100% of all contributions will be used by

the United Way of Greater Detroit

to continue to create programs

and solutions to help

those in need.

O t i s P R E s s

Words to

Nourish the

souljeffrey robert lewis

O t i s P R E s s

COPyRight © 2013

Why

Words to Nourish the Soul is the result of endless discussions, conversations and storytelling from the many cigar bars and water-ing holes I have visited across America – listening to the stories of hundreds of people talking about life, love, frustrations and fears. I do not drink alcohol. I nourish a club soda, the people around me and their words.

My single goal was to take the thoughts and sometimes words and capture them in one place to share with those brave enough to read (and re-read and re-read) this collection of poetry. Inside, everyone will find a small part of themselves or in some cases, a larger part.

The people, who shared their stories, shared their hearts. The cigar bar owners gave me a home when a hotel room would have been a prison. The waiters and waitresses, managers, and others shared their hopes and dreams, and each time, their words, like those of the cigar puffing clan, touched a part of my heart, my soul.

I wrote Words to Nourish the Soul to speak to a small corner of the readers mind, their soul, their emptiness and always, their heart. There is no magic to this, simply one man’s desire to share words that became poetic stories.

This is not something you can or should read once.

To nourish something, to truly savor it, requires – almost begs you to sip it.

Anyone can read a poem, but only those brave enough to think about it, savor the words like a great stew that slowly cooks, will truly appreciate the underlying meaning.

jeffreyrobertlewis@gmail.com

In memory of my fallen heroes

Dr. Michael ChaikindIrwin “Tubby” Harrison

United States Senator John HeinzDr. B.J. Curry Spitler

Dr. Ruth Weg

This collection is dedicated

To Kay who instilled in me courage, love and character I carry you on my shoulder, in my heart

and inside my soul every day.

To Greyson and Colby Lil my soul is nourished every day because you embody the air I breathe, the love I have

and my desire to grow, to live and to love.

A very special thank you

To Leslie, Ally, Ana, Eddie, Lou, Ernest, Jenny and Nash thank you for giving me a home where I can just be

and allowing me to be part of your family

Suzann, Dwight, Ed, Charlie, Jeremy, Ricardo, Charlie, DJ, Shanna, Tanathan and Harold for making the world of cigars a safe haven of friendship, thought,

laughter and intellectual growth

To the women, friends and family from the T Tour thank you for helping me survive, forever enriching my spirit and my heart

To my family in Michigan, your spirit, passion and love has allowed the bones of a thought to regenerate, rebuild and recapture

the essence of what is important.

To Lucy and Ricky, thank you for allowing me to heal with you

Neil, Melissa, Jo Anne, Connie, Rev. Willis, Scott, Cindy, Phyllis and David for the inspiration

To Justin for believing these words deserve to be heard

For Bernard, Jim, Bill, Mary Anne, Barbara, Jana, Annette, Brenda and Carolyn because you have never stopped caring

To the haunting eyes that looked like peeled grapes

For Sandy who never forgot

And Granit who saved my life

Iris, Max and Tod and making me feel like family

r

Mindi Fynke, who’s friendship lives in my heart and who redefines caring every day; and Dr. Howard Wright for caring

without questions asked

And Melinda, for always believing in me

Look inside the words that follow, each of you is there.

And in many cases, you are in multiple places, through multiple themes and multiple faces.

Always with a smile, because you recognized early on, words can nourish the soul when we tear down the gates of fear and allow

yourself a little time to just breathe.

While we cannot always climb a cherry tree to escape, it’s the bowl of cherries we will truly cherish.

Words to

Nourish the

soul

Our Eyes Collided

She was there at every turn

Band-aids allowed her to express herself

They allowed me to dream

She is the star of my life

Warmth, love, caring and laughter embody her spirit

The desire never ceases, it grows like the strength of character

Her laugh is infectious

It gives me strength

Her smile, disarming

It wraps around me in a blanket of love

No love is perfect

I never give up, I just keep trying

i Just Love

I love that you know yourself and your gentle sense of humor

I love your wit, of which I only sometimes have, I am so envious

I love your strong arms when you embrace my heart

You are so stoic

Your strength of character, the warmth of your smile, and the gentle nature of who you are

I am wrapped in your unlimited self

All gift wrapped and given as a present without expectation of one in return

As I sat and pondered my life, I want to live in a world like yours

My love for you is pure

I do not need anything except your respect, admiration and your unyielding care

I love that’s all

Endless, boundless and forever r

I did not ask to love you

I just do

I am not mad that you have no love for me

It’s not God’s way

There is a corner in my heart you will always occupy

Window of your soul

No more loneliness

We shed the tears of fear

We walk a path together

Our hands may never touch, but our souls will be interconnected, forever

You will never be alone as long as the window of your soul are open to the winds of change

Allow the growth of character, the tenderness of a smile, a wink, a hug .... encircle your soul

The cloudy days will disappear

Fears will fade, slowly

As you open your heart every day like a story book full of new characters, real and otherwise

