The Rain

We met Bach, Beethoven and Twain
And spoke in canticles in the mist of the rain.
Lamp lights led the musical way
Down the effulgent path where the briers sway.
Remind me, o my love,
Of their poetic words devoid of all darkness
Spoken from their hearts which nevermore know pain.
Remind me of those charming drops which fell from above,
And of the ethereal roses, the chrysanthemum,
The breeze-blown daises, the lilacs.
Let us rove and wander with the rain upon our backs,
And rejoice in our ardor.
It is the majestic hour!
Behold, my dear, behold
How their pianos and verse
Of ineffable gold
Gently disperse
The gleeful clouds which surround the tower
Of our castle on the heights of the universe.  
  - From "Eternal Verse By John Lars Zwerenz"

John Lars Zwerenz (1969- ) is an American poet and writer. He is known for his romantic, impressionistic and mystical works. He has published five books of poetry: Selected Poems, Mist And Flame, Visionary Wanderings, Sonnets of Dusk and Dawn and Songs Of Rapture And Other Poems. His fifth book, a novelette, is a controversial and steamy love story entitled "An American Romance". According to Zwerenz, the book is a "purgatorial" work of fiction. It has been published by Penguin this autumn of 2012. The volume includes an appendix and an epilogue, both of which comprise his fifth collection of verse. A new book of Zwerenz's poetry will be focused on the subject of "paradise". It is called "Eternal Verse" and will be published by a major house early in 2013. Zwerenz is a mystical romantic. His writings are deeply spiritual in subject matter and tone. Much of his verse employs transcendental language and is rich in meaning and musicality. He often makes use of classical rhyme and meter in both his poetry and prose. One literary critic compared his poetry to "the labor and results of Rembrandt". Yet in his writings, especially in his verse, Zwerenz seems to dismiss the current age as something ostensibly irrelevant, and he likes to surround and place his subjects within a vaguely medieval setting. Some critics have suggested that his anachronistic qualities detract from the potency of his verse. Zwerenz owns a B.A. in English from The City University Of New York At Queens College and has traveled extensively throughout The United States and Europe as a kind of "literary wanderer". He holds a rather "bohemian" reputation since his youth. He currently resides in New York City, and is 44 years of age.

R.Canter