from the mountains of evidence, there is little really that can refute that statement. Through poetry, human experience is distilled into words that become nuggets of inspiration and upliftment to its readers. 

It is the poet’s burden to make clear the questions that embody their community’s age and dreams—and Quattlebaum presents that vividly and distinctly in The Color of Love.

Spreading Poetry to the Masses

Poetry is often disregarded more than it is often misunderstood because people think this art form is just a series of words. Unlike the staying power of a novel or a short story, poetry has more varied interpretations and subjectivity, which makes it confusing to many people. The features that make poetry quite accessible have, paradoxically, led to criticisms that it is a genre ripe with elitism and snobbery. Although there has been a recent spike in readership for poetry, this reputation for being highfalutin and difficult still dogs any attempt at widening its base.

There must be a re-characterization of what poetry generally is—to pull it away from its status as something only the highly cultured partake in and return it to its position as the form of art that best encapsulates the human condition. 

Every reader and poet should remind people that there is no strict way of reading poetry right—and that whatever emotion they feel from reading a poem is quite valid. 

Poems can be healing tools in how they resonate with their readers, giving them a new perspective to look toward and perhaps granting them an idea of what they’re feeling at the moment. 

Reading the right poem can feel cathartic like one’s been shown the way to see after years of blindness—and it is that quality that advocates of poetry should promote.

Through poetry, humanity is revealed; through this oft-misunderstood and seldom-regarded form of art, humans can contemplate universal questions, fully express their experiences and emotions, and be understood generations later.

More than any form of art, poetry is a bridge that spans time and space, connecting everyone with a shared human experience and elevating words beyond mere sounds or lines on paper.