Review of "The Beauty in Solitude"

 Poetry Review of "The Beauty of Solitude"

Composed by Elizabeth Esguerra Castillo

Poetry Reviewer: Younas  Rehman (Review Panel Member of Poet's Corner)

"The Beauty of Solitude" a poem  by Elizabeth Esguerra Castillo from the Philippines 

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Today's world is replete with literary figures and highly renowned poets,  and one of them can rightly be figured as Elizabeth Esguerra Castillo, whose poem titled as " The Beauty of Solitude " is really a masterpiece of candid poetry.  

The hustle and bustle of places,  cities and even villages mark today's world with noise as though to share cosmic chaos,  where talks , speeches and even common chatting most often reflect selfish ends rather than pure notes of real sympathy and love . It is not only that we hear as words , but even other activities that carry on life , that make the world filled with somewhat annoying noise . When it comes to passions and feelings , it so often happens that at times one likes to make an escape through silent solitude . The poet has portrayed this scenario as : 

Amidst the deafening world, the cosmic chaos,

Solitude provides an escape

The poet sees that solitude can relieve an injured,  worn out soul of the pains that things or beings around us bring to us , and can take us "Beyond the swirling madness". 

For it is the blissful stillness of being lonely that grants us a serene tranquility.  In the words of the poet this paradigm has been echoed as : 

For in the blissful stillness

Of finding one's true self

The wisdom of a thousand words abound.

To the poet,  the solitude provides an atmosphere of gaining wisdom through serenity of meditation,  and an  institution of togetherness with beauty otherwise usually left unseen . How sweetly has this been inked as : 

There lies the exotic beauty like no other

When serenity penetrates

The inner recesses of your beautiful mind

Our life poses many questions . So arcane and mysterious is our existence . Complicated and usually unanswerable questions may haunt our lives in our busy schedules or even hours of leisure as long as we live amidst the social gatherings.  However in solitude,  we normally get the required answers as loneliness opens our vision to see hidden mysteries more clearly and vividly.  The poet has encapsulated this state of affairs in the lines : 

When the answers to life's questions

Finally dawns on your enlightened state

Aloneness creating your own utopia.

The world taken as it appears to be , without linkage with and anchoring on a good creator creates all mental chaos and agonies so much so that even the precious life becomes just meaningless . To assign a beautiful meaning to it necessarily requires its being linked with divinity . The poet has stated this narrative as : 

When one claims silence,

Embraces the Divine Core of his being

The day when he becomes the Master and Guru

Of his spiritual journey

Finding his Personal Legend

Like the mystical aura

In the throes of ecstasy.

All accolades to you, Elizabeth Esguerra Castillo for this poetic  masterpiece.

"The Beauty of Solitude"

Amidst the deafening world, the cosmic chaos,

Solitude provides an escape

Beyond the swirling madness

For in the blissful stillness

Of finding one's true self

The wisdom of a thousand words abound.

There lies the exotic beauty like no other

When serenity penetrates

The inner recesses of your beautiful mind

When the answers to life's questions

Finally dawns on your enlightened state

Aloneness creating your own utopia.

When one claims silence,

Embraces the Divine Core of his being

The day when he becomes the Master and Guru

Of his spiritual journey

Finding his Personal Legend

Like the mystical aura

In the throes of ecstasy.

Elizabeth Esguerra Castillo

Philippines