Journey of Transition Volume 3

Alton PhD Sears

Description

The third of five Volumes that span 41 years and contain approximately 3600 writings combined into five volumes. This Volume is a compilation of 5 original booklets, The Well-2001, Becoming-2002, Earthing-1997, Vision-1997 and Jewels-1997.

They are thought-provoking, inspirational, amusing and nurturing, and embrace art, prose, poems and vignettes.

Sujets

• Poetry

Informations

• Publié par: eBookIt.com
• Date de parution: 21 février 2013
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781456609733
• Langue: English

Extrait

A Journey
o f
Transition
Volume 3
 
By Alton Sears
 


Copyright © 2012 by Alton Sears
 
Published in eBook format by eBookIt.com
http://www.eBookIt.com
 
ISBN-13: 978-1-4566-0973-3
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission of the author.
 
About The Author and Books
I would like to introduce myself to you. I was born October 16, 1932 in New Orleans, Louisiana. I joined the Air Force at the age of nineteen, and during my tour of duty became addicted to heroin. After my discharge from the service my life turned around. Unable to read, I began teaching myself using a dictionary and the Reader’s Digest. At the age of thirty-five I wanted to write poetry. I was introduced to the Dean of Students at Cal-State Los Angeles. The Dean took an interest in me and set up a battery of tests that proved that I did not possess the basic knowledge of rudimentary grammar.
The Dean informed me that if I were to study remedial English at Santa Monica City College, I would be given a probationary period at Cal-State Los Angeles. I completed and passed the course in my second semester. In my second quarter at Cal-State Los Angeles I met an instructor who taught me to write, and one year later, in 1969, I published a book of poetry called, Something of Feeling. During 1970 I was forced to end my academic pursuits due to personal illness. I later became a Certified Addictions Counselor and became employed by the United States Navy as an Alcohol and Drug Counselor. I remained with the Navy until my retirement at age sixty-four in January of 1997.
I have continued writing poetry since that time. In the year 1997, I produced and published the accumulation of poetry I had written since 1969 into four volumes of poems. Since I have been selling my works, the public has been very receptive and I have had numerous repeat customers.
Some of the comments regarding my work are as follows:
“I read one of your books; I was so touched that I cried.
When I read it again, I cried again!”
“I have been using your books as a part of my daily meditation.”
“I have never read a book that the author let himself be so vulnerable.”
Another feature of my books is that they appeal to all age groups. At my book signings I have watched as people stop to read my poems out loud to one another, seemingly lost in my verse.
Since then I have had the good fortune to have written nineteen more books, making twenty-four in all. The latest one merited the same response as the earlier ones. The book I wrote in 2009 is in volume 5.
That was then. What prompted me to put what I now call booklets into volumes was when I went to a rehabilitation school for the blind (I had become legally blind in 2008). At the school I met another author who suggested I make chapters of what I had written and put them into larger volumes. I considered this for a while but it was not until I was invited to share about poetry to a fourth grade class where I heard and felt the profound effect that it had on the students. It was at that time I realized that what my author friend said was true.
Since I like to tell stories here is the one about the class. I told the teacher who drove me to the school (and the teacher of the class) that I would start by talking about creativity. I spoke about the many types of creativity: painting, sculpture, designing clothes, art of many kinds and how it improves our imagination. Then I said to them that my creativity is writing poetry, but as you can see on the cover of these books there is artwork, which I also created. So many times we are able to do many kinds of creativity. Now I would like to share with you some of my poetry. Because I am visually impaired I will need your help. I then asked the question “How many of you like to read?”, and many hands went up. I passed out several of my books and told them to find what they would like to read and then read it. Then I asked one of the teachers to start us off. She read and without hesitation the students began to read. Forty-five minutes later, I asked the students if they would like to discuss what they read or did they want to continue reading. They wanted to continue reading. I could not see them clearly but could feel their excitement.
When the class was over the teacher came up to me and said “That session was amazing”! Later, while the other teacher was driving me home she expressed the same sentiment. She said, “That was amazing, you should have seen how their faces lit up when they were reading”. It was at that point I realized that I wanted to bring into fruition my complete works of poetry into a 5- volume set called “A Journey of Transition.”
- Alton
 


 
 
 
Foreword
The beginning
Is always uncertain
So is the road ahead
 
The Well
2001
 

 
 

Love comes
Spreading its arms like wings
From many assorted packages
Arriving more often than reasons
Not to love
 
 
Be careful
My heart soars
At any given moment
 

 
 
