Verses of Pain and Love

Copyright © 2015 by Runas Powers III.

ISBN:      Softcover      978-1-5035-4221-1

                eBook         978-1-5035-4222-8

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Rev. date: 07/29/2015

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Contents

Dedication

Acknowledgements

AN Introduction

The Poetry of Verses Of Pain And Love

The Plays of Verses of Pain And love

The Essays of Verses of Pain and Love

Work Cited

Dedication

My soul, hope, life, and savior my lord Christ Jesus.

In loving memory of Carl Canoy I am grateful for him to have been one of my predecessors.

To Dr. Maryanow thank you for allowing me to be apart of your great legacy your life was a true blessing to me.

To those always chasing a dream may you reach it or never give up trying

Acknowledgements

When it comes to giving thanks in life at first I would thank my savior Christ Jesus . It is through him that all things have been made possible. He is my best friend and as my best friend he will love me to no end.

When it comes to parents I have a great support system. My parents are the best parents a son could ever have. It is through them that I am where I am today. I call them my God sent people because they have stood by me through everything and they will through everything to come.

I would also like to acknowledge my sisters Tiffany R. Reid who has been one my best friends over the years. Trina G. Stevenson who’s talent as an artist has become the cover designer for my books. My brother in law’ Rodney Stevenson he and my nieces and nephews give me great gift of being an uncle. My oldest nephew Caleb E. Reid his sister Raven R. Reid are so much of a joy to be around. To my boy wonder Rodney Kaden Stevenson and to his sister Kai August Stevenson yall are just too much. It is Together through these young gifted and black children who hold together the pieces of their blessed uncle’s heart.

In life nothing beats the idea of spending time with family. The time I spend with family is priceless. The families that make up my family tree are the Powers, Price, Shelton, Fields, Burtons, and the Tuck’s. Its through my family that I have a great deal pride. It is through them that I continue to learn and keep my family’s tradition and legacy alive.

It has been said many times friends come friends go. Still along the way in life God puts friends in our life for a reason. As life goes on a real friend is a friend in deed and a friend need. These friends that I will name have been in my life through the ups and downs I thank God for them still being around. To Lakisha Spivey my friend who has blessed me with so much unconditional love and support thank you. To my Faulkner friends Donna Putnam and Rodney Long thanks for your help and support. To my partners in prayer Walter Ashurst, and Darwin Moody thanks for the pep talks. To my cousin Jessie B. Heard and his wife Evon thanks for the many blessings. To Mrs. Walker thank you for remembering me as boy and now as a man. To my cousin Hommer Burton and his wife Alma thanks for the many phone calls. To Abe Shelton I really needing your help and have learned a lot from you lets finish that fight song. To his wife Shirley thank you for the opportunity to read my poetry at black history month. Also to Mrs. Jackie Strong thanks for supporting me by carrying my books at your store For Heaven’s Sake. It is through these many opportunities that I can say thanks to many people for being a friend.

As a poet I can’t continue the process of writing without the help of special cast of instructors. Great people such as Dr. Maryanow and Dr. Currnut at Troy University have given me plenty of encouragement and mentorship as student over the years. I also would like to thank the following instructors at Central Alabama Community College, Mrs. Mitchell, Ms. Laseter, Jo Kenny Sanders, and , Mr. Gorum. Thank you all for the support. To Mrs. Jo Eckhardt my favorite teacher from Albany High School thanks for the all praise that you gave me in those days it has gone a long ways. I would also like to thank the following universities Land Mark College, Faulkner University, and Troy University for all of the support for my education.

So as I conclude this statement of acknowledgement I have tried my best to not forget or leave anyone out. Although that is a very difficult task only because I had so much help in life. So therefore I am truly grateful for all the help that I have had in life. So based on that fact it makes things more complicated not forget anyone so for that reason I say thanks to all anyway.

