Freedom and Meaning

In this collection of A. S. Kline’s poetry, he explores many aspects of freedom. He starts from the premise that though constrained by our physical and mental nature as a species, and by the environment in which we find ourselves, the human condition, we nevertheless are less constrained than we allow ourselves to be. In an intentionless universe, void of intrinsic meaning and purpose, we are responsible for the creation of both, through our free use of intellect and imagination. The quotation from Epicurus at the head of the collection suggests that given our limited presence in the universe, we should quietly seek out our own place within it, questioning all received morality and wisdom, and exercising our inner vision, in order to illuminate that place. The title poem summarises many of the themes introduced in the rest of the collection.