A Heart's Treasures

By Samuel R Merritt

This book is design to help students of poetry to understand the different ways one can be inspired to create a poem, and the reason for poetry. The different reasons for poetry can advance one into a variety career choices, such as poet, greeting cards, song writers, e

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookTrail Publishing
• Release date: Jul 17, 2021
• ISBN: 9781637671733

Samuel R Merritt

Samuel Reneildo Merritt was the youngest of sixteen children born to the same parents: Bertram Theodore Merritt and Theresa Juanita (Dyson) Merritt. All of their children were gifted and talented in different ways. Ever since middle school he was interested in the meaning of words, and their origin. Definitions changed over time as colleges and society sought to standardize meanings. His love for writing poetry began with the love of a young lady in high school. He found it easier to express his feelings to her in poem than with straight conversations. Quotes and Philosophy is a great inspiration to him, such as "When you know who you are, and what you can do, you don't need to show off to prove it!" One he penned to help motivate his three children. However, prior to getting married, he had laid down his pen, due to being devastated at having his complete collection of sayings, writings, and poems destroyed by a printer who was to publish his works when he was a teenager. It was several years later after he was married, that he was challenged to enter a Valentine's Day Poetry contest at work. He thought of what his wife would enjoy receiving: "A Rose!" With that thought he compared his love for her to a rose. Needless to say, because of sincere emotion and thought, the poem: "A Token of Love" had won first place and a dinner for two. Its title was later changed to "A Rose for You". He likes to challenge the mind of people.

Book preview

Preface

This book is dedicated to all my loved ones, family, friends, co-workers and even strangers who inspired me to write the words that you are about to read. It is written in Matthew 6:21, and Luke 12:34 –For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. For one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. A simple action, word or images could get my heart pumping to have the thoughts to draw pictures in my mind to bring forth the words which you will see. This is to make you use your mind, to draw the images that you see on the canvas of these pages, to bring out how it makes you feel. Then does your thoughts and feelings match up with that of the author? Intent is the result of your actions based on the thought patterns of your mind, and what it shows you to do. One can put two reasonable actions together to help benefit oneself expectations.

At the back of the book is the author’s inspiration and thought pattern for each line of each poem. However, jumping to the back of the book does not give you the whole picture that you will see. What you see at the end is only the result of some previous action. It does not tell you what lead up to that end:A young men just got a promotion and a bonus check what time off from work and wanted to surprise his girlfriend with the great news. As he was walking up the street from the bus stop, he saw his girlfriend come running out of her house and jumped into the arms of another man with a new fancy car, who he did not know. Immediately, he felt betrayed and thought it is happening again; that is what ended his previous relationship. From his point of view, he was justified in wanting to end this relationship. When two people are looking at the same fence, each see what they are looking at from their point of view. It just depends which side of the fence are you on?

Now for the rest of the story: The young lady had received a call from her gentleman friend letting her know that he was coming to see her. She was extremely excited and happy to see him because she had not seen him for years. Oh, I forgot to mention that the boyfriend had tried to call her to let her know his good news, but her phone line was busy (with guess who??). Well, it happens that the young man was her brother, who had just got back from the Desert Storm War and was one of a few survivors in his troop that made it home. The boyfriend’s last similar experience told him that her actions were wrong, besides what sister jumps up on her brother and wraps their legs around them? He never questioned the other guy to found out his side of the story. So read the poems first to see what path each one takes you down before you find out the rest of the story.

What I would like to introduce to my readers are the different styles of poetry, and how they affect the reader’s thoughts and emotions. My first favorite poet, my mother’s favorite greeting card writer during my preteen years, was Helen Steiner Rice, who did Greeting Cards for all kinds of occasions. She had a style that would make you think that she was talking just to you. It was her style of writing that got me interested in the meaning of words, and how she developed the style in which she put them together. As a teenager, I wrote a lot of quotes and poems. Till one day I let a friend talk me into getting my poems published. Who would listen to me, I thought? Much to my disappointment, however, after giving my composition notebook over to be published, it was over three months before the printer called me to let me know that he had accidentally spilled ink completely over my book. I asked for it back but was told that it was so soaked that nothing was readable, and he just threw it away.

