Poetry can be daunting and hard to understand, but it doesn't have to be. I feel a poet has an obligation to write in a way that everyone can understand. Poems should flow softly through a poet's words, their meanings gently caressing the heart and mind of its reader. If a poem comes from the heart, it will reach other hearts, and this is what I've tried to do with the poetry in "Anatomy of a Poet." CJ Heck "Like a rose with many petals and sharing its sweet aroma, this is how I see and feel about the love of my life, CJ Heck. She is my electric blue-eyed girl. She can be both a little girl, or a strong woman, whenever and wherever the situation calls for it. She is both sensuous and exciting, and soft and affectionate. Tragedy struck her life early with the death of her husband in Vietnam. This experience laid open the very core of her heart and soul and opened the channel to a well of compassion and sensitivity that waited deep within. Her pain was the fertilizer that helped her bloom as a writer. CJ's poetry is not a surface observation, but a soulful interpretation of the events and people that inspired her. She writes both eloquently and simply of things that touch her heart, things she wants to share. She is gifted at painting a picture with words on the heart and imagination of others, thereby communicating not just an image, but a life experience. I feel very honored to have been asked to write this introduction and share my feelings about CJ Heck. She is the water for my soil, the sunlight for my petals and the nurturer of my growth. Sit back, open your heart and enjoy the journey as revealed through her words, images and emotions. You are blessed by this opportunity to know her in words, as I know her in life." Robert S. Cosmar, Author "This is my kind of poetry. Direct, beautifully expressed and without a hint of pretension." Allison Cassidy "CJ is predominately viewed as a writer of works for children, but CJ now carries over her approach to more adult themes. In doing so, she presents a profound world that is deeply sad, incredibly humorous and sometimes very intimate." Joseph Daly "I love learning new words, especially when they are explained with such diaphanous clarity. Whether she talks of love, children, life, or any other subject, CJ's words are always clear and harmonious. She makes us forget that easy to read is hard to write." Marc Mimouni (London, United Kingdom) "CJ Heck is a very talented author. Her words are enlightening and charismatic to people of all ages. It is a privilege and honor to read her prolific pen." Janet Caldwell (Managing Editor, Inner Child Magazine

My Belief... We are all basic products of our environment, but possibility for changing. I was raised by my grandmother and grew up in a spiritual and compassionate loving environment. We are all spiritual being having a human experience. We live in two worlds, spiritual and natural. We are not able to see the spiritual world with the natural eye. It takes the light and Jesus is the light of the world. When he left earth and ascend into heaven, his spirit was left behind to guide us. (The Believers) His spirit is the light that lives in our heart. As long as you have the light, the enemy can't easily slip upon you. But those that live in darkness, the enemy use them to destroy, rob and kill. How do you defend yourself against an enemy you can't see or be aware of? We walk by faith and not by sight, because of the light. I would like to acknowledge my daughter Dr. Callie Lalugba for her input at the age 15 for some of the poems she wrote, also for the inspiration of my youngest daughter Jennifer Sparks. I pray a blessing to all that read and enjoy my poetry.

With characteristic precision, authority, and grace, Vendler helps readers to appreciate the conception and practice of poetry as she explores four poets and their first "perfect" works. 4 halftones.

Papa Is a Poet: is a picture book about the famous American poet Robert Frost, imagined through the eyes of his daughter Lesley. When Robert Frost was a child, his family thought he would grow up to be a baseball player. Instead, he became a poet. His life on a farm in New Hampshire inspired him to write "poetry that talked," and today he is famous for his vivid descriptions of the rural life he loved so much. There was a time, though, when Frost had to struggle to get his poetry published. Told from the point of view of Lesley, Robert Frost's oldest daughter, this is the story of how a lover of language found his voice.

"... a thought-provoking, beautifully written and structured, and often smile-inducing poetic memoir, by an inciteful author with a creative spirit and an imaginative and artistic way with words. By a poet." --- Dale Placek I'm not a poet is Suleiman Adeyemi's debut poetry collection. The collection comprises over fifty poems which are divided into nine sections based on their themes and subjects that include the concept of poetry itself, education, social and civic responsibility, places, nature, among others. The poet's use of humor and candor to express these themes makes them outstanding and open to all categories of readers.

About the Book The Touch of a Poet’s Heart is a collection of poetry about love, romance, spirituality, grief, friendship, and recovery from PTSD. The poems in this book reflect real-life struggles and the effort it takes to conquer and overcome them. The style of this author’s poetry incorporates the use of free-verse formats, which is meant to evoke the emotion of the author at the time they were written. About the Author David R Marchant is a Veteran of the United States Army and Air Force. He is very passionate about Veterans’ causes and organizations such as the Wounded Warriors Project. He works for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. He enjoys spending time with his children, grandchildren, and other family members. David is an avid reader of Clive Cussler novels, enjoys hiking and smoking BBQ. David has been writing poetry his entire life and in the last 18 months was honored to have five of his poems about PTSD published in Veterans Voices Magazine. One of his earlier poems was used as lyrics for a hymn that was published in Hymns Today magazine.