Review of British poet Rupert Pip’s poem ‘Gore’

Review of British poet Rupert Pip’s poem ‘Gore’ I request the readers to read this poem from the link https://hellopoetry.com/poem/2821381/gore/ and my review next. Thanks. We find many of his poems in his website https://rupertpip.org/poetry . What is a negative relationship? Anything forced between (minimum) two. A tiger and a deer in a forest are strangers, so far as they are oblivious of one another; but the moment the tiger catches the deer pouncing on it, a negative relationship between a predator and a prey emerges instantly. Can a tiger turn herbivores and win all our appreciation? Recently read an article ‘The rise of therapy-speak’ in the times of India. The writer Ketaki Desai objects the use of the word ‘toxic’ in media and personal exchanges. ‘Toxic’ is used about a person or his relationship very casually, Desai reminds us it is a clinical term and has specific meaning in psychiatry and counselling. This poem does spell anything like that, but reminds us why so many around us are characters in our gore nightmares. Whether you assault me or not, or move toward me menacingly or not, the potential threat in the form of your position and track record puts both of us in a negative relationship. In the last stanza the poet neutrally admits it is quite possible I could be causing or be part of your nightmares: ------ Gouge my eyes; punch my face. Wrap me up in your embrace. to know me like I do you; inside and out. -------- I, an individual, am a threat to you for various reasons; but I, as a part of an institution, am capable to inflict worse wounds; so I represent the fast decaying festered systems or the groups farming part of them. This poem emphasizes how desperately we get into negative relationships and try to brush it off like we were pushed into one. The bluntness of the poem slaps a wakeup within. Such poems archive the contemporary history. Among hundreds of new poems published all over the world every day, a few remind us the vastness and immense potential of the genre. Contemporary life, with the impact of technology and social media, has so much to offer for creative minds. Such works reveal there is never an end for genuine creative works in poetry.