Synesthesia In Robert Gray's Poetry

Robert Gray is a poet who uses sensory images through juxtaposition, comparison, Romanticism, Synesthesia to explore Australian, Spiritual, Emotional landscape that explores the perspective regulated in his poetry.

Robert Gray’s poetry is both metaphysical and physical illustrated in ‘Journey, The North Coast’ capturing the substance of experiences through feelings and emotions. The poem draws on synesthesia to depict the persona’s train journey, consumed and cleansed by the present moment. “Down these slopes move,/ as a nude descend a staircase,/ Slender white eucalypts:/ And now the country burst/ Open on the sea’ uses descriptive language that evokes a tactile image of a persona who is disoriented and affected beyond their control. With symbolic use of freedom and taking flight in “the train’s shadow like a bird flees” Gray represents the pace of the journey to invite a sense of movement and exhilaration that comes with living in the moment. “I rise into the mirror/ rested. I’ll leave my hair/ ruffled a bit, stow the book and wash-bag/ and city clothes” uses living in the moment to explore the calmness and relaxation at the end of his journey. Depicts the persona that Gray is cleansed by the presence of this moment. Journey, the north coast harvests the critical and innovative response to this particular text, basing it on the knowledge and language using the metaphysical and physical self-expressed experiences.

Robert Gray’s uses his unique voice to express emotion through every poem written. In the third poem of 24 poems, he confirms the replacement of abstractions to concrete the major details to further expound through figurations. ‘4.am. The Milky Way/ Blowing high above the forest./ A truck changes down’, through the use of the cutting words, ‘Forest’ and the Juxtaposition of ‘Milky Way’ and ‘Truck’ are used to over split up two images and help with the flow of all the poems. This Haiku doesn’t include typical features like 17 syllables and 5/7/5 structure or particular references. Through the use of cutting words displayed throughout all 24 poems shows that Robert Gray writes the same throughout most of his poems but does change it up from time to time to change the overall flow of some poems so they all don’t continue to sound or flow the same. Gray uses his emotions through his time in his life which is put into his poems to create the ultimate connection between Robert and the readers.

Robert Gray’s is both metaphysical and physical illustrated in ‘Harbour Dusk ‘capturing the essence of the experiences of feelings and emotions. The poem on synaesthesia to depict the persona of day to night as it cleansed through the romance of the present moment. ‘Part of the city, to our left, was/ Fruit shop bright’ Evokes the timing of the poem as the ‘bright’ lights go on the day is going to sleep and the night arises. The Symbolism of the rich colours as the light of the city shines through the darkness now of the night as it uplifts the beauty of the city, It represents how as soon as the lights turned on the more unclear we get and how all our worries start showing. ‘Mauve-grey, each cloven sail-like nursing sister’s, in a deep corridor: some melancholy; or nuns, going to an evening confessional’ Fading life end of a chapter, relationship. The interaction between ‘I’ and ‘she’. Fading life, colour. Brightness. End of a chapter. A confession before death.

When one considers the perspective align in his poem it is clear that the emotional, spiritual journey is explored through his poems to depict the ultimate connection between the readers and the poem.