Personal Temporality
Abstract
This is a collection for anyone and everyone. However, I think that it is particularly geared toward people who are constantly aware of time but are unsure what to do with it. Minuscule moments moving toward a certain and unappealing end. This collection is predicated upon the darkness of this struggle but is also interspersed with moments of humor in line with the title of the penultimate poem Sunshine Through Greying Clouds. This collection is meant to take the reader along as I go whistling through life's graveyard. My work relies heavily upon various poetic forms and devices such as rhyme and assonance which I feel lend to the intentional musicality of the collection as a whole. Divided into five sections Personal Temporality is an exploration of lineage and time, thought and time, art and time, post adolescent angst and time, and nature and time. These sections should not be viewed as attempts at universal truth but rather as lenses through which time is experienced by one individual, myself. In terms of subject matter, I would say that this collection falls under the same umbrella as Robert Haas Time and Materials while stylistically veering toward the realm of Edgar Allan Poe if he had a penchant for Robert Frost and John Keats. This collection sits in a place in time wherein I feel as though people seem to be searching for something. I think this work as a whole could be of interest to individuals who recognize that search and would like to have someone else steer the conversation for a moment. The goal being to end up somewhere interesting before our time is gone.
Advisor
Michael Torres
Committee Member
Robin Becker
Date of Degree
2025
Language
english
Document Type
Thesis
Degree
Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
Program of Study
Creative Writing
Department
English
College
Humanities and Social Sciences
Recommended Citation
Messenger, T. I., IV. (2025). Personal temporality. [Unpublished master’s thesis]. Minnesota State University, Mankato.
Rights Statement
Comments
This thesis can be viewed in-person by appointment only in the University Archives at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Contact the University Archives to set up an appointment during normal business hours.