Book I Part I: Love Opens The Valley Of Emptiness



  All rights reserved: no part of this book may be reproduced in any form without the written

  permission from the author of the poetry contained within this book, except for review purposes.

  Any questions: email Daniel Lynn Ferguson, Springfield MO., wetpaintstudioo@gmail.com

  Cover page drawing and design by: Daniel Lynn Ferguson

  The poetry contained in this book is a part of my life journey, sharing love and friendship with family; plus friends and lovers I have met along the way. I dedicate this book to them; the ones who’ve inspired me to transform my feelings into poetry. Self awareness and spirituality are also a part of my life journey and a part of my poetry.

  “A life without true love and friendship with other human beings is like a caterpillar who creates a cocoon, and never turns into a beautiful butterfly because he’s… or she…is afraid to leave their shell.”

  Peace and love to all

  Daniel Lynn Ferguson

  Part I of IV

  Part I of BOOK I: A JOURNEY OF LOVE, FRIENDSHIP,

  SELF AWARENESS, and SPIRITUALITY

  OPEN DOORS

  Love opens the valley of emptiness,

  and unlocks the doors to those answers

  we've been searching for.

  Love can free us from our anger,

  and protect us from the loneliness

  that can haunt us all.

  Love can do this and a whole lot more.

  All of those questions

  and other thoughts we keep inside…

  if we don’t express ourselves

  in one form or another,

  they can stack up…

  and we tumble to the ground.

  Love understands the hurt we hide.

  See the sadness on your face,

  love can transport you from this place.

  Trust in yourself,

  and let love be your guide.

  But first…

  trust in LOVE.

  THE ENERGY WE SHARE

  As we touch the ancient ruins together,

  I’m reminded of a time passed.

  Perhaps a life we lived in another age together.

  Perhaps a river in a dream

  we walked hand in hand,

  wading in the waves of our emotions.

  I touch the wind,

  and feel your heartbeat.

  You touch my face,

  and feel my soul touching your soul.

  We look into each other’s eyes.

  We transcend into each other’s thoughts.

  We gather a few stones,

  and skim them across the water of our emotions.

  And as they vanish beneath the ripples of time,

  we embrace,

  and make love to the energy we share.

  ENDLESS FLAME

  The fire’s going.

  It could be a romantic night,

  but you're nowhere in sight,

  so I sit here and write.

  Smoking too many cigarettes,

  thinking about you.

  The coffeepot is empty now.

  The fire burns in my heart as well.

  Like a shooting star landing on a passionate

  sea of joy,

  tenderness is the mood,

  kindness is the touch.

  I put another log on the fire

  and watch it for a while…

  imagining all the things we might do together.

  Like affection on a mountain of pillows,

  we get lost like two jolly fellows.

  The vision passes as I turn to the clock on the wall.

  Two more days I think as I wait impatiently for you.

  The last time we were together comes to mind.

  Oh how I enjoyed that time.

  But the only movement in sight…

  is the flame that warms the night,

  and my feathered pin with which I write.

  SEASHELLS

  Time pushes me to another chapter in my life.

  And if seashells can be seen as mental tools,

  and the ocean as God,

  then I leave behind the seashells I no longer need,

  and toss them into the ocean to be recycled.

  Naked I walk along the beach of my soul.

  With a lighter load,

  I find new seashells…

  ones that will enable me to move forward…

  on my journey…life.

  SILENT ROOM

  I’m alone in this silent room.

  Not a sound to be heard.

  Not a word to be said.

  I open the window just to get out of bed.

  Lonely is the moment…

  but then from out of the mood of the night

  a bird starts to sing.

  I listen for a while then go back to bed,

  here in this silent room of emptiness.

  I later find myself reading.

  Not a sound to be heard,

  only words passing through my mind…

  the story I’m reading can be felt within my soul.

  With three other books snuggled next to my feet,

  I slowly drift off to sleep.

  INSIDE OF ME

  The I inside of you,

  likes the you inside of me.

  Every time I think of you,

  a smile opens deep inside of me.

  When we’re miles apart,

  I can zoom in on your energy

  and feel you inside of me,

  and I inside of you.

  WHO AM I...?

  I’m a top spinning about.

