First Posted: 2/18/2015

Depending on who you are, the concept of social media may oscillate between entertaining to frightening at any given time. However, should you look close enough every once and awhile, you may find a surprising jewel among the chaos. Herein enters author of poetry collection, “Beautiful Chaos,” Robert M. Drake, a man readers cannot help but like, follow and share to excess one click at a time.

Drake first came to popularity posting snippets of his work online through his Instagram handle, rmdrk. Prior to his most recent work, the popularity of Drake’s writing resulted in two previous collections — one poetry and another of quotes. Since that time, images of his typewritten poetry have reached various realms of social media, connecting people across the world. Similar to Emily Dickinson’s work, Drake’s collection does not include titled pieces. Rather, the words just flow forward, speaking for themselves.

Every piece is poignant and collected, swirling in our minds as it resonates with our life, connecting past to present: “Maybe we feel empty because / we leave pieces of ourselves / in everything we used to love.”

But, wait, there is more.

Poems where Drake places direct emphasis on not only the masculine, but also the feminine persona: “She was never crazy. / She just didn’t want / her heart to settle / in a cage.”

There is certain brevity of Drake’s work, but it remains consistent and concise all the while.

Moreover, each piece is without extravagance, but rather, punchy and essential to the overall theme of the work. Therein, bearing semblance to a beacon of light that leads readers to finding solace in their self. Drake may have found his niche among his 1 million Instagram followers, but his work extends beyond just the occasional viewing into a place of preservation. Through it all, Drake remains humbled by the experience, continuing to share his work with new and old readers, while demonstrating the power and permanence of words.

While Valentine’s Day has quickly come and gone, let us still cling to those heartstrings of ours and rekindle a bit of history. Stepping back to an older piece of Drake’s, while resonating with the chaos in his recent collection, he writes: “One day you’ll make peace with / your demons, and the chaos in / your heart will settle flat. / and maybe / for the first time in / your life, life will smile right / back at you and welcome you home.”