First of all it has to be pointed out that the word “demon”, as used in the title of this blog has very little to do with the view of the demons or Satanic spirits commonly feared by contemporary religious and not so religious people of different theological traditions based on a dualistic opposition of good and evil. It points, mostly, and in a purely metaphorical way, to the old Greek concept of demons or daimons as spirits of lesser power than gods which acted among humans with no malevolent intents.
In a poetic sense we are all inhabited by these demons, which play their tricks, posit their riddles, whisper their desires and demand constant attention in our minds, keeping us busy in trying to deal with their incessant activity and to rein their impish energy.
Poetry is, in this sense, a demonic product–the result of an inner life incessantly active and creative. By writing and reading poetry we keep our demons happy and under relative control.
By no means, though, should poetry be confused with a mental exercise for prophylactic purposes or as a curative treatment for a troubled soul. Nothing farther from poetry than a sane mind.
