The poetry collection "Walking with the Breath of Gazelles" by poet Mohammed Al-Harz is a profound poetic journey into the realms of existence, self, and the search for meaning. This collection showcases a unique blend of rich poetic imagery and philosophical elements that invite contemplation, as the poet guides the reader through sensory and abstract details representing different dimensions of human life. Through a transparent and dense language and multi-layered imagery, Al-Harz successfully conveys his deep feelings about issues of existence, time, loss, and memory, transforming the poem into a contemplative space open to interpretation.

The collection explores themes that touch the very core of the human experience, such as the struggle between presence and absence, the search for meaning in life amidst the absurdity of existence, and the interplay between nature and humanity. The poet also employs conceptual blending techniques that combine the real and the imaginary, the sensory and the abstract, the human and the natural, lending the poems a depth and spirituality that invites the reader into an intellectual and emotional dialogue with the text.

(Walking with the Breath of Deer) is not just a traditional poetry collection, but a space for searching for the self and reflecting on what lies beyond the apparent, and a reminder of the status of poetry as a bridge that connects man to himself and to the world around him.

The poetic imagery in this collection is characterized by depth and diversity, as the poet employs complex and expressive images that reflect philosophical ideas and existential meanings. Here, images are not merely aesthetic expressions, but rather tools for exploring the self and the world, used to present visions that transcend superficial description, reaching profound sensory and symbolic expressions.

Examples of poetic imagery in the collection:

Cosmic image:

In his words, “As if I were cultivating trees in my sleep, only to awaken to find their fruit falling,” the poet uses the image of trees growing in sleep and bearing fruit as a metaphor for thoughts or feelings that take shape in the unconscious and surface upon waking. This image carries connotations of immersion in the poetic experience and the constant anticipation of its harvest.

Expressing loss:

The poet paints a poignant picture of loss in his words: “Memory… is capable of creating a deep rift, at every moment, in the souls of his loved ones and family.” Here, memory becomes like a polished mirror reflecting longing and pain, leaving profound marks on the living. The imagery here employs the relationship between memory and wounds, portraying memory as a force that influences and transforms permanently. This is also found in the poem “A Poet Who Dies Only from His Amazement,” dedicated to the poet Ali al-Dhamini.

Composite images of simple objects:

In another passage, the poet says: “To abandon poetry in the face of these difficulties… is to respect it, and respecting it means only one thing: to declare that you have Alzheimer’s.” Here, the poet merges poetry and memory loss in a composite image, reflecting the understanding of poetry as the essence of existence and continuity, and that distancing oneself from it means losing a fundamental part of one’s identity.

Sensory imagery in describing family memories:

He says: “I scream in your books, I hide among their words, I delete a line here and add two lines there.” This image carries a vivid feeling of the poet as he tries to reshape his memories and his past through manipulating words, as if he is reformulating his relationship with time and people through texts.

Surreal images:

In another text he writes: “Life near broken stairs will not prevent the blind man from the virtue of climbing,” where he blends surreal scenes and symbolic expressions to highlight the existential aspect of life. This image expresses the struggle between despair and hope, and shows climbing as a value that transcends physical disability.

The poetic imagery in this collection transcends its role as a means of conveying meaning; it functions as a catalyst for the reader's reflection and contemplation, placing them in direct confrontation with emotions of sorrow, loss, love, and the search for self. Through the interplay of sensory and abstract imagery, the poet creates a complex atmosphere that reflects his unique philosophy of existence, memory, and absurdity.

On a rhythmic level, the poems in the collection "Walkers with the Breath of Gazelles" employ a range of artistic techniques that imbue the texts with an internal musicality without relying on traditional meters. Here are some examples from the collection illustrating these elements:

Internal rhythm: We find extensive use of internal rhythm resulting from the repetition of phrases, such as his saying:

"They go on as if nothing happened. They write as if nothing happened. Then they leave life as if nothing happened.".

The repetition of the word “was not” gives the sentence a rhythmic tone that reinforces the feeling of futility and absurdity, and this repetition forms an internal music that helps to emphasize the meaning.

Switching between short and long sentences:

Another text says:

“Every time he knocks on your door, he casts his fishing line and pulls a word or two from your poem, then bids you farewell until we meet again soon.”.

Here we find short sentences followed by longer ones, creating an oscillating rhythm that resembles rapid and slow breathing, giving the reader a sense of continuity and pause, as if the text leaves spaces for contemplation.

Semantic repetition: The poet uses semantic repetition to deepen the meaning, as in the following text:

“Writing is the destruction of the world… I only want to smash its skull with the axe of words.”.

The repetition of the words “destruction” and “shattering” here contributes to a violent rhythm that reflects the writer’s strong desire to rebel and demolish, which enhances the power and momentum of the text.

Sensory visual language:

The author resorts to sensory images that captivate the reader and involve him in the experience, as is evident in his statement

"Time passes like a contagious disease... and the water has been withdrawn from the pipes to allow your hidden days to breathe.".

These images create a sense that the words are moving and breathing, enhancing the rhythm of the poem through the moving scenes in the reader's mind, and giving the text a kind of life and movement.

Meditation and free time:

The poet leaves gaps for reflection, as is evident in his style when discussing the meaning of life and time:

“Word after word, the sky descends naked into my hands, and the one wounded by the dagger of time has his face covered with the blood of language.”.

Here, the spaces between the phrases give an opportunity to pause and reflect, making the reader contemplate the images and sense the weight of time, adding a rhythmic dimension stemming from the silence of the text.

The rhythm of the poems in this collection is based on creating a smooth flow between images and linguistic structures, accompanied by elements of repetition and reflection, which gives the texts a distinctive and different musical dimension, and reflects the poet’s experience with existence and time in a way that deepens communication with the reader.

There are various types of conceptual blending in the collection that enhance the depth of the poetic imagery and lend the texts a philosophical and symbolic character. Here are some examples from the collection that illustrate these types of conceptual blending:

The fusion of the human and the natural: The poet uses imagery that combines humanity with elements of nature to illustrate his emotional and existential states, such as his line: “As if I were nurturing trees in my sleep, only to awaken to the falling of their fruit.” In this image, Al-Harz expresses his psychological experience through the image of a tree that bears fruit in secret, then its results become visible, reflecting a process of maturation and inner reflection.

Blending reality and fantasy:

In one image, the poet blends reality and imagination to present a philosophical idea, as in his expression: “Writing is the destruction of the world.” Here, he equates writing with an imaginative act, equivalent to destruction, which adds a surreal dimension and symbolizes the poet’s desire to reshape the world through words, thus imbuing the texts with a mythical quality.

Blending the concrete and the abstract:

The poet's ability to blend sensory imagery with abstract meanings is evident in his statement: "Memory... is capable of creating a deep rift in the soul of his loved ones and family." Here, Al-Hirz uses a sensory image of a wall to express the profound pain that memory can inflict, thus giving a tangible feel to abstract emotions.

The fusion of the cultural and the universal: The amulet draws on cultural elements that allude to history and existence, as seen in its description: “Your voice surprises you, emanating from your deepest recesses.” Here, it combines cultural knowledge of the human psyche with existential contemplation to present an image that conveys a sense of self-connection and profound awareness of the world.

Finally, Muhammad Al-Harz relies on these types of conceptual blending to expand the scope of the poems’ meanings, where images interact with deep philosophical and human ideas that make the reader contemplate new dimensions of the self and the world around him.