Raymond Quattlebaum in reflection of love takes us through the depths of his book, The Color of Love, as he talks about love through the delicate beauty of poetry. The author weaves through the intricacies of what love is all about through a delightful and distinctive style of rhythmic poetry. More than just the striking book cover illustration of the moon and the stars, Quattlebaum beguiles us to go deeper into the pages of the book as he explores the meaning of love based on the essence of God’s love for humankind, which is nothing short of a miracle in itself.
Poetry Over the Years
Who would have guessed that poetry as an oral form existed way before written texts were made? The earliest records show that poetry started as a chant or an incantation that was sung or recited to perform early tribal rituals back then. There is something in the repetitious, metrical rhythm that appealed and enabled those ritual performers to commit to memory the words recited quickly. To commit to posterity the rituals for future generations, the verbal art form was then transcribed into written texts, either written or drawn into walls or text manuscripts. The practice then started the trend of transcribing poetry as a way to record historical events, or else, poetry as a way to amuse or entertain the reader or the audience, or what is also known as epic poetry. Famous examples of epic poetry are the Epic of Gilgamesh (considered the earliest written poetry in cuneiform), the Greek’s Iliad and Odyssey, and the Indian Sanskrit Ramayana and Mahabharata. Over time, poetry has evolved into more than just a depiction of history and narrative fiction about gods, goddesses, and superhumans. Poetry took on a different route when it was written and used mainly to express public or private emotions. It is then used as a way to woo a lover, to seek favor or support, or even to incite, encourage, or stir up human emotion or behavior.
Poetry and Love
More often than not, poetry and love are some of the best combinations when it comes to literature. When love is expressed through poetry, the emotion becomes more significant, more compelling. The meaning of love is enhanced, intensified by the metric flow and tempo of the assembled words. Remember the line, “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways”? The classic Elizabeth Barrett Browning poem shows how powerful poetry imparts the message of love to a lover. Same as Quattlebaum’s written poems. The modern-day poet effectively conveys through its written rhythmic words love in the essence of romance, love is the essence of God’s love, and love is the essence of being the most powerful emotion in the world. Just like a plant thrives on sunlight, or humans need air to breathe, such is the perfect and consummate combination of poetry and love. And Quattlebaum has successfully proven this, as evident through his book, The Color of Love.
The Color of Love invites us to take a second look and a different perspective on love and life. Raymond Quattlebaum invites his readers to look at love and life through the lens of love and the verse of poetry. The inspiration to become a poet for Quattlebaum happened during his early school years when a teacher published his poems in the school’s newspaper. That was the defining moment for the young poet to pursue his talent in writing. Hence, the published literary works of Poetry In Motion and The Color of Love.
Learn more about how love moves Raymond Quattlebaum to write his faith-based and life-inspired poems. Visit his website today, and grab a copy of his books now.
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