Phenomenology of Passion

A view off mainstream,
about four thousand miles down,
lies a truth that could remain unseen,
yet purest in its form comes to town.

When heard above all, no one could drown
this heart, these eyes, this brain.
A passion so driven, and unique above any crown,
it would stop any existence of Leucosia, Veles, and Cain.

Imagine taking your body outside the book
where the parts hold more than bone and muscle,
but inspirations, aspirations, not just look
pretty reassurance, but freedom, desire, hustle.

This is the body of the genius, the philosopher, the poet,
a writer of his own book, maker of machines, and unstoppable to show it.

-Seth Tyler Black Oct. 2010

The Condition

Middle school

Ten minus three is seven.

High school

Seven plus one

Minus one

Minus four

Plus one again

Minus one

Plus one half

Subtract that off

Minus one

Minus one.

College

Two plus four

Minus two

Plus one

Plus two

Minus one

Minus one

Minus one

Minus one

Minus one

Minus one.

One

or

None…plus…

Row

See the pond,

The shimmering pond,

Past the sign that says no entry.

See the light,

The blinking light,

Leading the puddle-paved way.

Follow the geese

Who hear past the cannons.

Follow them past their stay.

Take your boat

Go past the sign

The light shines for no one but you.

Follow the geese,

they know the way,

In the morning, a minute past two.

Be seen by no one,

But if you do,

Keep rowing forever past two.

No one knows the way,

No one sees how,

The only one that knows is you.

Dreamer

A vision,

a thought,

something that you devote your whole life to,

and sticking with it through thick and thin,

no matter what anyone else says,

in happiness and sadness,

anger and distress,

and not changing it in times of war,

and in times of peace.

Staying true to yourself no matter the circumstances,

and rising in your dream with ever growing confidence.

John’s Lullaby: A Poem from “A Portrait of a Young Artist”

I love you,

but you are not what you seem.

A rock on the road will not be the end.

You are my one and only,

and I have put everything behind me

in order to pursue you.

I made an apostasy in order to be with you.

I gave up too much to leave.

I am here for you,

nothing that anyone can say will separate us.

I finally feel like I have a place,

and no one can take that away.

I stand by you,

and no one can change,

no one can end.

No one can strangle this but myself.

You took my heart,

and I do not want it back.

Vindictive or pleasant you may seem,

you are mine.

Successful you may not be to them,

but to me, oh yeah.

Ostensible pretentious views that make you,

make you,

and you would be an empty bottle without it.

Don’t change for them.

I am happy with you the way you are,

and I won’t let them get to you.

Don’t let them strangle you.

Since you are me,

and I am you,

we are one.

And if we go down,

we go down together.

But I’ll keep fighting for you.

My love,

my voice,

my art.

Dada Revolution

What you bring to the art

Is more important than what I show you.

I’d rather make you decide what it means

For you, and stay out of that process.

For art is in the interpretation

Not in the art itself,

It is in the person.

Odysseus

Some call me missing

Some call me lost

Some just simply don’t care.

I am an enigma to even my own son

But they aren’t the only ones

That find me enigmatic.

I am a mystery to even myself

I alone do not know

Which world I belong in.

One in which my lovely Penelopia resides

Or one which is filled with enticing temptations.

Oh how dare my heart be split!

One world where I have

Only one true love

And millions of others that forget my existence.

One world with millions that care

Months on end.

But they aren’t sure of my true self.

I must make this trek across the seas

To test my true love for dearest Penelopia.

If the temptations get the best of me

I shall never see her again.

But if I make it I shall live

In prosperity for the rest of my years.

I am quiet and ready.

Let the best world consume me…

Letter to My Second Love

Dear second love,

There is so much for me to tell you

So I’m going to tell you in the most intricate poem possible,

The sestina. That’s right, one thing you must

Learn about me is that I am not afraid to display

My knowledge, let alone my accomplishments, on my left sleeve.

 

And I am pretty much pretentious all over my sleeve

When it comes to anything. That is one thing to understand if I were to love

You. I only drink loose leaf tea. I only buy the shiniest apple in the display.

And my coffee must be French pressed. So if you,

Or any of your friends, are skeptical about anything said, you must

Stop reading. But if not, I think a romance is still possible.

 

I am the kind of person that believes anything is possible.

Hiking in Europe, will do. Train to Big Sur will add a patch to my sleeve.

I even think that a plane from Portland to Portland is a must.

I think that it would only fit to share some of these experiences with love.

And whether or not that love is perhaps you,

We must wait and see what other things come into display.

 

For one thing, there is a huge mural right now on my display.

It is, believe it or not anything possible,

Something that might be quite unsettling to you.

It is one of those things that simply takes up my whole sleeve

Like it or not, this mural is my first love.

So if you disapprove, leave me if you must.

 

However, if you are so enticed, you must

Read on. My first love is my art, of which is on display

Or not. I put my pretentious skills and goals on life towards my first love.

You might get left behind during a late night project update, it’s possible.

At times, your patch may fall below my accomplishments on my sleeve,

But know that I am able to work through it with you, with my art and you.

 

My art will never leave me to sleep alone at night, and nor should you.

My art will always make me feel good and nourish me. You must,

In regards to my art, do the same. If so, you will be my art on my sleeve.

You will be the one, in a million theatres, on display.

Let me just tell you from experience, that anything is possible,

As long as you vie to be my first love, instead of second love.

 

The only thing between this love is you.

Anything is possible, but first you must

Display your romance on your sleeve.

 

My First Fib

Wind
Near
Water
Embraces
The spiraling mind
And calms it in its happiness.

–first published by Mi Poesía, Seth Tyler Black’s old blog-July 2007

Solitary Content

Most precious place to ever be
An escape from noise and people
With oceans and white waterfalls
A place to find pure ecstasy

Sitting out on a deck
And looking out
Just miles of nature
To wonder
To ponder
It isn’t hard to smell
The miles of forest ahead
Acres of leaves and three hundred foot trees
Stretch the mind to its limits

Happiness inside
Is all to feel
All you have to do
Is think
And travel to the back of your head.

–published by Mi Poesía, Seth Tyler Black’s old blog-July 2007, and York Daily Record:Teen Takeover-April 2007 issue