AN Introduction

For me words are more than letters on a page. To me words are an essential part of life, especially when comes using words to express myself. As a poet I live to entertain and inform others about different things in life. When it comes to creative writing poetry, essays, and plays I use these devices as a way to process communication. These elements of composition are a gateway into a world which I use words to illustrate life. By letting words become my instruments of imagery my goal as a poet is to paint vivid pictures with a pen. By doing so then I can then enlighten and capture my audience with words. Through this process of communication I try to thought provoke and awaken the minds, souls, and hearts of my audience.

Through this I envision a goal which is to display my art as an expression of my heart, and soul. It is through this process that I call mental dreaming. Now through mental dreaming using my craft as poet, essayist, and playwright I am a firm believer that poetry does not have to be well written like prose. Although when it does come to prose its vital that things such as correct grammar and punctuation be emphasized. In those cases, for prose it is necessary to have the proper mechanics. Yet with poetry, I think grammar and the correct use of punctuation in most case takes away from the creativity of poetic expression. Although being a poet when using rhymes schemes and various concepts I believe in using my poetic license as often as I can. So therefore bluntly speaking only God can omit what my soul submits .

By living and learning my craft I do know as a poet that I can never get to the point where I know everything there is to know about life and my craft. With that being said keeping my mind, heart, and soul open to new ideas and suggestions Is how I can continue to construct my art in a humble and artistic way of existence, that I call my life. It is through my life that I have my art which I know is a God given path that I walk. Throughout this journey I create my work and it is throughout my work that I express myself along walking this path. Through this process of describing and scribing my way of life it is so that you will find in this book my laughter, my tears, and my fears along with a warm feeling of gratitude for my peers.

The Poetry of Verses Of Pain And Love

Contents

Forever Gone Love

An Ode To Pain

Laughter Instead Of Tears

The Saga Of Struggle

Life Is Eternal

These Unseen Eyes

The Path Of Recollection And Pain

The World I See

The Flower Of Love And Life

Holiday Rhyme

Joy

Just A Part Of Life

Sweet Love

Finding Truth

Thanksgiving

The Queen You Are

The Anguish Of A Dream

Newfound Life

The Picture

A Tale Of A Truthful King

The Troubles Of Life

So Blind For You

What Is Real Love?

You Decide

This Heart Of Mine

A Tale Of Tragedy

So-Called Playas

An Ode To A Queen

Tears Of Fear

The Reason Why I Am Here

An Open Door Of Love

As We Pass

A Ballad Of A Schizo

My Life’s Theme Song

Tears Of Ponder

Thief Of My Heart

The Power Of A Dream

Lost In Thought

To Know Or Not Know Indifference

Blind

Nothing But Love

The Dream I Sing

Either Clarity Or Death

My Soul’s Expedition

An Expression Of Life

One For Lost Friends

What Is Life Like?

Love Never Ends

Essay Of Grace

A Poem For Paul Laurence Dunbar

Langston Hughes

Simply Infinite

Ever So Funny

Through My Veins

Life

Slam Poetry

My Life’s Stanza

Interlude Of Romance

Cool, I Thought

Only Paradise For A Fool

Sunsets And Rainbows

The Spill On The Ills Of Life

The Paradox Of Success

If Only I Could Go On

Your Touch

The Language Of Love

Three Verses Of Grandiose

Oh Love You Are

Mending The Fence Of Love

Nothing But A Song

Could I Imagine Life Without You?

