Pain by Jean-Philippe Gueant

Jean-Philippe Gueant is a well seasoned artist, known as the founder of transcendental abstraction. His book "Zenith of Images" contains several of his unique poems. "Pain" exemplifies his work.

Words are broken apart into a puzzle in the first stanza. The additional subtext assists in creating the overall metaphor. Now the poem encompasses two new phrases. "Ow, I can hear angels playing harp," and, "R angels playing harp?"

By implying the beautiful music creates a painful experience, such as ears bleeding, in the second sentence, "to dry their ears." The true meaning of the poem emerges. This poem is sympathetic to the feelings related to extreme pain. Everything happy and joyous intensifies sensations of physical or emotional pain. Meanwhile, watching the miserable squirrel collecting nuts is a source of relaxation. This explains why "misery loves company."

Though the message is cliche, the technique extends the poem to a relatable level. A greater depth of emotion is expressed by drawing on all senses. Imagery conjures memories associated to pain and brings forth an aesthetic mode into the cliche is universal. Though style is unorthodox; it is entertaining.

Quirky Books
Zenith of Images by Jean Philippe