My Love For You Before I Met You: Love Poems

By Yong Ho Nam and Phyllis Jackson

  What happens when you yearn for a love so strong, so life altering that you dream of it night and day? What happens when the woman or man of your dreams is so intense in your imaginings that you see him or her in full form before you meet them? The answer to these questions can be found in the soul stirring love poems written by Yong Ho N

• Language: English
• Publisher: P.R.A. Publishing
• Release date: Apr 1, 2016
• ISBN: 9781941416013

Yong Ho Nam

Yong Ho Nam was born in GoYang City, Korea. He moved to the United States for a period of time and received his education at Liberty University in Lynchburg Virginia and Ames Christian University in Ft. Meyers, Fl. Young Ho Nam is the author of two suspense novels Lived One Life to Save One Life and The Unknown Known Secrets. He is currently working on his next book, The God of Science is the God of Religion, which he claims he will prove the existence of God using science and logics.In addition to writing, Nam enjoys fishing and sports. He competed in powerlifting, bodybuilding As an actor he has starred as the lead in the film, "The Knight Squad." Yong Ho Nam currently resides in Korea with his wife and two sons. My Love for You Before I Met You is his first book of poetry published by a US press.

Book preview

Introduction

Even though everyone has their own view of what love is and what love is about, I have learned what each person does when in love and so on is different. Yet we are all talking about the same love, no matter how different our view of love is and no matter what region of the world we live in. There are no different loves, just one love. I would like to acknowledge God for these poems. I say this because it was through my belief in Christianity that I thought about the love I had for my wife before I ever knew who she was. Likewise, I have learned God is as real and revealing as any physical object through feelings such as love. I believe that love is as real as anything that I can physically touch.

At the time I wrote these poems, I was single and alone. Ever since I was a young boy, my parents took me to church, where I learned what love is and how I should love my wife. From then on, I would think from time to time about my future wife and how much I would love her. There were times when I was alone and going through struggles, and the thought of my wife kept me strong. That motivated me to write her 100 poems expressing my love for her before I even knew who she actually was.

I am now married with two sons, boys named Dongyun and Isaac. No one could tell me my love for my wife was not real, nor the love that I have for our sons. I have not given Minjung, my wife, all the poems at once. I am giving them to her two to five at a time so when I feel my love is not enough, the poems will remind me and let her know how special she is to me.

Longing For You

Are You?

Are you a dream?

Are you for real?

Are you really out there?

How come I can’t find you?

I feel you spiritually

But never touch you

Only think of you

But never see you

I know you’re out there

Because the love I have for you

Is so real that it hurts

Is so pure

That it’s meant for someone

And it’s meant for you

My future wife

My Dream of You

I saw you in my dreams

So beautiful and perfect

Smiling and radiant

So nice and so sweet

We were together

Happy as can be

Loving one another

The way we were meant to be

I never felt so happy with love

And that was just a dream

Imagine how much better it will be

When I finally find you

My perfect

Loving future wife

Do You Even Know?

Do you even know?

That you have someone

Someone like me

Searching for you

Loving you

The way I do

Praying for you

Every day and night

Thinking about you

The way I do

Caring for you

Like no other

Do you even know?

