Existence and Imperfection by Jesse Bodley
What's It About?
"Existence and Imperfection" is a collection of poems inspired by grief and existential malaise.Existence and Imperfection by Jesse R Bodley is a collection of poems inspired by the author’s experiences with grief and depression, addressing issues surrounding death and the meaning of life.
“That I have woken to the anxiety of my own labored breathing / is testament to existence, and much as well to imperfection.”
Poetry Questions Meaning of Life
Bodley’s poetry addresses several dark themes centered on existential malaise, often showing how these feelings are reflected in the cruelty of nature and the cold, dark universe.
His poems often question the meaning of life, some more straightforward (like in “Meaning” or “Funeral Rite”) while others tackle the subject more subtly (like in “Something We Lost”). He also tackles the human concepts of identity and self in poems like “Constant Rebirth” and “Some Awful Thing Inside of Me.”
Many of his poems focus on the brevity and impermanence of life, and how life can be interpreted differently through dreams or reality. Included among these is perhaps my personal favorite, “Crosswalk,” which takes a rather bleak look at how everything (including us) falls into obscurity.
I also really enjoyed “Episodes and Epochs,” which addresses the cyclical nature of life and death through the eyes of an unnamed narrator (is it a man speaking, or perhaps nature itself?).
At the heart of this collection is a number of poems about Bodley’s mother — particularly, her death. He laments about the future (for his mother, himself and the world) and looks at the past with conflicted feelings of nostalgia and regret.
Breathtaking Use of Language
“I have / come close enough to marvel at the ledge / of my own consciousness, and having seen / glimpses of another side, have felt the soft / and loose ground below, give way to the steep, / uneven falling away of souls into a deep, dark / —quantum drain.”
The language used throughout Existence and Imperfection is simply breathtaking, showcasing Bodley’s mastery of poetry. His use of tools like rhyme and alliteration add extra elements of severity or even whimsy to his pieces, such as those found in “Moneyed Monkeys and Holy Whores.”
He also applies a unique echo effect in “Living Dead All Along,” a brief meditative train of thought in “A Priest Gone to Prison” and some morbid imagery in “Existential Buddhist” which I found particularly engaging.
Bodley’s messages of existential malaise are strengthened further by his expert incorporation of religious references — from Christianity and Buddhism to even the mythology of ancient Egypt. These alongside his heavy references to nature and the greater universe reveal that a great deal of research went into constructing these poems. Existence and Imperfection is perfect for anyone who has experienced the harsh realities of grief and depression. By shining a light on the afflictions of life, Bodley connects readers with these feelings that are often pushed aside in the world in favor of saccharine smiles. This collection does not aim to “cure” any feelings, but simply allows such feelings to exist.
About Jesse Bodley:
Jesse Randal Bodley is an emergent incarnation of an ancient consciousness which is present throughout the cosmos. He is an autodidactic, working-class writer and poet from Georgia. He currently earns a living as a commercial truck driver but his primary focus and occupation is exploring the human condition through his own subjective, existential experience, contrasted by a much broader and objective view of the world in which he finds himself dreadfully immersed.
He has no children but is engaged to be married to his Philippina fiance and intends to start a family in spite of his own reservations concerning the societal decay that threatens to swamp human civilization. His hopes for the future, although seemingly bleak, are brighter than most, considering the degree of ignorance and degradation to which our culture has aspired. He hopes that the better nature of Human existence will ultimately prevail in lieu of the status quo of mutual assured destruction.
