The False God's Lullaby

"The False God's Lullaby" is a small collection of poems and prose pieces written over 30 years. Introspective in its orientation, the works gravitate towards the formative experiential and later existential issues in finding our way in the flow of life.

The poems and prose contained in this collection are largely introspective studies ranging from childhood to mortality. Focused primarily upon the deeper issues of life (in which childhood recurs as a major theme), the author seeks a better understanding of himself and others, and to enhance his own capacity for acceptance and compassion. His approach to poetry has always followed the adage: "the more personal the writing, the more universal the appeal." The poetry is presented by topics that move like moods. The collection begins with contemplations of what the author calls "interior worlds." This comprises over half of the poems and are the first and last titled sections. Interior worlds are expressed in such poems as "Memory," "Confluence," and "Longing." This is followed by "Closeness and Distance" with poems describing experiences of both sexual ("Absolution") and emotional intimacy ("Endearment"), as well as withdrawal ("Disillusionment"). The mid-topic sections move into the darker subjects of mortality ("Wandering," "Big Sur") and despair ("Awaiting the Pandemic"). Pulling back from these dark explorations are the poems found in "Lightness of Being." These range from metaphorically comedic sexuality ("The Drummer's Advice") to a gathering with friends ("Friday Dinner"). "Interiors Worlds" are returned to with a prolific, seven-part poem exploring the external and internal aspects of familiarity ("Home") and ends with the poem from which the book is named ("The False God's Lullaby"). The final section is a small collection of prose pieces that add context to many of the poems. It also ends with a work from which the title poem was created. Two major themes form the basis of internal worlds. First is the notion expressed by Lou Andreas-Salome' of primitive consciousness arising in-utero. The poet fuses this with Soren Kierkegaard's notion that we internally possess a sense of "the eternal." The second theme ponders the implications of evolutionary neurobiology: that we are largely governed by the ancient powers of our animal brain (eg. "Limbic, paralimbic structures"). What Freud called "The It." These are explored in the poems "Confluence," "The Ancient Within," and "Otherness." Despite the deep, dark themes of life that pervade many of these works, the author endeavors to find for himself and his readers how these encounters unavoidably lead to a sense of endearment and gratitude for life itself. In this, the author reveals the influence of his most beloved poet, Rainer Maria Rilke; for whom the poem "Wandering Rainer" was written.

Aaron Gedaliah began to study and write poetry in his mid-30s after his experiences on the Big Sur coast of Central California. Only able to write intermittently during his work years, most of his poetry and prose were written towards the end of his professional career and afterwards. He's always gravitated towards poets whose work is both lyrical and psychologically oriented. The works of Rainer Maria Rilke, Sylvia Plath, Antonio Machado, Wendell Berry and Loren Eiseley have had the strongest influence on his approach to poetry. Aaron has lived the past 42 years in San Francisco where the Haight-Ashbury has been his home.