The Awakened One Poetics [Paperback]
Joseph Spence advises us to "touch the Buddha" inside us, "Follow the Dharma," "bring to light true love," "bury the drums of warfare." T. S. Eliot also in his The Waste Land (1922) reveals the impact of Buddhism: "Datta, dayadhvam, damyata" (Give, sympathise, control). "Dantescan light" prevails around Joseph's luminous and visionary book celebrating Buddhist enlightenment. Joseph Spence has created a convincing Haiku world in which our search for moral pivot can take place. His haikus are a testimony to the fact that as a haiku poet his place is secure and permanent by virtue of his message, delicacy, a crystalline charm, and his dignified utterance. The book becomes more attractive with the inclusion of poems about soup and food. Lewis Carroll's apt words "Who for such dainties would not stoop?" ("The Mock Turtle's Song") are truly applicable to these soup poems, enough to cheer up the people when they are feeling down. Joseph is the inventor of the Epulaeryu poetic form which is about succulent dishes, drinks and various cuisine. The Awakened One Poetics is divided into Section One, Beautiful Smiles from Japan, Poland and China; Section Two, Enchanting Smiles in Japanese, Spanish, Polish & Chinese; Section Three, Captivating Smiles from Egypt, Poland and China; Section Four, Elevating Smiles in French, Polish & Chinese and Section Five, Radiant Smiles in Jamaikan Patwa, Polish and Spanish. It is a multilingual book with Chinese, French, Polish, Spanish, Japanese, Arabic and Jamiekan Patwa translations. Cross-cultural cosmopolitanism inspires Joseph Spence, and here he is different from Voltaire and Goethe. "Even Voltaire's and Goethe's concepts of literature universelle and Weltliteratur were basically monolingual and linked to linguistic patriotism and imperialism" (Literary Multilingualism i: General Outlines and Western World - K. Alfons Knauth). The Awakened One Poetics by Joseph S. Spence, Sr. is a magnificent book, sure in its handling, and restrained in its expression of passion.AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
About the Author
Joseph S. Spence, Sr. is the co-author of two poetry books, A Trilogy of Poetry, Prose and Thoughts for the Mind, Body and Soul (2005), and Trilogy Moments for the Mind, Body and Soul (2006), Winner of The 2009 Best Christian Poetry Book Award from ChristianStoryTeller.com. He invented the Epulaeryu and Seventh Heaven poetry forms and is published in various forums including: Word Catalyst Magazine, Harvest of New Millennium Journal, Joyful Magazine, Taj Mahal Review, The Phoenix Magazine, The Rubicon, and World Haiku Association. Joseph is a Goodwill Ambassador for the State of Arkansas, a military veteran, college adjunct faculty, and resides in Wisconsin.
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