Pilgrims of Infinity

Are there patterns in history? Are there ideas and secrets passed down from our ancestors and through evolution? I became enthralled with these questions as I pursued my MA in European History. I found however, that it is better to utilize poetry rather than scholarship as a tool to explore these types of questions. And that is the present work before you. The book is divided into three sections. The first section, entitled "History," surveys different historical eras in succession and proposes that something, some secret, was passed down through generations. This secret, while never actually divulged (mainly because it is beyond ordinary understanding, including that of the poet) has something to do with the notion of infinity. When we as a species (as a product of billions of years of evolution) arrive in the 21 century, that is the where the pilgrims of infinity emerge. We are finite beings that can somehow imagine the infinite, but usually do not. Perhaps it is because the finite is comfortable. Yet some brave ones however try to pierce infinity. These pilgrims, these holy explorers, are beings that can finally begin to explore this as of yet unintelligible secret that has developed over the course of centuries. As such, the second section of the work is appropriately titled "Explorations of Infinity." The last section charts the pilgrim's return. Make of it what you will. There are 50 poems in this manuscript and 48 of the poems were written between the time of December 2020 and January 2021 (the poem titled: "A Reunion of Sorts" and the poem titled: "Industry II" were written in 2002 and 2003, respectively). The time of writing is important. During this time a pandemic raged out of control and a US president tried to subvert the democratic process. How could a poet not be impacted? The poems in this book however are not merely reflections on these events- in fact these events are not directly mentioned (but readers will hear their echoes). Rather, I strove to create an all-encompassing work, which looks at history, the present and the future in totality. What is history? It is certainly more than a static collection of facts. History is a foundation, a compass, a loadstone which points the way. History is also a repository of ideas and secrets, of philosophies and remedies, and perhaps something infinite. History is humankind's identity. Of course, there was history before humans too- we should not be so haughty. Human history is a grain of sand in the desert, 5,000 years of writing in a sea of almost 5 billion years of earth's existence. Nevertheless, our paltry writing is perhaps a start to understanding this vastness. However, will we will listen? Perhaps somewhat ironically, people today do not seem to have time for infinity or history when we need it most. Students are repeatedly told to contribute to the economy and leave esoteric and seemingly impractical pursuits like history, poetry and philosophy behind. Will this book change any of that? Probably not. My goal was simply to begin to explore infinity and meanings in history as trudge into an uncertain future. I do not know if I have achieved what I sought out to do, but hopefully this manuscript is a start. ~ Angelo J. Letizia, PhD Manchester, MD January 2021