The Walls Of Self Imprisonment

Tears Of The Unknown

The Pain Never Stops

Flowers For The Fallen

School

Problems Of Man

Those Days

Test Of Love

In Life

A Blessing You Are

The Cause Of Love

In Each Other’s Arms

Only She

The One To Ask

Cool To Death

No Need For Validation From Man

My Love

Pain, Drama, And Conflict

His-Story

A Poem Of Love

Children’s Misfortune

One Path To Follow

The Expression Of Love

Transcending Love

Reminiscing On The Wall

A Proclamation For The Nation

My Walk Alone

Trapped, Hell Yeah

Three Crosses

A Sea Of Love

Hypotheticals

The Song Of Life

Never Let Him Go

Convictions

Let Us Love

A Grateful Soul

To Seize Moments Of Love

Putting Love In A Box

The Fight For Truth

Fading Dreams

Paradise

The End

The More I Try

Love War

Life Is A Lyric

A Rhyme Manifesto

A Prayer For The Teens

Life Always Goes On

For The Love Of Poetry

On This Morning

A Song Of Prayer

A Ferris Wheel Of Life

The Mighty He Is

Momma Has Love For Me

Forever Gone Love

Love is like daybreak,

when the sun rises

it is what you visualize,

then as difficult as love gets

the sun sets

and then love is gone.

Love is like the ocean view,

the tides rise up on the beach

and love is at your reach,

the tide washes away

then goes love drifting away

and drifting until it is gone

then love is forever gone.

An Ode to Pain

The mentally twisted,

the talented and gifted,

the pain,

the vain,

the deathly insane,

are all doormats

to society,

so much anguish from a thief

and grief,

over the troublesome woe,

but still we know.

it is all a part of life,

this strife is all a part of life.

Laughter Instead of Tears

Life,

pain,

here and after,

I replace tears with laughter,

the storybook of love’s

never ending chapter,

a novel of hardships

for those that God is calling,

those slips and falls,

life’s realness has its grip

on the vanity of insanity,

it is how well we handle triumph and tragedy,

whether foe or friend,

who knows who will be there in the end,

the voices and choices,

lessons and blessings,

and nature’s essence

plus God’s presence,

the educational variety

of life embracing reality,

dreams are made to be reached,

and morals learned to be practiced

and preached.

The Saga of Struggle

Oh, how great is the pain

because life is about change

as nothing stays the same.

The saga’s enduring cycles of drama

at this state of mind is a mutha

from hangovers

to being sober.

The anguish is never over

and the absolute defeat of reality

makes me a casualty

of the ongoing process that we call life.

The Saga Of Struggle.

Life is Eternal

Oh the hardships we face,

getting through them only by God’s grace.

Tears so sweet from heaven on my face

with the joys and sorrows,

that somebody did not live to see tomorrow.

When we were all young

silliness was how we hung.

Now a few years have passed on

And death has become our song.

Being ever so hard it is to go on

although life’s current is so strong.

By the Lord’s drum we march on,

a triumphant tune we hum,

knowing that life does not end in the tomb

or start in the womb.

it is eternal,

yes, so eternal.

These Unseen Eyes

Through life’s unseen eyes

many try

and fail,

knowing their ship did not sail.

Many die in vain,

leaving their loved ones to maintain

while enduring the process of change.

Although it may seem strange,

out of this thing called change,

our lives are altered and never stay the same.

The Path of Recollection and Pain

The party is over,

but I am not sober.

I hang on the scene,

like a young boy chasing a dream.

Twenty-something,

still acting like I am fifteen.

As if I am heading in to my summer of sixteen,

my mind is in a daze,

the party days haze,

are my ways.

Although it may seem,

as if my life has just begun

but with life I cannot go on.

They say nothing is new under the sun,

but yet I do not know if the sun has set or come

or which is the right way home.

All I know is that I will not grow up,

but steadily I throw up.

Oh, but just a baby boy who wants to be a grown-up,

and stand on his own two

and act tough,

still I do not know

the ways of a true man,

or have the concepts to understand.

Still I think I am a man,

I think I am a man

oh, regrets

is what I have.

But when I look into the eyes of retrospect,

and see this path of pain,

I gained my self-respect.

The World I See

The world I see

is that you and me

are the same you see.

We are different colors

and different flavors

of the rainbow.

Still we all shine with God’s glow.

Although he loves us,

it is because we are all his kids

and that is life.

And that is what it is.

The Flower of Love and Life

My thoughts I compose

knowing you are the sweet bud of a rose,

with the petals of grace,

and a stem of lace,

a heart without thorns

that strives to survive.

Through the storms

of love and life,

yes, you are my flower of love and life.

