LOVE, SEX, AND ROMANCE: AN INTRODUCTION
Hello all and thanks for stopping by to read my thoughts on love and life. For those of you who have read the book, I hope it has taken your heart to places that all lovers dream of. And for those of you that have not read it yet, I hope you will get around to it and be uplifted.
I wrote this deep and touching book for a few reasons. One being to tell what I feel about love and what I feel love should be. Another is to lift up all our hearts. Still another is to show the positive side of love. With so much in this world which is negative, that is written about and even sung about love, I wanted to stay positive.
I want to start this blog right and say that I will keep you all updated on the book and how it is doing. I also will be adding new poems to this blog as I write them. I want to keep you all "in the mix". And I also would like to hear from you. To know what your thoughts are on love. To know how you feel about this book. So let's keep each other posted!
WHY I WROTE THIS BOOK
This very question was asked to me recently and I had an instant answer. The same answer I gave is in the "Introduction" in the book. Because I wanted to tell MY thoughts on love.
Everyone has their thoughts on what love should be. And this book tells mine. In music, a singer is trying to express their thoughts about a certain emotion or feeling or experience. Writers and even artists do the same.
I wanted to share with the world what was in my mind and how I felt about certain things on the subject of love. I know that I will catch some flack and criticism about some of the things I put in the book. I have already had to answer some questions about why I put in the book the poem "Intsant Sex, Always Love" and did it really happen to me in real life.
The answer to that question is . . . .
And no, the book is not hardcore sexual. The eroticism I write about in the book is very tastefully done. In this blog, you will get an example as to how I wrote about sex in the book.
Also, ALL my poetry is VERY easy to read and understand. I know I have (and you have too) read poetry in which you have to sit there and figure out what the author was trying to say. So I write very simple and plain, but with great emotion and depth.
I FEEL DEEPLY that when you read this book, you will be taken to a world where hearts and stars rule.
COMPARISON
ABOUT THIS POEM:
The inspiration for this poem came to me from my mother. She has this rose "garden" in her front yard that "blooms" very few roses. One day I was working with her in the "garden" the thought occurred to me to compare the heart of a woman to a rose. And this poem is the result of that thinking.
As I gaze at the rose in the early morning sun
I think of her, my one and only true love
As the morning sunbeams tenderly caresses the rose
Reflecting its deep scarlet hue
My mind is joyfully alive
With warm glowing thoughts of her
For is not a rose
Nature's revealed image of a woman's heart
With each petal tenderly placed
And ever so delicately layered
Nestled ever so snugly
And encircled in a wondrous natural bosom
And her loving heart, like the glorious rose
In the splendid morning sun
Is an imaginative comparison
To heaven itself
The rose, her heart
When both are touched with love
One is truly blessed
ABOUT OTHER POEMS IN THE BOOK
In the first part of this book, even though the main subject is about love, (specifically romantic, deep hearted love and in some poems, sex) I still have my love for humanity and my fellow man/woman that I write about.
For instance, the very first poem in the book is titled "Of Mom and Oprah". I put this poem first in the book because I wanted to honor my mother with this poem. And to let her know that I look up to her and Oprah Winfrey as two positive role models in my life. How about a small sample of this poem.
Part of "OF MOM AND OPRAH"
"Oh ladies,
Separate yet equal I see you
Separate yet equal you have lived
Separate in lives, equal in emotion, struggle, and bravery
Through my eyes, I have lived with you both
Admired you both
Respected you both
One for the love of a son to an devoted mother
One for the love of an outstanding and inspiring human being
You ladies have overcome great odds
The powers of persistence, determination, and prayer were your allies
In becoming the fantastic women I see you as"
I wrote a poem titled "I Love My Freedom (The Master and the Slave)" which is about my 12 years of drinking and smoking pot. I finally quit them both on January 1, 1992 and have not touched either one since. 30 years clean and sober has made a BIG difference in my life. The book AND this site is proof of good things that can happen when a person is determined to change their life.
But I feel that the best poem I have written so far is the powerful anti-gun violence poem titled "One Gun". This poem was inspired by a mother whose 16-year-old son was gunned down in the driveway of their house. She was on TV crying her heart out, asking why this had to happen. How I wanted to go through the TV and give her a big hug of comfort and reassurance.