  I’m a yo-yo, up and down I travel.

  I’m a rose without its thorns.

  I’m a cloud on a sunning day.

  A midnight storm passes my way,

  and I'm down.

  The sun shines and I no longer wear a frown.

  I'm a burst of energy,

  a flame of hope.

  An elderly walks in my lane and I step aside.

  I'm a porcelain vase on a glass shelf,

  a dusty toy on a cellar floor.

  I'm a child on a wooden horse.

  A rocket ship zooming through outer space.

  A boomerang thrusting through the air.

  I’m a dishcloth tangled in a spider’s web,

  and sometimes I even feel like an old rusty nail.

  But I do have my moments,

  For at times I'm a scientist, an explorer, a sleuth,

  a poet, an artist, and a dreamer.

  I can even be a person who stumbles around blindly

  until I take a moment to see the truth.

  I'm all of this and more.

  The beach, the shore, and on occasions a bore.

  Other times I feel like the thunder God Thor.

  But then there are times I feel like a baby in a womb

  who yearns to free itself.

  And then there are those moments I just want to hide

  in the pages of a book like a paper doll,

  hidden behind boxes on some forgotten closet floor.

  I’m a TV on your wall; I turn the channels,

  but there's nothing on.

  I find myself lost in the words of others,

  so I close my eyes in hope to uncover my own path.

  Who am I...?

  HOLD ME

  I think about you,

  and the adventures we’ve

  happened upon together.

  Sharing each others thoughts,

  tasting each others food,

  touching your feet under the table.

  I just want to be with yo
u,

  and hold you in my arms.

  When I’m feeling down and in between,

  I want to let you take me under your wings,

  and cradle me with your concern.

  When I’m in bed next to you

  with my head on your chest,

  we lay there,

  but not just to rest…?

  THE GLASS SPHERE

  All of the times we have spent together,

  all of the good times,

  and even the sad.

  All the things we've done,

  and all that we still have.

  Like a song forever changing its tune…

  just enough to make life interesting.

  Life led us from one adventure to another.

  Some so dang crazy…

  we drove others to the edge of insanity.

  Looking out for one another was more than a game,

  it was a way of life.

  Sharing everything from garments to our most

  intimate secrets.

  Playing our music loud as we drove through the years.

  The fun we shared,

  and all the laughter we enjoyed…

  stands before me like the trees we used to climb,

  protected by a glass sphere…

  laying gently in the center of my mind.

  BE OURSELVES

  You are one… as I am me.

  Here we are together for the first time.

  The night is young.

  The pace is fast, but let’s make it last.

  If the way of you is the way of me,

  then let’s drive all night,

  until the day’s new light.

  I am one,

  you are another.

  Together…

  let us be ourselves.

  LIVE YOUR DREAM

  Live your dream…

  and your dream will become your reality.

  Live not your dream,

  and you’ll become…

  the slave of someone else’s dream…?

  *********

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

  Dan has been writing poetry ever since he was 13; while in history class, he was inspired to write a poem. The teacher was giving a lecture on pollution. She asked him a question about what she had been lecturing on. He didn’t know the answer. She then asked him, “What are you writing then, if not notes on my lecture?”

  Dan told her modestly. “I’m writing a poem about your lecture.” She was curious to say the least. She picked it up from his desk, quickly read it, and then asked him if she could read it to the class. He shrugged and said, “I guess so.” The teacher and his classmate liked it. He’s been writing ever since.

  Dan’s father was in the Navy. They moved around until he was 16, when his folks’ retired from the military they moved to Kahoka Mo., where he resided until he was 19. He traveled for a while throughout the states, always working odd jobs. When he was 28 he attended QU in Quincy Il., earned his BFA, then on to U of I, Champaign IL., and earned his MFA, in the visual arts and art education. “I have always had a passion for writing stories, poetry, painting, and drawing.”

  Dan has resided in Springfield Mo., for over 11 years. He also has an adventure mystery book on the market. THE DAGGER-KEY and the Lost Treasures of Kebadon, which can be purchased online or at most places books are sold. It’s a SyFy fantasy mystery adventure, in days of old, for anyone of any age to enjoy. The Dagger-Key can be purchased ebook format through iUniverse.com