Sunset:
there is life in shadows. "The world needs positive poetry more than ever right now." David Ellis Rhythm Flourishing: A Collection of Kindku and Sixku (book link: https://www.cendrinemedia.com/Rhythm-flourishing) is a collection of positive, motivating and uplifting poetry that embraces elements of nature and romantic ideals while aiming to inspire the reader. Cendrine Marrouat and David Ellis, the co-founders of Auroras & Blossoms, a platform celebrating positivity and inspiration in art, successfully created their own poetry forms in order to convey a message of hope and positivity, for which they feel the world needs right now more than ever. Marrouat and Ellis found an ingenious way to express their own feelings and outlooks while paying homage to some of the literary greats at the same time, and all that in a "short but impactful" form. Their innovative approaches and ways of perceiving what poetry's role should be in today's society are intriguing and refreshing.
The Sixku was born out of Marrouat desire to pay homage to Haiku and photography, while building upon the concept of six-word stories. The Sixku (pronounce "sis-ku") is a six-word, untitled poem that must be paired with a photograph. A perfect example of such successful pairing can be seen in the Sixku above; a simple photograph of lotus flowers basking in the sun takes on a different, deeper meaning when accompanied with carefully chosen six words, arranged together to convey a particular message. Hope in dark times, life flourishing in light and in spite of darkness, strength of the will to survive and carry on, all this expressed and revealed through six words and an effective image, make for a strong form.
Kindku is inspired by "Found Poetry", a type of poetry created by taking words, phrases, or sometimes whole passages from other sources and reframing them by making changes in spacing and lines, or by adding or deleting text, consequently imparting new meaning, and Japanese poetry forms like the Haiku and Tanka. Its creators intentions while conceiving this new and innovative form, were to celebrate kindness, positivity and inspiration through poetry, and while studying Marrouat's and Ellis's work, the reader is overwhelmed by those exact notions, which are perfectly summarized in the following poem titled An Equal World: Stand with those of true virtue Their deeds like lightning Welcome in an equal world Choose to love, to give Yearning for togetherness A reason to breathe Refuse injustice, daily Kindku inspired by Emma Lazarus’s The New Colossus Even though Kindku aims to inspire and uplift while ultimately transferring a message of hope and encouragement, that same positive notion can sometimes be rooted in what can be perceived as dark and gloomy, it's poetical antipode of sorts, connected with the same source, just on the opposite spectrum. In the case of the poem Beneath Our Blanket, poetical antipode was Charles Baudelaire known for his melancholic and hauntingly sad poetry, but the author manages to reverse it and finds light in Baudelaire's world of darkness.
Beneath Our Blanket Evening now descends Enveloping us in calm Look to the heavens No time in life for regret Beneath our blanket A tapestry of stars stretched
Soft, stirs tender hearts Kindku inspired by Charles Baudelaire’s Meditation
Acknowledging what is on the other spectrum is equally important, not just to capture the whole essence of human existence, but to start a path of healing of sorts. Individuals and society as whole must come to terms with their darkness and work to overcome it. Sometimes that is done in groups, and sometimes in solace, while contemplating on opposing sides of human nature and harsh environments in which life grows and fades in. And if one feels defeated at those precise moments, either by life or various aggravating circumstances, it should be known that it is perfectly normal and part of the path to growth and to a better, more promising future. Solitude is a poem that resonates with this notion of acceptance of dark days and hope for the better ones that are yet to come on the long and winding road that is life.
Solitude Sometimes, there’s no open road for your heart needs rest. twists and turns happen often. you must learn that pace, success go hand in hand. This, what seems to lie far, is just a matter of when. Inspired by John Greenleaf Whittier’s Don’t Quit
But how to deal with those crippling fears of transiency of our lives, the inevitability of ceasing to be or seizing the elusive love? What to do when contemplating and meditating upon the problem at hand is simply not enough? Symbols of Romance is a poem that hopes to give an answer to that gripping question, stating that it can be found in the magical worlds that are built upon written words, and hope that groves from them, blossoming into a new dawn, a lighter, brighter one. The ultimate answer for the author is reading and writing, transcribing one's fears, hopes and everything in between to paper in hopes the answer will reveal itself in the end. And it did, in this precise poem:
Books expand our minds We find treasures in symbols Romance, hope for days Stuffed to the brim, with magic Relish their stories Travelling from far and wide Think how to write more
Kindku inspired by John Keats’s When I Have Fears That I May Cease to Be
And exactly what happens when one transfers all his/hers fears to paper? Then "peace unfolds'', released from that burden of thoughts, one can finally see the light in darkness, the answer to that seemingly unsolvable question, and those thoughts that were an anchor up until that moment, become foundations upon which one builds new worlds, worlds of hope and inspiration for others. And that's exactly what the authors of this book did, they wrote and released into the world, hope and inspiration.
Write, Release
Peace unfolds, from hectic day Bathed in rich moonlight Bloom and grow, when given time All thoughts become gold Exceeding expectations A presence so sweet Write, release, worlds at your feet
Kindku inspired by Leigh Hunt’s Abou Ben Adhem
It is amazing how, in just a few lines, Marrouat and Ellis manage to describe their inner worlds, hidden realities, complex emotions, literary inspirations and aspirations all at once, while successfully connecting those vital pieces of their life/poetical fabric into a meaningful whole and leaving the reader feeling uplifted. But that shouldn't really come as a surprise because, as Marrouat herself says: "Great things often come in small packages." Kindku and Sixku are perfect examples of such great things that come in small packages, with their wisdoms waiting to be discovered and released into the world. The authors of this book mastered the art of staying positive perfectly and by choosing to see light in the darkness and acknowledging the ability of life to flourish even in the shadows, they summarized its essence and offered to the world these small, poetical and uplifting gems. Therefore, read those small gems, let yourself be comforted and inspired, and then write and release your own truths into the world. Let your words, just like Marrouat's and Ellis's, become a new map of sorts, hopefully one that is leading to a better, more equal world. Art Writes Itself Art writes itself in the heart before other things; intent lingers for a while inviting practice, lost hope to find a new map. on this continent you are the only master. Kindku inspired by Elizabeth Bishop's One Art