Also, recent tragic events which were caused by gun violence is one more reason for inspiration to have written this poem. I got into "the zone" and it almost wrote itself. I clearly remember as I was coming out of writing the first verse, my subconscious just unleashed a flood of creativity. I found myself writing so fast that I could not keep up with my thoughts. I had this poem wrote in 40 minutes.
I do not think it would be fair to you, the readers of this blog to read this about "One Gun" and wonder what the poem is about. So I have decided to put PART OF the poem on here. If you go to the "Special Poems" part of my site, you will be able to read the whole poem.
Part of "ONE GUN"
"When One Gun is filled
And then emptied
Lives are emptied
Homes are emptied
Schools are emptied
While the jails and the graveyards are filled
When One Gun speaks
Blood leaks
When you see One Gun’s breath
Someone smells of death
Billions of tears, One Gun has shed
The color of fear, One Gun loves red
Where there are drugs, One Gun is there
When there are hugs, One Gun is rare
Dividing the races, One Gun has caused
Teary-eyed faces, One Gun needs to be paused
Rich or poor, suburb or ghetto
One Gun does not care where the blood flows
All over the Earth
One Gun has been felt
Not a blessing, but a curse
One Gun has dealt
Churches, malls, school halls, even city hall
One Gun has touched us all"
Powerful, isn't it?
The Earth sees how we as humans show our idiocy in "Love Each Other (The Stupidity Of Racism)" Another powerful poem here also in which racism in many forms are discussed. Another poem that has a good message is "A Mother About Mothers" which is about how Mother Earth feels how we should treat our human mothers.
I paid homage to some of the athletes of the 2008 Olympics in "The Heart to Win". I wanted to honor their achievements, as well as those who fought hard to achieve ANYTHING in life. And the very sentimental message in the poem "The Love Of My Lifetime Has Given Me a Lifetime Of Love" in which I honor those who have been married for 30, 40, 50 years or more.
THE QUEEN OF MY DREAMS
ABOUT THIS POEM:
The poem I wrote titled "The Unfolding of the Two" is the first one in a series of five poems that deal with the subject of time and love. A verse in this series of poems titled "The Mystery of Destiny" goes like this:
"Ages upon ages ago I knew I loved you
For you are the princess of my centuries
You are the queen of my dreams"
So I took that last line and made it into its own love poem.
In the kingdom of my dreams
Where my life plays on my mind's screen
You are my queen
Thinking of you throughout the day
And as the light fades away
Now my imagination has full play
In this realm of the night
As my heart take to flight
Oh how the feeling is so right
Like the tales of knights of old
Brave at heart with courage so bold
My love for you is a story that must be told
But loving you is not a fairy tale
It is a feeling that I know so well
And deep in my heart is where it dwells
My nights are filled with thoughts of you
As well as the day we just loved through
And I know you feel this too
You are my queen, I am your knight
Like a hero, for your love I will fight
Even when my mind turns off it's light
And at the end of your nightly reign
When I return to daylight's plane
The love for my queen will forever remain
*UPDATE: AS OF JANUARY 31, 2019, I FINALLY AM FINISHED with my second book which ties in with the verses in red. It is about angels, "knights", and a God-empowered queen going to war against the dark forces of Hell itself. Click on "The Knights of Brave Love" in the titles bar above.
THE HANDS OF A MAN
ABOUT THIS POEM:
This is a poem I wrote for all the men out there that work with their hands. I am talking about the auto mechanics, construction workers, carpenters, janitors, plumbers, etc, etc. Those of us that work hard with our hands have the scars to prove it. Yet our hands still have a "soft" side that we want our loved one to know about. This is my attempt to tell about that soft side.
Gazing at my hands
The years of labor tells on them
Working on this, working on that
They have paid the price
Hands that have done both good and bad
Hands that have done things they shouldn't have
Hands that have played& hands that have prayed
Hands that have fought hard and now are frayed
But now a blessing has come into these hands
A splendid treasure that is oh, so grand
For the love of a woman has been placed in them
In these hands a love like this has never been
A lovely thing of beauty and grace
In this man's hands your love feels out of place
For how could these hands wrought with life's steel
Have opened your heart and to again love feel
How could such hands give you a loving touch
Together with it's mind is in love with you so much
How could hands like this make love to you
When it's work& toil that they are used to
But the hands of this man are asking for a chance
To light up your eyes and make your heart dance
The hands of this man are begging for a chance
To love you so much that your mind is entranced
The hands of this man pleads for the chance
To give you respect, honor, and yes, even romance
But most importantly......