Holiday Rhyme

Oh, with great cheer,

the holiday season is here.

So, let us be thankful we are still here

take time out and light a candle

for the problems we cannot handle.

Let his praise ring,

joy to the king.

Pray for all the Tiny Tims,

and sing a hymn.

But teach your children the real reason,

and the meaning for the season.

Joy

The walls of self pity

surround me,

the insanity

of a tragedy

defeats me.

The anguish

of the pain of loss

is tough to toss.

The world’s view of me

is anything they want it to be.

Who I am

or what I am,

I am the opposite of grief,

and its disbelief,

I am joy!

Just A Part of Life

I wake at sunrise

with tears in my eyes.

A heart full of goodbyes,

my tears are warm

they from a life that was torn.

Too many times I have sworn

to change my ways

and live for today.

Instead of yesterday,

and tomorrow

although I am with sorrow

I will see tears drop

until my heart stops.

Knowing the pain has made me a man

but God can

always help me again.

If I ask,

it is an easy task,

no need for my feelings to mask,

it is just a part of life

Oh, just a part of life.

Sweet Love

Oh, sweet love

as through life we go

and endure,

searching for love, being so pure.

Knowing it is a cure,

for the ages,

and all of life’s stages

it frees us from the cages

it is all over the good book’s pages.

Oh, sweet love.

Oh, sweet love,

you never come and go

as life comes and goes

you will always be standing

forever gently commanding

our respect.

Whether we see it in retrospect,

Or we judge by our own intellect

We know one thing,

oh, sweet love,

you complete our lives.

Finding Truth

To find reality in truth,

is to find yourself and truth,

examine and define,

what you think is true and fine,

the facts that show proof.

These facts are called convictions,

with these we must avoid contradictions,

when we all

shall fall

to many sins.

But the truth within will set us free

to be

one with truth.

And that One with truth

is God.

Thanksgiving

I am grateful that I am living,

and that is my thanksgiving.

Many are not here,

so I shed a tear.

And look toward the new year,

as we know

life can throw quite a blow.

But that is how life goes,

as storms come and go

while the winds blow.

So, I give thanks and praise

throughout my days,

trying not to engage,

in the wages of sin.

But still only God knows,

the true meaning of life,

and the way it should go.

The Queen You Are

You are a real jewel to me,

like sapphires and rubies.

You are like music, see,

sassy and jazzy like Billie,

driving me insane and silly.

Your beauty is an instrument to the soul,

or a rainbow to a pot of gold.

A date with you is a romance never told,

as a queen you sit on your own throne,

so sophisticated,

if you were a jazz tune.

Duke would have played it,

your beauty only is upgraded it.

That is why many women hate you

because they cannot do what you do for me,

making my heart feel so free.

You make the mightiest of soldiers

lose composure,

a queen, oh yes,

you are the epitome of fresh.

The Anguish of a Dream

A young kid on the scene,

chasing a dream,

all his life.

He had a song in his heart,

But the paradox of art,

is to be real and smart

or great and chart.

With a clenched fist,

he wants to revolutionize,

the music biz,

without compromising his art

if it means selling his soul

to live out his dream,

then he reneges.

On life’s wicked scheme,

so the system he tries to buck,

but with the breakthrough he has no luck

in singing his soul’s blues,

but to the world you can only for so long pay dues.

The odds against the cards are heavily stacked,

and the pressure’s on his back.

But still what he does

is how God blesses him

yet in life still he does not know

which way his life will go.

Although with dreams being what they are

they even crash for the brightest of stars.

Newfound Life

With my newfound way of life

I have found

that I am heaven bound,

I cherish grace

as tears roll down my face,

and my heart is tried

as I reminisce and dry my eyes.

But not as a surprise,

I play the fool,

and become wise,

for understanding

my weary soul is demanding

growing pains that they were.

Oh, my dying love for her has grown

but if I am to be alone.

Then with heaven as my newfound home,

there is no need to worry about

what is already gone.

The Picture

The struggle is way deeper

than oppression,