Brandon Gene Petit’s “Ab Antiquo, Ab Aeterno”, a rather unconventional blend of rhyming, free verse, and prose-poetry, seems to fill a niche for those readers who are craving an exploration of dark emotions yet do not want to stray too far from aesthetically tasteful images. While there are mentions of death, cemeteries, and nightmare forces, there are also mentions of beautiful gardens, twilight forests, arduous love and nature themes. The beauty of a private heaven… the dark mystery of the ocean… the wonders of the human mind and the ailments of the human heart… all are woven into a web of unique perspectives on the elements of our world, combining a dynamic variety of ideas into a package that one could still arguably define as a deeper, darker form of poetic expression.

 

In Petit’s bittersweet universe, love rivals obsession, dreams converge with nightmares, innocence quarrels with sin and nature provokes ambivalence. The entire sequence of poems seems to tell a crudely synchronized story of a man who wrestles with the riddles of the past, chases muses that remain aloof, questions his spiritual karma and strives to avoid the temptations of anger and contempt. At the same time, it drifts from the mortal experience and illustrates dark forests, lantern-lit rooms, cobblestone streets and dynamic dreamscapes. With a harmonious balance of sobering reality and eclectic fantasy, “Ab Antiquo, Ab Aeterno” acts as a double-edged sword… boasting a unique brand of rogue philosophy mixed with the poison kiss of neo-gothic romanticism. Whether you are an optimist or a pessimist, a daydreamer or a cynic, “Ab Antiquo, Ab Aeterno” offers miniature storylines – told through both prosaic and rhythmic verse – that should stimulate a variety of readers.