Author, poet, and philosopher David Whyte believes in poetry. Specifically, he believes in its ability to rekindle emotions often buried or denied — from anguish and death, to joy and wonderment.
Whyte credits his Irish roots for his love of the written word. Following in the tradition of many a balladeer before him, Whyte not only is a prolific writer, but he’s committed many of his own poems and others to memory.
In his latest collections of poems and essays Constellations II: The Solace, Nourishment and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words, Whyte takes on some familiar themes of the human condition; anguish and death. He says that poetry offers an “invitation back into the world,” to confront the difficult and to help grapple with life both speakable and unspeakable while finding joy in the process.
Whyte encourages us to embrace the ability we all have to draw down below our internal horizons, connect with our inner voice, and pay attention to people and things other than ourselves. That inner voice, Whyte says, “[is] so often so much more compassionate than the defensive voice we have on the periphery. It's also the voice from which poetry is written, it's the voice below the horizon of our understanding inside us.”
Whyte tells us that poetry, “is the art of creating language that's just as movable as the world that it's temporarily describing. It comes from a fiery, movable place and is equal to the fire and movability of the world. If it's static and holding things in place, it's usually not good poetry.”
David Whyte, pictured here, says: “Poetry is a very physical invitation back into the world and I think it's the beauty in poetry that makes you actually want to respond to the invitation.” Photo by Bodi Hallett
“Consolations II: The Solace, Nourishment and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words,” David Whyte’s latest collection of poems and essays.