In the Midst of Passion

Two figures, hand in hand, lost in ecstasy: In the Midst of Passion is the most physical poem in The Rose That Grew from Concrete. It appears in the book’s second section, “Nothing Can Come Between Us,” and carries no dedication.

The Body Takes Over, the Speaker Remembers

The poem begins without detours: words are unnecessary, feelings are heard, the body takes the lead. Yet then the speaker steps in. At this exact moment, he thinks of that one person-out of gratitude for the joy she has shown him.

In the middle section, the scene turns into a memory: the kiss, the touch, the scent she wears, the sound of her voice. With each night that comes to an end, a firm bond is forged. The refrain “In the midst of passion” returns three times, leading in the end to an image of two people permanently lost in ecstasy.

Here, Intimacy and Sex Converge

The contrast within the book is clear: in Jada, Tupac deliberately separates intimacy from sex; here, the two converge. Together, both poems show how broad the spectrum was across which the young writer contemplated love-from reverence to desire.

Written Between 1989 and 1991

No date is documented; according to the preface by Afeni Shakur, the poems were written between 1989 and 1991. Tupac also uses the phrase “in the midst of passion” in Love Within a Storm, though there it is tied to chaos and the loss of a friendship. Thematically related is Hours Pass By, which describes the longing for physical intimacy as a vision of the future.

More on the book and all poems are gathered in the introduction.