The Twilight State

"I don’t love you as if you were a rose of salt, topaz, or arrow of carnations that propagate fire: I love you as one loves certain obscure things, secretly, between the shadow and the soul."

Neruda's love poem from his Love Sonnets No. 17, refers

to love as a state between the shadow and the soul where

the poet's creativity is at its peak. It is a twilight state between

shade and light, of complete relaxation, where inner scrutiny

is possible without inhibitions and restraints. It is also a secret

state of intimacy where the poet keeps his deepest feelings

safe from the piercing eyes of intruders. It is the state that

Donald Winnicott calls the domain of transitional objects,

the child's first non-me objects which teach him the meaning

of symbols so important for the development of creativity

and play in the child and in the adult later.