4 out of 4 stars
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The Poetic Vibrations of a Matured Butterfly is an accumulation of Arthur Lee Conway’s poems and parables. He has an incredible way of bringing all of the bigotry, pain, disease and unfairness of humanity against itself into one lump story of woe.
This small book of only 104 pages has three sections. The first is entitled “Rites of Passage.” It deals with the human race and all of the pain they go through in order to survive. He weaves personal stories, mythology, historical and current events together in order to contrast and compare the tragedy we call life. For example, in a story called “The Hunt,” we are shown a man being beaten by the L.A.P.D. He compares them to Roman soldiers with spears. As the man lies dying on the ground, the policeman/soldier says, “It’s bleeding...! It’s a Man, I think...”
In the second section, “Valley of Passions," we encounter multi-dimensional themes in various countries throughout the world. From Jeffry Dahmer in the United States, to the “madmen of Nuremberg being sentenced to die on the gallows,” Mr. Conway shows us the intense apathy the collective endures.
Lastly, the third section, “Philosophical Road,” tells us of Conway’s rendition of life’s meaning. In a piece titled “Crossroads,” he states that we have man’s "conditional madness,” and then we graduate to the “illusion of earthly sanity.” The conclusion is that all of life is basically insane.
Along with the author’s skillful use of imagery, we have the illustrator’s black and white rendition of Conway’s words. He wrote a thank you to his illustrator, Hampton R. Olfus, Jr. It stated that they both shared the same cosmic vibrations. These vibrations show in his artistically effective drawings of the passion and emotions written in the prose.
This book shows the apathy and tragedy of the human condition in intense detail. It is not a hope-filled collection, but it is a down-to-earth rendition of the sadness of humankind. I must rate this book 4 out of 4 stars for its originality. It made me see the world in a different light. Although there is evil in the world, Conway believes that the masses just go along with the horrors projected upon them. It is as if it's an everyday occurrence that young girls get raped, and wars tear children and families apart. If you really think about that premise, it is, in truth, an everyday occurrence.
I would not recommend this book for the young or people that are sensitive. It is a very graphic collection, both the written word and the illustrations. I would encourage those that would like to visit a different worldview to get this book.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Poetic Vibrations of a Matured Butterfly. Even though it made me feel sad for our world, it did open my eyes to the plight of humankind. Arthur Lee Conway is an exciting and thought-provoking poet.
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The Poetic Vibrations of a Matured Butterfly
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