Will this man have the chance in his life
To hold your hand in his, as man and wife?
MUSIC THAT HELPED TO WRITE THIS BOOK
In the book, there are quite a few poems that music inspired me to write them. And since I listen to almost all types of music, then the inspiration covers many genres.
For jazz, one of my most favorite songs is "Exotica" by Paul Taylor. And the poem that I wrote about it is titled "Exotica, Romantica" in which a couple share a beautiful day in love on an exotic island.The singer Alicia Keys inspired me to write "The Lady And The Piano" for I was watching her one day play as she sung on a video. (The TV show "Cheaters" also helped on this poem. The book explains how.)
The disco group "Chic" made a song that was not popular but I loved titled "Warm Summer Night." This song is so sexy and so romantic. It is a deep, breathy song in which the singer wants more than love on a warm summer night.The 1980 song "Steal Away" by Robbie DuPree caused me to write "Thieves Of Time (Stolen Moments)." In which a couple are so busy with their everyday lives that one night they just steal away by themselves to get their love back.
But the musician that inspired me to write 5 poems which go very deep into love is John Serrie. John combined time, space, and love to create musical genius. He can be found in the spacemusic/new age genre. He makes some of the most beautiful music I have ever heard and I am always taken to a beautiful world when I play his CD's. Two of them are on this site. ("The Other" and "The Unfolding of the Two") Still one more musician of this type is Steve Roach, whose music takes me way out there in the outer realms of space and time.
Natalie Cole (The poem "Two Different People, One Same Love"), The Guess Who, (The poem "Those Eyes") and a jazz artist named Lauren Feather (The poem "The Body Remembers") are also represented in this book.
INTERLUDE: WORLD LOVE POEMS
The last section of "Love, Sex, and Romance", I have wrote poems to the women of 11 regions and countries of the world. I did this to give them the honor and respect that they deserve. (Again, I say that I could not write to all the ladies in the countries of the world. But know that you have my respect and admiration as well.)This section of the book was also inspired by my favorite radio show, "The World" (On NPR and Pri.org, with lots of help from the BBC) which I LOVE to listen to. I want to thank the loyal staff and reporters for putting together such a wonderful show. I have learned so much about the world by listening to it.
For example, here is PART OF the poem "LADY OF AMERICA"
Dearest American lady,
From a land that spans two oceans
And all the natural wonders within
Does not your heart compare to these?
“America the beautiful” is the saying
Was it also called this because of you?
You walk with magnificence in the glow of the sun
You glide on the beams of the silver moon
You have. . . .
O.K. how about PART OF another poem.
LADY OF ASIA
In the “Lands of the Rising Sun”
There exists a “Pearl of the Orient”
That gem is you, cherished lady
For when the sun rises in the sky
It has also risen in your heart
And that sunshine within you
Has “set” upon the world
Making it a brighter place
Your grace. . . .
And lastly, PART OF one more poem.
SPANISH LADY
My exquisite Spanish lady
With eyes as beautiful as the sunrise
And hair softer than a thousand feathers
Come to me, beloved maiden
So I may adore centuries of passion in motion
For you are . . . dazzling . . . splendid
Was God thinking of the stars
When he. . . .
Africa, Aruba, Australia, Brazil, The Middle East countries, France, India, Russia, and Ukraine are also honored in the book.
YOUR SIDE OF THE STARS
ABOUT THIS POEM:
Gazing up at the stars on a warm summer night. I started to think about being in love with someone in another part of the world. This poem is the result of those thoughts. To let her know that I am thinking of her in the warmest way.
Also this poem goes out to all who have a loved one that they are separated from. True love has no distance. It is limitless.
Gazing up into the night of a star filled sky
Visions of you are in my mind's eye
For your love has touched my imagination
With feelings of wonder and total fascination
Looking up at the stars that I see
Sets my mind in motion to wander free
Free to wander places near and far
As I love you, through the stars
Whether we are one or thousands of miles apart
Across the stars I love you with all my heart
Oh, how they glow like my thoughts of you
When you look up you will see my love shining true
And when you see them twinkling ever so bright
Your heart will know I'm thinking of you tonight
No matter where you may be, yes wherever you are
My love will find you, on your side of the stars
