Heartfelt Thoughts: Chapters Two and Three

By James L. Harter Sr.

We all have gone on family automobile trips to some much anticipated destination. But it is the child who expresses the thrill of what is to come when he pleads incessantly and cries desperately, "Are we there yet!?"

I feel like that enthusiastic child as I travel through my lifetime journey ever searching for the answers to life. I have experienced the time of my life; yet the mystery lingers and slips through my groping fingers.

My poetic endeavors reflect that feeling and my mind cries back to me; "Keep exploring, for you will get there!" Join me in the search. I think you will enjoy the trip!

I'm going from here to there
...from now to then. Moving on;
but never back again. Moving on -
to the other side of the great somewhere.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Sep 2, 2010
• ISBN: 9781450247368

James L. Harter Sr.

James L. Harter, Sr. A published poet with a library collection of over nine hundred poems. A graduate of Penn State University. A registered Architect in Florida. An inventor and recipient of many architectural design awards. Has been active in the past and is presently involved in many community affairs. Originally from Pennsylvania, he and his wife Shirley, reside in Florida since 2000. We share four sons and two grandsons.

Book preview

Author’s Note

Over twenty years ago, I engaged Vantage Press of New York City to publish my book of poetry entitled; Mindsongs. That book is my Chapter One. Now, after almost thirty years; I have twelve manuscripts of creative writing contained in Chapters Two through Thirteen.

I have decided to embark on publishing some more of my work again.

I will begin by combining two manuscripts into this book. If all goes as planned, I will be combining two manuscripts each for the remaining five books.

My poetic excursion is like a journal of my life and my journey through it; - all the while seeking, exploring, learning and relishing in the insights I have gleaned.

. . . . to my loving wife, Shirley

. . . . to all my family and friends who

supported me in these treks.

. . . . and to anyone and everyone

who is a lover of nature

and strolls among its wonders.

Contents

 Author’s Note

 Chapter Two:

 Mindsongs/Treks

Preface

Jim

Hiatus

Processing Poetry

 Busy-ness

 Polluted Naivete

Herbal Life

Absent Minded

The Summer of ‘87

Going Places

Rhyme Number Nine

A Never-ending Rhyme

Prime Rhyme Time

Rhyme Number Eight

Solitary Confinement

A Cardinal Sin

The French Connection

End of The trail

Rhyme Number Ten

Some Sea, Some Don’t

Tincture of Extincture

No doubt about it

Out of Control

Man Alive

Purging

Of Barnacles and Men

Call Forwarding

Eyes That See Not

Do Tell

 Give and Take

Pumping Irony

Pantomime

Stepping Stones

Kingdom Come

Map of Life

Obsessed

Rhyme Number Eleven

Rapping Paper

The Cover-up

See That Again

Constitutional

Footprints

Words for the Y’s

Arithmetic Progression

Hide and Seek

Birthright

Rhyme Number Twelve

The Fern – Another Look

Trying Retiring Time

This End Up

Holding Pattern

To Wit

Soul Trek

Color - fall

Limerick Time at the Zoo

Cabbages and Kings

Self Search

Personal Trivia

On Creating Your Own Image

Triad

That’s all there’s to it

Cursory Caper (on an old computer)

Market Values

Surroundings

 Social States

Rhymevil Primevil

Retail Values

Heavenly Daze

Baroque Tondo

On finding whatever comes to mind

The Beginning

 Chapter Three:

 Mindsongs/Strolling

PREFACE

Strolling

This isn’t a con game

Daydreaming

Nightlight

Snow-down

A day in the life of a rainbow

Poetic Happening

Poetic Justice

Mind at Play

Sole Searching

Understanding Hemlock

Kept Rhymes

Bird of Paradise

The Go - Between

Iota

In a Pig’s Eye

The Apple of My Eye

Son of a Gun

Ark of Triumph

Momentous Undertaking

Be it resolved that…

The nicest part of any melody . . .

Poetic License

The Wake

From Quack to Cluck

Life in the Fast Lane

Turning Points

The Gladiator

Planned Obsolescence

Lovesong

Growing Pains

Bubblehead

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

On Getting Something off My Chest

Ye Gods and Little Fishes

Listen to the Heartbeat

Maybe the first time – but not the last time

Dot your Eyes and Cross your Tees

Gift of the Magi

Profiles

 Paltry Platitude over Plebian Pulchritude

Around and About

Leanings

Star Light - Star Bright

Down to Earth

Master Builder

On building blocks of concrete

Catechetical Etiquette

The Boomerang

Ricochet

Putting the Stars to Rhyme

Winds of Mind

Just Jestering

The Spider

A Rare Bird?

Painting Poetry

Only the Shadow knows

The Wooly Bear

 So let it be written . . . . . . .So let it be done

Peer Pressure

 Dream-rolling

Birds of pray

On coming out of the woodwork

Milestones

Sense of Worth

Right to Bear Arms

PA Diamond in the Rough

Go West, Young Man, Go West

The Beginning

Chapter Two:

Mindsongs/Treks

Preface

My exploring is far from over. I have found this to be so as I was getting further into writing the poetry which is now in this new book. The journeys and avenues that I found myself traveling through, led me to title this second book, Mindsongs/Treks, and this book, in many ways seems more exciting than Mindsongs was to write about and to put together. There has developed a relatively newer insight into some of my previous endeavors and, in total reflection, has created a continuum thinking pattern which is becoming rather exciting.

My wife has mentioned that she feels the poems in this book are better than those in the first one. She further states that I might have waited to extract and compile all the best of the poems into one book. I think not. I want the reader to experience the same thought processes that