When love is a friend,
it never demands us to be
other than who we are.
Under the eaves of our emptiness,
we become the page unwritten.
Wait for the strike of ink,
splatters of poetry. Our prayers
answered because someone’s love
writes us into being.
In the cries of our silence, we
are not surprised. No one can
leave etchings to make us worthy.
There is only one hand that writes
us. It lies deep within the Light,
brilliant since birth, and knows
all the beauty we would deny is true.
Our first friend sings our golden forever.
The job before us: learn to let it shine.
When love is our friend and our lovers gifts,
we can become participants in celebration;
give thanks for all we are gifted with being;
know we are never without love. When we
join hand gifts with another, we increase
the size of the universe we share from.
11:34 AM
07/07/08
Alexandria, VA
Please tell me what you think, what it makes you feel, how you are moved.
Comments
1 - 57 of 57
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The beginning could be the ending or it is the beginning that means everything. This is one of my circular pieces. It starts with knowing we are worthy of love by loving ourselves for being who we are. Then, we know that all we have to give is a gift worthy to be shared, it sets us free to celebrate the gifts we find in others and in the way our heart is touched and how we are shared in the giving. I thought you would love this and in your time of gathering glee would increase your ease.
Take care my sweet Brat.
Love,
Tom B. -
Your poem compliments the quote I have on my author's page, Tom:
"Love is an act of endless forgiveness.
A tender look which becomes
a habit."
[Peter Ustinov]
Lovely spiritual quality to this poem. Love is an act, a state of being, the only truth.
~ Nicolette
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Thanks for stopping by. I have found in the slender thimble of knowledge I gained through experience that love is a state of being as you say. When I have been fortunate enough to be totally present in the "now," I can honestly say it is the binding force of the universe and makes us all as one.
The process by which I grew past abuse, high anxiety, and all the stories of not being enough is long and melodramatic, but once I was able to love the self the world blossomed as I always had been promised. It has taken me a long time to develop what little technical skill I have to say this in a way that dances across the heart. It was out of my revulsion of people saying they are nothing till someone loves them. I lived there to long and know the pain it garners.
Love shows up in the sharing. May your day be blessed by joy the perfect dynamic expression of love.
Peace & Light,
Tom B.
PS Thank you
Thank you Thank you
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excellent
There is only one hand that writes
us. It lies deep within the Light,
brilliant since birth, and knows
all the beauty we would deny is true.
beautiful lines.you rightly attribute all to that hand..which writes our destinies...whether it is love or any other affiar.Well done.Thanks for sharing with us.Please visit some of my poetry as well. -
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Thanks for catching ahold of the spiritual side of this poem. Without it our joy is a momentary dandilion seed and to often the winds make us dizzy and forsaken.
Send me a link of anything you would like me to see and I will be happy to review. Many do and I always come through.
Love,
Tom B.
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Hi
This poem is very moving indeed.
The lines:
'When
we join hand gifts with another, we increase
the size of the universe we share from.'
These words made me want to go and give all the friends and family I knew, a big hug! I felt a warmth in the words that links us all as a family on the earth, not just strangers! Powerful stuff.
The muse within me loved the lines;
'Under the eaves of our emptiness,
we become the page unwritten.'
It echoes the deep bond between a poet and the written word. The solace, joy and release that comes from emptying your soul onto paper.
Wonderful! Thank you for sharing.
. Rewarded 8
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It is always a gift of the heart when someone shares the joy they recieved and how much a poem touched them. This is part of the philosophical backdrop to my love poems and sensual writings. Glad you could enjoy.
Love, Tom B.
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I know exactly how this goes *smiles*. While reading this i just began to think of my boyfriend and how he did exactly what you said in the poem. I have learned to let me light shine and still learning how to let it shine brighter. The poem strikes a certain chord in me that... makes me truly grateful for what I have now. This is a great write Tom.
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So good to hear all this wonderful news.
Glad the light shines inside and you are danceing in the glow of joy.
Love, Tom B.
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Absolutely wonderful! Rich with the feel of love...
Loved it! Thanks for sharing this!
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Got the feeling this would dance inside your heart. Thanks for letting it touch you.
Love,
Tom B.
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A very moving poem. It starts off making the reader think and leaves them deep in thought as they finish it. Nicely written.
. Rewarded 4
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Thank you for allowing this to touch you and be so willing to take the journey it proposes.
Love, Tom B.
