Keep the Heart of a Child Sample Chapter

8/9/2019 Keep the Heart of a Child Sample Chapter

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CHAPTER FOUR(EXCERPT)


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poetic reflections

keep the heart of

a child


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poeticreflections

keep the heart ofa child

Lori R. Lopez

Authors DraftTrilllogic Innoventions


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contents

forward! 1

1. ode to a poem 3

2. nonsense and stuff 21

3. punderances 35

4. existentialism 57

5. the silent resonance of regret 77

6. hallowing 99

7. preposterosities 117

8. bon-mottery 129

9. trust 145

10. mfriend 171

11. bewary very 189

12. treedom 205

13. thirteen 225

but seriously 245

about the author 247


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4

existentialism

(Original Publication Date onTrilllogic Innoventions: August 25, 2009)

Well, what about it? you might ask.Im getting to that; hang onto your berets!

Oh yes, Im the poet. Hang onto your chinsthen . . . Philosophically, Existentialismrelates to free will. But is everyone in theworld free? Not by a long shot. Somebecause of their own mistakes. Othersbecause they were born into bad situations,or were in the wrong place at the right time.

Some are imprisoned by fear, doubt, anger,even hate stemming from the scars ofexperience and loss; the twisty ties thatbind.

But what binds all of us together?The mere fact we exist. We share thiswondrous hurtling planet at preciselythe same point in time, and thats prettyastounding! If the degree of closenessof our D.N.A. isnt enough to convinceyou, being here now should certainly giveyou a sense of warmness toward yourfellow human beings. Its like were part

of one big messy superfamily. Sure,a bickering dysfunctional splinteredfamily group (sound familiar?), yeta family nevertheless!

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What does it matter? Good grief,must every paragraph begin witha question?!? Okay, Im the one writing

this so I guess that could be construed asmy fault. Guess Ive answered my ownquestion then! Back to your question.Which I considerately composed for you.Everything matters. Life matters. If itdidnt, we wouldnt be here.

What Im trying to say is, and thatisnt a question, dont let it pass you by.Dont let it slip away while youre blinking.Approach this gift of life with your eyeswide, your heart too, or youll miss thebest parts.

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existentialismFraught by doubt from its conception

Against all odds and every evenLife is like a game of chance

Youre here and then youre leavin!

Frights and blights may long divert us

Plagues and lags might weigh like boulders

Paths can stray or stall or wender

Hauling worlds upon our shoulders

Existential truths allude

While Gravity our ankle grips

Minds will query, ambitions tarry

As the moments memory of detail slips

Yet by birth we all share one thing

That none can ever quite remove

The quest for freedom, a yenning spiritTo live unshackled within our groove

And as the record spins its song

The needle dulling at each turn

We fondly crackle-pop with age

And cherish lives well-learned

Its not the distance traveledNor the wrinkles we attain

What matters in the end will be

The texture of the rain

What I remember most will be

Soul-dancing in the rain.

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Quoth the knaven, Othermore!

I suppose Im supposed to impart

some additional traditional existentialblather here. You know, why anything isanything and nothing is nothing andeverything is, well, you get the picture.

The thing of it is (and I say that a lot,especially while chatting with myself), noneof us would be anything without life. We

wouldnt be here, having this one-sidedconversation, if we didnt exist.

We wouldnt care about our feudwith the neighbors, the latest office politics,what so-and-so said about such-and-such.

We wouldnt care about anything atall. And thats somewhat remarkable, ifn

ya think about it. Doesnt it put all of thoselittle worries, those piddling paucities ofLife, into perspective?

If your reply is no, you probablyshouldnt be reading this book. You needto consult someone who actually knowsanything about something or other. Imserious. Put down the book and scuttleoff.

Now that thats settled, lets get onwith it. And dont ask, On with what?I was hoping youdknow.