You have a future

Reviews for My Love For You Before I Met You

[amyhe-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This slim book of 100 poems, which Yong Ho Nam had written to his future wife before he had met her, had a potential to be absolutely breathtaking.The reason it falls so woefully short is the result of Nam's reluctance to try and describe with precision a person that one has never met. This instinct to be unspecific, to avoid using too much detail when describing a complete stranger, is completely understandable. But in the case of love poems, banality is unforgivable.Whoever had told Nam that a carefully curated a list of objects or actions can make for a great poem, that person was not wrong. They should have added, however, that what makes these lists interesting is specific details, poignant images, and emotionally charged diction. So rather than:"Wishing you were by my sideWishing I could hold your handWishing you would lay your head on my shoulderWishing to hear your voice instead of silence" (30)—can't we instead wish to hear the crackle of leaves under her boots as she walks beside us on a forest trail? can't we feel the ridges of her knuckles squeezed between our own? can't we smell the shampoo rising up from her hair as it brushes against our skin? can't we fixate on the pink movements of her lips and the flash of her teeth as she laughs?Of course, sparseness is its own kind of style. I have no beef with Hemingway or translated Japanese poems. But when the entire book starts to blend together in one indistinguishable daydream about holding hands and walking side by side, then I have a problem.There's something to be said for attempting to capture a universal essence of love—but what we have here, unfortunately, is merely flat and predictable.Still, we will also have to forgive the repetitive adolescent voice that never quite matures throughout the book, because what we have here are adolescent poems. They were written in youth, and capture all the awkward phrases ("I stare at you through our love's connection," page 56) and dreams of youth. Still, there are moments of succinct loveliness:"But at the end of the darknessI saw the lightI don't know where exactly the light isI just know that light is you" (35)When read as a document of a young man's exploration and experimentation of committing his jumbled, confused thoughts to paper, My Love For You Before I Met You is a adequate first attempt. Perhaps in the future, we will see stronger language and a more distinct voice that will better suit the loveliness of Nam's sentiment.Rating: 3/5[I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.]

[archer_mom · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

These poems are very beautiful. The language the author uses mesmerizes the reader. The poems really convey the speaker's love and admiration.

[madoka13 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I received this book from the author for an honest review. The concept of this collection of poems is fascinating. How do you love someone before you've even met them? Many of the poems were repetitive in nature, but there were some that were beautiful and gave a new perspective.

[tellen81 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A really nice collection of poetry. You can feel the author's emotions with each poem. It is an easy read but full of gratifications and love.

[topazshell · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This poetry book, "My Love For You Before I Met You" by Yong Ho Nam is about love and marriage. The poetry is broken up into three sections. These poems are a way of leading us back to see the beauty of love and marriage. Each poem is written for the wife of the speaker. Some poems really spoke to me while others did not move me at all. I did have the desire to widen the net and capture all loving relationships. However, I wasn't sure how the author, Yong Ho Nam, would feel about my idea. It just seems like these poems could fit marriage or friendship or a family relationship. Because there is always a need for inspiring thoughts, helpful thoughts about change and struggle as we journey through life. Here are a few lines that speak volumes and make me think about not having the one I love with me or not having the chance to share a beautiful moment with that person. Don't you know that I need you?That I need you in my armsThat every shooting star that I seeI wish upon our loveYong Ho Nam goes on to write about a rabbit's foot and a four-leaf clover. There is imagery here. There is beauty that you wish to touch again and again in one poem or another. There is a desire not to take marriage or any relationship for granted. I especially liked the poems written about his search for his love and the faith that he would meet the right one to live with for the rest of his life.

[mantra_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This includes some lovely poems and I believe I've felt many similar feelings, longing for that special person that I know is out there for me. If you've ever felt love, for your partner or that special person you're looking foryou will absolutely relate to many of these poems. They were a pleasure to read.

[pensivecat · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

A collection of poems written by a man to his future wife (most of the poems end with 'my future wife'). That is all. It would've been a sweet, sentimental anniversary gift from this man to his now present wife, but the rest of the world really doesn't need to see this. Might be useful in a drinking game.

[phonelady61 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Well now this book is certainly not my cup of tea and English is definitely not the authors first language or native tongue . But this book is just like reading a high school kids poetry . Not my thing and don't really like poetry to begin with . So all in all a pretty bad book .

[hippielunatic · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Ok, so English is likely not this author's first language. I will give some credit for that. However, this collection of poetry is without any further saving graces. It is repetitive, bland, and without any sense of meter, measure or rhyme... While I appreciate the sentiment of writing to a love before you've found her, and I respect everyone's right to put words to paper to express themselves, this is not what I would label poetry... Which for me, requires metered word combinations, expressive and deep thoughts, lyricism, or at least some sense of uniqueness.This one fails for me.