The Beast Inside

Since ancient Greece, when Socrates likely advised us to “know thyself,” humans have been obsessed with the notion of self in many ways—as a soul, as an essence, as either conscious or subconscious, or as a singular self versus a collection of selves. At the very least we are creatures of duality however one categorizes it. It may be a duality of primitive versus civilized, the duality of individuality or tribalism, the duality of conscious versus unconscious (with subconscious thrown in for good measure). The list of supposition seems endless, which helped bring about The Beast Inside.

Reviewer Daniel Lambert asks, "What happens when we expand our consciousness?" 

His answer? "Creative artists such as the late filmmaker David Lynch compared ideas to fish and argued that 'the more your consciousness – your awareness – is expanded, the deeper you go toward this source, and the bigger fish you can catch.' This kind of 'consciousness fishing' is on display in the book The Beast Inside. Cushing delves deep into his own consciousness as well as the 'universal' consciousness (if there is such a thing). Cushing derived the book’s provocative title from the central theme he addresses here, which is the dual nature of the self. [He] divided The Beast Inside into three parts. His poems are accessible and relatable to the average reader, meaning those who do not identify with the 'intelligentsia.' This quality of Cushing’s work is not vagueness. Instead, it is a delightful complexity merged paradoxically with the kind of directness that only a 'blue-collar poet' can deliver." 

Vatsala Radhakeesoon agrees with Lambert, adding, "Call it confession, analysis, observation, or letting the subconscious surface, Bill Cushing’s poetry book The Beast Inside goes into an in-depth understanding of The Self. Though most of the poems emerge from the poet’s own experiences and surroundings he has been exposed to, the states of Self – The Reminiscent Self, The Formal Self and The Dream-State Self are all the basic features of each person’s life. The Beast Inside has succeeded in emphasizing on the need to be connected to the core of The Self, without any inhibition in order to recognize and get to know oneself. This book is a must-read for all poetry and Psychology lovers, and it will surely survive as a literary gem for the future generations to dive in as well."