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Anything(Song Lyrics 1993)

When I surprise myself

By growing in some way

I see myself as someone else

I was not yesterday

I reach below

The surface of my lifeAnd feel the flow

Of something more than pride

I feel the power rise

I feel the energy

I feel the flow of something endless

In the depth of me

A strength I never knew I had

I feel that I can beAnything

When my ideas

Dont amount to anything

And I just want to find a place

To lose myself within

But I cant go

Cant run away and hideBefore I know

I feel a change inside


I feel the energy

I feel the flow of something endless

In the depth of me


I feel that I can beAnything

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When I get caught in moods

Of wondering who I am

I see a strangers face

Reflected on the windowpaneWhen I feel low

I keep it all inside

It doesnt show

The trail of tears Ive cried

It takes me time to fill my mind

With confidence

And all it takes

Is one harsh wordTo bring me down again

But when it flows

It lifts me way up high

Im on my toes

And reaching for the sky


I feel the energy

I feel the flow of something endlessIn the depth of me


I feel that I can be

Anything.

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HerstoryThis is the Story of a writer

Telling the story of a WriterIn a panoply of Voices

It is the Classic Tale

Of a Little Girl Lost

A Woman scorned

And a Mother found

Here is a record of Truth

The odyssey of a VictimThe history of a Survivor

The epic struggle to be heard

It is the chronicle of a Dreamer

Who would become Three

Yet seek and aspire as One

This is a story you cannot forget

It is a story that must be toldA compendium of universal themes

Yet it is my story

And will be Ourstory

For now I shall name it

Herstory.

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This Year(January 14, 2004

Penned On My Birthday)

Last year

Was going to be

The one

To finally make my dreams

Explode

To find

The perfect wordsThe right

Ideas

To make it happen

Last year

I penned some tales

Competed, was defeated

Followed my pathOf winding wishes

And never quit

Believing

Last year

It didnt happen

But I wrote . . .

This year

As yet unknown

Ill keep believing

Reaching higher and achieving

With quills of hope

Risking

Soaring

On ambitious plumesPowered by

Exhilaration

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This year

Luck could change

Things may be different

And still the sameIll be a dreamer

A fantasy weaver

Spinning my threads

This year

Whatever happens

I will write.

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A LifetimeSpontaneous

AmazingPensive

Compromising

Challenging

Fragile

Predictable

Exciting

Fleeting

Common

Painful

Inspiring

Pliable

Susceptible

EmotionalContriving

Mysterious

Unique

Uncertain

Abiding.

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Count The Times(Song Lyrics 1994/1995)

The clock is ticking softly on the wall

I feel its presence now

Much more than yesterday

Warning not to let the seconds disappear

Into a stream of years

That swiftly flows away

A parents love is deeper as each second goesIt pains the strongest hearts to see

Their babies grow

Yet while the needs are less

They give more joy with every step they take

Into the world

Im watching every precious move you make

To play within my heartUpon a silver screen

The many little things that people

Let slip by

And then pretend theyve seen

I wont make that mistake

Im countin times

That youve made a difference in my lifeCountin ways

Youve transformed my days from dark to bright

Im countin too

That therell always be a part of you

Whos countin every time the way I do.

I feel like I was learning how to crawl

Just yesterdayAnd now Im standing tall

Though I dont know it all

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Im trying to make a mark

So youll be proud of me

Sometimes its hard to see

The man or woman that a child can be

Days slip past much faster every year

I once was unaware

But now its clear, I know

We need to catch each moment

In our hands

Like a butterfly

Then let it go

The clock is ticking softly on the wall

I feel its presence now

Much more than yesterday

Warning not to let the seconds disappear

Into a stream of years

That swiftly flows away

Im countin times

That youve made a difference in my life

Countin ways

Youve transformed my days from dark to bright

Im countin too

That therell always be a part of you

Whos countin every time the way I do.

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Sweet(Song Lyrics 2006)

Theres a lot of talk

Around the world about

Better ways to end it all

But I dont believe

Yes, I truly doubt

Most of us would like to callIt a day

Just throw it away

Wed rather get along

And so Ill pen more songs

To say

To all the rest of you

Weve better things to do

TodayWalking through the trees

Dancing in the rain

Rejoicing in the flow

Of breeze across the plain

Holding someone dear

Laughing till we cry

Living every day

Reaching past the skyWaltzing with the stars

Strolling through the dew

Relaxing at the shore

With nothing else to do

But listen to your heart

The syncopated beat

The rhythm of each life

Is anything as sweet?