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This is nothing but beautifully true
Love and friendship are only to come hand in hand with one another. The patience and understanding goes without saying... for the need for words is not there... instead the words take form upon pages of fire and ice to unite the hearts of all tied! Great wording and I love your sincerely simple yet enchantingly complex meaning. We are only gifted when it is wrapped in love and delivered in the hands of a friend! Well done!
Love,
Mel
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Ah, for you, it is but another window into the soul of the Master of Touch. You should know well by now that I can only write what I write because it is all cut from the same cloth.
Love,
Tom B.
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all the beauty we would deny is true.
Our first friend sings our golden forever.
The job before us: learn to let it shine
so true, so true, we do so much in life that clouds over the brilliance of our higher self, the true moments, and so soul family will always find us, life spiral after life spiral, helping the soul remember the verses we have to dance, and so for the sun and all others, thanks for writing this dear poet,
w chai and cookies
-jas
. Rewarded 8
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I have been fortunate. I have been gifted with being totally present in the "now" on more than one occasion. You experience interconnectedness at a level that leaves you amazed that anyone can ever be racist or bigoted or hateful. When you see this behavior you feel so sorry for them for you know how lonely and scared they truly are. Yes it is a dance
Love, Tom B.
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I like this piece very much, but perhaps it can be improved with a few stronger line breaks. For example, "then" in the second stanza and "when" in the fourth stanza are weak words to end the line on, consider dropping then, and moving when to the next line. I stumbled each time on the double negatives in this line "Then in the cries of our silence, we
are not surprised no one can
leave etchings making us worthy."
Just a little awkward in the grammar/syntax. Same with the last two lines "we join hand gifts with another", makes me think there is a typo or missing word there. I loved a friend or two in Annandale, VA. -
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Thanks for the editorial comments. Always appreciated. "Hand gifts" are an old colloquiallism for things shared amongst friends, a part of my youth.
Again my thanks for finding this valuable enough to comment on.
Love, Tom B.
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Wow.
Fantastic write. There's a lot of emotion in this. It seems very thoughtful and heartfelt. It really describes how people loving one another creates true growth. It helps me, as a person who struggles with apathy, to concentrate on the value of feeling. Connection on a heart level is an amazing gift.
. Rewarded 6
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We create our universe. This is just a way of creating one kind. I have learned to enjoy it after living in one fraught with high anxiety and self -destructive behavior. Glad it touched you.
Peace & Light,
Tom B.
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Your title is exactly right, such a thing should make us greater, not less. I like the sentiment of this piece and there are some basic truths to be found within the words you have used. The style, I must admit, was not to my personal liking; I do not find fault with it, it expressed well the feelings and thoughts that made up this piece, it was just not to my personal taste. I am sorry.
That said I did think that this was well composed and expressed, your sharing of it with others is appreciated I am sure by all who read it. Well done and good luck in the contest it is entered in.
Adrian
. Rewarded 8
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Style is not everything, but it has a lot to do with our comfort zones. I have written in jive and watched some squirm, watched other turn when I used a ryhme scheme and did it well. For me the message is the thing I want to share and I use what I think will but it out there. Still there is no pleasing everyone. Glad you enjoyed what you could and appreciate the honesty.
Peace & Light,
Tom B.
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WOW!
You are right i love this...
Love is a gift, we were put here to love. Over the many trails though life i learned lessons. I could not love anyone completely because of self doubt and not loving myself.
Not to say i didn't give it a good hard try.
Now, learning to be who i am, not forced to be someone i am not, slowly i am loving myself because God placed that in me and i just found it.
Though i have to credit a few people that took time to love me as a friend for who i was...
You Tomis, being one of them for always being there and taking time to teach me like now with this writing, Tim another because he gives me a heart of my own free to grow and learn... and many others.
lol okay i am not spoiled because i talk in first person I just cant explain things any other way.
This verse moved me beyond the limits.
We love after the gift of love is given to us am i correct in saying that?
Self worth comes from learning who we are in Gods eyes.
Beautiful and very inspiring ...okay i will stop because you have got my brain going 90 miles a minute with this one!
Loved it! and you my dear friend!
Your
Student among many,
~Lisa~
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There is nothing wrong in talking in the first person. It is a silly game created by those who think that self love is a expression of being spoiled. It is very sad. When we need to prove we are important or lovable, we behave in a spoiled fashion. But when we need to prove these things, it is because we do not believe it is true. You are correct, the more we love ourselves the easier it is to be modest, the easier it is to be loving towards others, the more we realize that love is not a commodity of limited quanity but something that grows the more it is shared with friends, family and that special someone we chose to share our lives with.
Love, Tom B.
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I thought that was very good.
