When poetry becomes an inner journey

Leopoldo Lonati, refined poet and deep thinker, lent himself for an interview on the Terrarium bench. An immersion in his poetic universe, marked by the search for the authentic word and the rediscovery of the peripheries of the heart. The title of his book, Speech without a breath of wind, evokes a sense of suspension, of waiting. Lonati’s poetry stems from the search for the word that is not empty but illuminates thought.

Forrest Gump and the Sense of Running

‘I feel like Forrest Gump’. He talks about himself, Leopoldo Lonati, but he also talks about a generalised existential condition and introduces the central theme of his poetry: the search for deep meaning, beyond the frenzy of everyday life. Lonati describes his creative process as a journey through an ever-changing inner landscape: ‘Our inner life is a journey through a landscape that we build day by day. This ‘walk’, as he defines it, is a patient and conscious search, an exploration into the shadow zones of our existences.

I feel like Forest Gump… running without knowing why

The word that spreads its wings

‘If the word does not spread its wings and sweep you off your feet… it drools on you,’ reads quatrain 51 of his book. The heart of Lonati’s poetics lies in the transformative power of the word. A word that does not merely describe, but elevates, that transports to unexplored horizons. One of the most poignant themes is the importance of exploring the ‘peripheries of one’s heart’, those places where ‘unheard-of things’ are hidden. An invitation not to forget the shadowy areas, to give voice to what is often marginalised by life. Lonati claims the salvific nature of the word: ‘If there is a possibility to save the human in today’s man, that must be a fixed point: the word’. A reminder of the responsibility to use the word with awareness, to build a more human world.

An invitation to listen

The interview with Leopoldo Lonati is an invitation to listen, to reflect, to rediscover the power of the word. It is an experience that reminds us of the importance of cultivating our inner landscape, exploring the peripheries of the heart and reaching upwards, like trees ‘waiting for the sky’. You can find the full video of the interview on the Terrarium bench on our YouTube channel.