The Poetry of Terence McKenna
An ode to McKenna’s ability to turn lectures into poetry
Terence McKenna: Academic, Psychonaut, Poet
To say the least, Terence McKenna was quite the accomplished wordsmith. In fact, the term “wordsmith” doesn’t quite do him justice. Instead, it feels more fitting to refer to him as something more within the realm of a spell caster, a conductor of alphabetic symphonies, a jester of labyrinthine riddles, a Homer of dulcet glossolalias, a vibrationist of divine grooves…
Or perhaps more accurately: a poet.
The textured flow with which he spoke knows no equal. Not even the yang to Terence’s yin — fellow lecturer, Alan Watts — can compete. Putting on headphones, laying back, and simply listening to the sound of Terence McKenna elocuting is nothing short of meditative. His speech is incredibly musical, infectious, and poetic despite its controversial subject matter and roots in formal academia. It has an oceanic lapping, a crystalline chiming to it. His diction, cadence, and pacing rolls off the tongue in smooth cascades of alliterative distinction. With Terence, every syllable — even the smallest morpheme — feels nothing short of purposeful, distinguished, designed, and the epitome of groovy.