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Thanks Max
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Love is not enough unless it is shared with friends, lovers, and all those special people who cross our paths. "No man is an island" Your grasp of humanity is deeper than most poets on this site. Your poem reminds me of the song, "Hands Across The Universe." Joy, magical wonder, and laughter bring us closer to the One who is creation. Every poem you pen is another chapter in the life of a poet who cares about the mysticism of life.
Love,
Linda
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"Into the Mystic" and the joys of discovering how much we are part of all and all of the parts. The whisper of the wind echoes within us and we feel the blossoms that bring joy to the sun. Love is a state of being that opens us to the energy of Light. Once we have become present to the Presence and have felt the wonder we are forever changed.
Love, Tom B.
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Never surprised anymore with the talent you bestow with your pen, this was wow. I am always learning more about you Tom, you have this hidden inside that only seems to peek outside every now and then. Being one of your blessed friends on here I love that you enjoy sharing your poetry with me and here is what I took from the poem.
Finding love with the one person you are meant to be is never overwhelming, but sometimes it can feel as if it isn't enough. If you don't at first love yourself as you should since we are really the only ones who know how to love ourselves wholly..without that love you won't ever find someone else to cherish and love you.
When you let the love out to share with more then one person it makes the world stay a better place. It doesn't have to be a romantic love, but friendship is a kind of love as well. Just being able to sit down with a "loved one" makes the space in time you live in seem even better then before, when you have the chance to spread the joy, love, peace, cheer, and happiness around it makes people stop and listen. Spread the joy and love dearest Tom, for we all need it in our lives!
Keep it flowing as always,
Amadahy
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Yes. You got it in spades. Love shows up in the sharing. It is not a commodity it is a way of being. It starts with loving who we be and then allowing ourselves to share it with everyone we meet. Many different relationships will grow out of this. Each of those is an exploration of what it takes to be with another human being and speaking to the LIght and the Love within them.
Love Tom B.
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Reading your words it gives us an insight into the man holding the pen. I feel this piece shows us that we make our own way through life and hope that we collect gifts of friendship along the way. You make me smile with your words and I am so lucky to call you friend. Wrapping arms of friendship around those that grace this page to read.
Love
Juls
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Thanks. The power of the love shows up in the sharing. It is never just the gift but how much love the gift allows us to share that counts. Talents are not for envy or to make better than another but they allow us to increase the amount of love we can share with the world. In doing this we touch the universe and every positive touch is another awakening of the Light that out shines the darkness.
Love, Tom B.
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my dear friend, noone can say it better than you do. You speak so eloquently of the love and abundance that can be within each of us if we let it and if we aknowledge it and reach out and share it [it is so easy to share it once we have aknowledged and accepted it for ourselves]A snowball [e][a]ffect? that spills from heart into eyes that sparkle and light up friendship hearts and souls. You are an example of that touch [you do it with wisdom and words]. May it always shine for you as well,
much love
xoxoxoxoxo
reenie
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I reaped the bitter fruits of self doubt and not enough as I grew. I knew that what ever love I found would be better shared with someone who deserved it. It sounds silly now, but it was a world that my story of life was based in. It took a therapy and learning to live a life that was not based in anxiety but trust and then a couple of unmeasurable affirming experiences to have me realize how totally my life was based in a bull shit story.
I am, now, learning other ways to live. Cleaning out closets of crap as I find them. But I know that self love is the root of health. Egoism, arrogance, narsassic (sp?) are all defenses of those who know they are with out value. If you have to prove it, you don't believe it. We never spoil the child by loving them and sharing how much value they bring into our lives. We spoil them (if a spirit can truly be spoiled) by lack of structure, by teaching that people are objects and love is a quanity in limited supply.
I am going to stop. You know I can run on forever. You are one of my friends and I cherish you. You see so clearly and simply what I am trying to say. You recognize the strength that lie withing these words. For this and for, most of all, you simply being who you are -- I thank you.
Love, Tom B.
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MUch truth in these lines, very nice Tom
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I seek only to understand and share what I have learned. Along the way I hopefully develop many wonderful friendships.
Love, Tom B.
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It's amazing to me to find that love exists whether a man is in the picture or not lol I have learned so much about how love gets to us as friends, parents or just loving life. You capture all of this and more rather nicely. Love, C
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Thanks. Relationships are blessed when love is present. There are still lessons to be learned and things to be worked out. Love gives us a greater freedom and understanding to do the work that needs be done. Love is not about the man or the woman but instead is the state of being if they are blessed in which their actions take place.
Love,
Tom B.