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What the diplomats

With their bombs and guns

Cant seem to understand

We want a better worldThan they have given us

Not a world thats bound to end

All in vain

Its so insane

Wed rather live some more

Exchanging peace not war

Is that okay?

With all that we endureWed like to feel secure

Each day

As we labor in our fields

Toil in factories

As our tasks become one whole

Touching all societies

Every person plays a role

At the center of the stageEvery creature has a place

On every turning page

We need to get along

And so Ill pen more songs

To try

Convincing all of you

Weve better things to do

Than die

I am a patriot

Yet I can see beyond

The edges of Belief

To other families

Who share as deep a bond

Who look a lot like me

What leaders great and smallDont seem to understand

Who aim their guns so carelessly

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Im just a citizen

Im just like anyone

Who wishes to be free . . .

Walking through the treesDancing in the rain

Rejoicing in the flow

Of breeze across the plain

Holding someone dear

Laughing till we cry

Living every day

Reaching past the sky

Waltzing with the starsStrolling through the dew

Relaxing at the shore

With nothing else to do

But listen to your heart

The syncopated beat

The rhythm of each life

Is anything as sweet?

Is anything so sweet?

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Against The Knife(Song Lyrics 1983/1993)

You see me every day

You pass me on the street

Sometimes you look away

Sometimes you frown at me

Im reaching out my hand to you

As if for life

Im shakin in my worn-out shoes

Against the knife

Im Homeless, Im the poor

Im easy to ignore

Im where, but for the grace of God

Goes everyone

So say a little prayer for me

Ill pray for you

Im reaching out my hand to youAs if for life


Against the knife

Against the knife!

Im living on the edge

Of your periphery

Im wretched and obscureBut Im humanity


As if for life


Against the knife

You see me every day

You pass me on the streetSometimes you look away

Sometimes you frown at me

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As if for life


Against the knifeAgainst the knife!


As if for life


Against the knife

Against the knife!

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Anthem For Humanity(Song Lyrics 2006)

Ive been raised to believe

In a nation under God

Where people of all colors can reside

Standing on a land

In the footprints of great men

Where bravehearts of all races lived and diedAt the foot of a great lady

Who towers in each heart

As an emblem for liberty

By the light of her torch

I have viewed a kindred spirit

From sea to shining sea

I am an American.

Our blood is

Mexican, German, from Sweden, and England

Perhaps a little Franais too

Though we vote Republican or Democrat

We live independent

And are American through and through

We hail from distant shores

Yet one thing we all doWhether rich or poor

We love our families

The friends we come to know

We love the land for which we stand

No matter where we go

We love where we are from

We need our private space

But when all is said and doneWere all a single race

The race of Man

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From the breathtaking summit

Of an unfinished scaffold

To enduring columnsA beloved sagging tower

Down narrow cobbled streets

In the shadow of cathedrals

Gongs the echo of each hour

Quaint villages harbor tales

Of adventures and travails

A wealth of history

Walls of castles and museumsGuard a treasury of traditions

Preserved with dignity

I am a European

From the peaks of mighty pyramids

To the depths of creation

Co-existing side by side

From the dark of steaming jungleTo the blinding desert sun

We are poor yet rich in pride

From king to lowly pauper

Every creature is my brother

Every species has its path

Interior to coast

River delta to savannah

Living as I always haveI am an African

From the spires of Taj Mahal

And a meccas Wailing Wall

To the inner Chi of Man

Amid the cheering fans of stars

Beneath the glitter of nights canopy

For one and all I standA universal child

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My tears are older than the dinosaurs

My days, one blinking eye

With two hands I leave behind

An abundant legacyThe result of industry

Both good and bad

Will it stand the tests of Time?

I am a Human Being

We may be

Mexican, German, from Sweden, and England

American, a little Franais tooWe vote for freedom

Live for idealism

Our blood is red like you

We hail from distant shores

Yet one thing we all do

Whether rich or poor

We love our families

The friends we come to knowWe love the land for which we stand

No matter where we go

We love where we are from

We need our private space

But when all is said and done

There is but one true race

The race of Man.

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Keep the Heart of a Child Sample Chapter