Each of us has the ability to help someone, to heal a friend, to forgive

The challenge.... The opportunity.... will only happen if the window of your soul is open to change

Behind the Mask

Etched In my soul

Someday you will remember me

When you least expect it

You will see or hear something that triggers

Memories of times past, tears shed, and longing denied

The words echoed inside me all night

She sat in a crowded airport restaurant bar, motionless

Tears were streaming down her cheeks

Her mascara had melted into her skin and dried

And her eyes so blue, a deep lapis, encircled with deep black

And redlines that formed a spider web around her eyes – giftwrapped

Everyone around her knew the pain – everyone at one point in their life had lived that moment in time r

Each of us fragile remembering sitting listless, lost, and crying inside

It was an aching that tugged endlessly at your heart

Recollections etched in your soul

She slowly rose from her bar stool knowing everyone around her

Heard the words

Saw the tears

None of us could hide any more than she could

Suddenly each of us was confronted with our own human condition

Like domino’s most of us rose up with her and simply clapped in support

We had all lived that moment

We had all cried endless tears

At that moment we were reminded it could be us

Etched, forever.

the Cathedral of hope

Broken Glass

Shattered dreams

Sitting behind your eyes I see two paintings

One of pain and hope

The other, a greater world full of endless possibilities

As we stitch the tattered fabric of your marriage into a seamless cloth of hope in the midst of struggles

We sing a song to no one hoping the winds of time are the siren back into her heart

Creating a path that begins at the cathedral of hope

And, with every try, the haunting of yesterday’s memories still linger, unresolved

Locked

Shadow boxing too many memories

Chasing rainbows and windmills

To go forward I look backwards

She stepped on my heart

Stripped my soul

But the inner strength guided me along a new path

My heart beats to a different drummer

She still smiles in my heart, forever

The anger lost

But I am still shadow boxing what was, what can never be

The wild side, has been reloaded, reloaded, reloaded

My soul exposed

My eyes dance

My heart rescued from the cold hard ground

Now, I am shadow boxing the future

No ghosts, only dreams of what will be

What can be?

It’s a lock!

Circles

As walked along the road divided,

We had no destination

Stillness surrounded us

No words were spoken

But each time our eyes met, a story was unfolding

I could feel my heart beating faster and faster with excitement, anticipation and intense fear

The faster we walked; the sounds of gravel grinding under our feet grew louder

Clouds of dust circled us

Our feet locked in step

My hand slowly approached yours

Instant fear came over me

I was breathless with excitement

But frantic

Would our souls join? r

My thoughts were going round and round

My body was quickly becoming a human roller coaster

I was quickly locked in time remembering the first ride on a Ferris wheel

The same fear was slowly inching up the back of my neck, skin tingling, heart racing

I awoke to your breathless whisper

The rustle of the covers with each turn

A dream I have again and again

tenderness

Mingling, merging souls

Hearts and minds intertwined

I start the sentence – you complete my thought

You captivate my heart

Dominate my thoughts

Scramble my insides

Your eyes smile at me

My heart is still, fulfilled, complete

My fear of the dark subsides

I no longer need to be the king of the great escape

For me, the only dream unfilled is the one you never try to make real

My Largeness

You whisked away years of fears, misgivings, and far too many tears

Helped me begin to realize the scars of my past can slowly be healed

Your hands, with a touch so gentle every woman’s body should feel its warmth and tenderness

From you I gained purpose and reignited my strength within

My heart found a new home

The words are poetic not in style, but in substance

They echo in my dreams, my memories and my every day

I am embraced for who I am

Loved for all that I am

My largeness is not ridiculed rather respected, revered and enjoyed

I am so far from perfect

But my heart sings,

And the quiet solitude of my life is surrounded by smiles,

New days and blue skies r

Scars are slowly healing

I cannot make you want me or truly love me

Today I stand alone that like a single blade of grass blowing across acres of cornfields

My beauty and dignity rebuilding

I embrace my largeness

It is who I am, proudly

Words to Nourish the soul

Encourages

Emboldens

Inspires

Embraces your insides and asks

You to open the window to your soul

The privacy of its torment

Navigate beyond the threads of selfishness to the intimacy of selflessness

Can you allow the haunting imprints of your inner rage to reach your soul’s deepest despair?

To unwind

And permit happiness to pierce the veil of despair

Allowing vulnerability to guide you

Reassure you

And permit the paradox of life to laugh with you

Simply to embrace love unafraid, unabashedly

And open the window to your soul

If you have a story to share, please send it in an email.

Your thoughts, stories, trials and tribulations are all welcome. Allow me to use it for the next book of poetry.

In ways I cannot explain, they inspire and enrich my soul.

For anyone wanting copies of this book, please address your $10 check (for each copy) to:

The United Way of Greater Detroitc/o

Otis Press5851 Upton Street

Mclean Virginia 22101

100% of all contributions will be used by

the United Way of Greater Detroit

to continue to create programs

and solutions to help

those in need.

O t i s P R E s s

Words to

Nourish the

souljeffrey robert lewis