"To Enter That Rhythm Where The Self Is Lost" by Muriel Rukeyser

Born in New York City in the year 1913, Muriel Rukeyser became a poet who encompassed the past and present, science and politics, and anti-war and activist movements.

 

"To Enter That Rhythm Where The Self Is Lost"

 

To enter that rhythm where the self is lost,

where breathing : heartbeat : and the subtle music

of their relation make our dance hasten

us to the moment when all things become

magic, another possibility.

Tat blind moment, midnight, wen all sight

begins, and the dance itself is all our breath,

and we ourselves the moment of life and death.

Blinded; but given now another saving,

the self as vision, at all times perceiving,

all arts all senses being languages,

delivered of will, being transformed in truth -

for life's sake surrendering moment and images,

writing the poem; in love making; bringing to birth. 

 

Muriel Rukeyser uses a single stanza free verse poem to convey the idea of what poetry is. Rukeyser describes poetry as the art in which our self is lost. This simple yet complex metaphor of losing oneself is the entirety of the poem. Rukeyser uses imagery throughout her poem to take the reader to the place where we are lost and poetry is born. Poetry is brought to life when we are lost in the “subtle music” of ourselves It is not in the day when we are surrounded by loved ones, smiles, and chatter that we find poetry, but “that blind moment, midnight” where we find poetry. That blind moment being a metaphor used by Rukeyser to represent that instant in which we lose sight of what is on the surface and begin to dig deep within ourselves, finding the truth. Beneath the surface of her poem, Rukeyser makes it clear that poetry is much more than a few words that rhyme strung together for people to enjoy. Poetry is something deep within us, a common language among us all, one in which we all understand. It is found at a blind hour when we are isolated from all else and able to hear our own heartbeat and get lost in the web of thoughts that was created by the spiders while we were living our lives mindlessly. Poetry is an art that exists in us that we may have not known was even there. It brings to life truth. When we lose ourselves we find that truth.