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Just Beautiful
This is such a beautiful poem on love, romance and wonderful imagery. I love how it flows and how it hits so many meaningful depths of life and love. Excellent and thank you for sharing with me and best of luck in the contest.
Many Blessings
Much Love
Kelle Marie
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We are gifted when we learn that love is not a quanity but, instead, a state of being, a gift from God. It allows us to be part of everything and experience the richness of universe that God has given us. It is only by allowing myself to be open to love and share love that I have been able to deal with the separations from those I hold dear in this life. For I know in the greater being of God they are still touching me and I them. Everything I do is a reflection not only of the love I give but the love I have been given.
Love, Tom B.
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Think this poem fits all the three requirements of this contest; poetic, romantic and dealing with nature. Lovely entry - interesting title that grabs one's attention too. Friendship is so very important and means so much to all who are on this site. The brotherhood of poets were are on here.
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Thanks, I wanted to capture something more than a typical love poem. Glad you enjoyed this paean to love and how it means we all are enriched.
Love, Tom B.
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When we join hands we are all one, poets and friends here on AP. Your love and words here Tom are simply amazing! ~Sie
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Love is about discovering the gift that we all are. It is about learning how to share freely and abundantly because we have far more than we ever could give away. It is teaching this every chance we get to a world that is sure that love is a commodity and if they don't grab theirs it will be gone tomorrow. So sad.
We know that love is a rich and deep river wider for sharing and it runs far longer than we shall every see.
Love,
Tom B.
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to know the worth in someones eyes is to feel the wholeness within...to love a friend unconditionly is to be a friend.To find blessings wrapped within the love that soft light does send...to see ones self through the eyes of the one we call friend*hug* Master Poet you hold my heart within your hands:f just breath taking!
thank, you from this friend who loves you:f
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Thank poet2angels she got me thinking about this. We have so much to give and we are bigger when we are the resource for the abundance of life that we all are. When we know we are enough we are less afraid and more available to respond to others fear with love instead of the anger and arrogance of our own fear.
Thanks for the joy in your review. Yes, we are friends and always in touch with each others heart.
Love, Tom B.
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Some very moving words about the beauty of faith, love and it all equals frindship. The love I share is real, and I have and awesome love for my poetic friends. This piece shows me a path in spiritual light...and I feel some strong emotions reading it. The last lines really touched me.
"When we join hand gifts with another, we increase
the size of the universe we share from."
Oh my dear friend you are part of this old heart....novy
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Joy is always multiplied in the sharing. Joy is the perfect expression of the energy of love. The more we share from our state of abundance the greater our wealth. When we start to hold back or hold on then we find our wealth rapidly decreases. Glad you enjoyed my humble attempt at catching the way true self love provides for the greatest sharing.
Love,
Tom B.
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"Our first friend sings our golden forever.
The job before us: learn to let it shine."
...heaven within, that illumined conscousness which indeed makes us worthy, whether or not someone gives us bouquets. It only seems a secret garden (universe) until joy blesses the seeds therein and then the blooms are ever radiant. So many of us are blessed by your increase.
Someone else left me a starfire poem this morning. My mom used to say to me, "Rise'n Shine!" ... To do so is a little bit of home!
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I have found, and it was a long search in the sea of my anxiety, that so much of what makes love a success is knowing you are worthy of being loved and have love that is a gift to those who recieve it. Everything becomes easier after that. For me it took Faith to survive and a good therapist to heal. My life is far far far richer now than it ever was before.
I should of known you would catch the spiritual side of this poem. It is built in layers and languaged as a journey. It starts with the goal and then explains the path.
Love, Tom B.
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oh, this is so beautiful and perfect!
I wish you would have made it
I am about to post a new contest (and not a quickie)
so please enter ...I think you will like it
You always amaze me and you have captured the essence of love and the meaning of being a lover and a friend to someone ...as close as one can be...
This is exquisite
Lynda
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Unfortunately there were a lot of false starts and things just didn't want to come together as I pleased. Glad you enjoyed it though. I started at the end and then wrote the beginning. This really came as a surprise but I shouldn't be. I kept pounding on the door of my muse to try to get her to let me get it written. I am glad you stopped by.
Love, Tom B.
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Yes, and now you have proven my point... exactadactally!!! Your beautiful words are both a gift and an inspiration to us all. What's not to love!!!
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This is just a response in a way to all those "I am nothing without you" poems. Least, it is my response.
If it is inspirational, it is only because you know all to well that you are all that you are weither there is a man in your life or not.
Love, Tom B.
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