 
In this wilderness of life
Beyond expectation,
There lives moments of deep despair
And moments of joys undreamed of
Incomprehensible are the shifts
That make us weak or magnificent
With no judge to know the inner meaning
But ourselves
 

 
 

Give me the word
And I will love you
I’ll take you up
Where stars abide
Not up there to
The celestial heavens
But right here
Behind your eyes
There are worlds
Yet undiscovered
Depths unseen
By the human eye
And they are daring
To be uncovered
At sometime by you and I
How else can we find
The joy of our souls
 

 
 
 
I find no good reason
To hurry to my death
Since it is inevitable
It is also patient
 

 
Young eyes
In an old body
Spells
I did not
Forget the gift
 

 
 
 
I have never heard
Laughter so clear
It felt as though
Your heart was lost
In pure joy
 
 
I think I see who you are
Help me to show you
 

 
In between your tears
Trust laughter
 

 
 
 
The walls we build
To protect us
Are the walls
That imprisons us
 
 
Communication
Is the highest form of law
That man has (at his disposal)
He can either cherish it
Or lose it
 

 
 

Sometimes you have to go
To the place where never is
To find everything there
 
 
This road has no destiny
It is mainly open
To experiences
Experiences that bring
More to life
If you endeavor to explore
And you do
 

 
 
 
Fear, anger, unresolved hurt
Tramples on the present
And threatens the future
 

 
I’m learning to live
With my honor
My fears are protecting me
 

 
 
 
I love seeing you naked
Your mind free and excited
Exploring, exploding with curiosity
Stripping yourself of the past
Going forward toward the future
Free of identity, now your own
What a humble, magnificent display
Of nakedness
 

 
 
 

Reading is self-revealing
It exposés itself
At the level
Of one’s maturity
And as one digests
The full meaning
Of one aspect
Another level
Of meaning appears
 

 
 
 
Truth does two things
It makes us wise
And keeps us healthy
And third
It reminds us of happiness
 
 
As I saw you
Looking at the child
You gave me more pleasure
Than looking at the Mona Lisa
 

 
 
 

I am a child
Why is that?
So hard to remember
Why is that I expect
So much more from me
Than is necessary
I am a child
In an old body
Full of life
 

 
 
 
Everyday you gave me a gift
Everyday I secretly waited
To pass it on
 
 
It is hard to be human
When you want to be a saint
And sin wants to cuddle up
And be your friend
 

 
The secret of life
Know when to duck
 

 
 
 
I placed myself
In the middle of love
And prayed
 

 
 
 
Words, pulled out of nothing
Forming ideas, describing dreams
Inventing thoughts that center
Converting both inner and outer space
Into awesome wonder
All done with words or silence
 

 
Struggles, sadness and hurt
Eventually gives peace…
Its power
 

 
 
 
I don’t know how I win
Sometimes I find myself
Just willing to lose
 
 
There is a magic code
To communication
It is touching that
Which enlivens
A positive response
 

 
 
 

One who studies love
Knows how to seek a smile
On another’s face
 
 
The solution
Cannot be as devastating
As living in the problem
 

 
 
 
The weapon you carry
Will not heal the wound
Revenge is the source
That will rip you apart
 

 
Out of fear
I called to them
God and all
I held my breath
They came with joy
 

 
 
 
They once tried
To dishonor me
I honored myself
 
 
Every once in a while
Someone comes along
Who is equally both
Brave and strong
Than they do something
Stupid (like you)?
You know it’s true
Then, you get to call them
Friend
 

 
 
 

If you are not experiencing love
Then you may be demanding
What is not love
 

 
 
 
Touched by your joy
I let myself
Become elevated
To another dimension
 
 
There is nothing
That can make me feel
More comfortable than within
 

 
 
 

Most people say
“You can’t win”
But there are a few
Who say “You Can”
 
 
I don’t know if there is a god
But I glorify in me
That which support me
Through the trials, tribulations
And joys of life
 

 
 
 
What are you hanging on to
That keeps you from your happiness
 

 
People who do not communicate
Do not make good lovers
 
 
You are my source of light
You bring to life
Clarity without reason
Beauty without explanation
And depth without end
I am in awe of you
Nameless one
 

 
 
 
I want to touch you
Until you are gone
And then remember
That I was blessed
 

 
Love was and is
It just wasn’t where
I thought it was
 

 
 
 
Here is one for recovery
“I’ve finally gotten
To the other side
Of sensitivity
I’m pissed”
 

 
 
 
It is good
To remember that
Every soul
Is