Being so devastated, I gave-up writing, at the age of 16 years old, and for many years had not tried to do anything again. It was not until 1996, I was challenged to enter a poetry contest for Valentine’s Day, at the company I was working at that time. Needless to say; I won first prize, dinner for two, for me and my wife. After that, more and more requests were being made for my ability to write something. Even after getting two jobs, my talents and advice were sought about writing poems. It became an easy and natural thing to just sit, think, and write my thoughts on paper.

Still into the 2000’s, I had written many poems, but not published. It was not until I heard a poem by Maya Angelou and read some of her poems that I became serious about getting published at my age. It was three years after the death of my wife, to whom I was married to for forty years, that I finally got my first published book. It is now that I want to publish my second edition of my poems to be a study guide, for inspiring poems, to help others understand how to get their thoughts over to the minds of others.

Having done a little studying of different kinds of poetry, I have written down a list of different styles of poetry:

Different styles of Poetry

1.Sonnet

2.Haiku

3.Villanelle

4.Sestina

5.Acrostic

6.Ekphrastic

7.Concrete, or visual poetry

8.Elegy

9.Epigram

10.Limerick

11.Ballad

12.Epitaph

13.Tanka

14.Ode

15.Free verse

Which I referenced from https://bookriot.com/different-types-of-poe, and can be used to analyze which style or combination thereof, that each poem has been written in. You may find that some poems do not fit in any individually particular style or many different styles together. My main objective is to help the reader understand the message that is being portraited to them. Also, inspire the reader look into the vast careers available to becoming a poet, songwriter, greeting cards writer, or even a novelist of children’s stories. Someone could become a new RAP (Rhythm And Poetry) Artist. Disney music’s Lava is one of my favorite poetry styles turned to song. Disney could always use new writers. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uh4dTLJ9q9o)

Poetry, like music, has certain rhythm patterns that can be followed to express in getting your message in verse over to your audience. It happened one Valentine’s Day that my wife had gotten me a CD (Saxophone Serenade) as a gift and on it was a melody that seemed familiar. After reading my poems again, I realized that I had written words to one of the instrumental songs on the CD. The song had a few more bars in it than my poem, but it was no problem to fill in the words that would fit.

I have categorized my poems into different groups to help show the motivation for each poem and give you an idea of what you will see. I have done different things to the list of poems, so jumping to the back will not as easy as it should seem. So, take your time and enjoy your travel through this book, and your mind.

Requested Poems

My Inspiration

From your lips unto my ears

and deep into my heart,

The words you speak and give to me,

I turn to serious thought.

Then from my mind, down to my hands

and out through the pen they go!

The words I truly desire to speak to you,

On to the paper they flow.

I want you to see, to hear and feel

the words I speak to you,

To let you know just how I feel

and what to me you do.

For being near you and hearing your voice

fills me with such sweet sensation,

For I long to always be with you

for you are

My Inspiration

Samuel R. Merritt Sr. ©

♥

A Rose For You

I give to you this day a rose.

A token of my love it shows.

My true heart feelings I have for you;

To represent things that I want to do.

To be the blood that gives youlife.

It flows throughout your heart,

Which brings to you fresh air and warmth,

To each of your body’s parts.

The petals so strongly intertwined,

Yet gentle to the touch

With concern and sensitivity,

That you need so much.

The green to be the wealth that feeds,

And meets your each and everyneed.

The stem to lift you straight and high,

Because you’re the beauty of many an eye

The thorn so prickly and so strong

To keep you safe from all sudden harm

But placed so stately and well apart,

For you to hold me gently and close to your heart.

Samuel R. Merritt Sr. ©

♥

PASSION

A gentle hug, a little squeeze,

A soft caress and words that tease.

A loving voice whispering in your ear,

Those tender words you long to hear.

Warm strong arms wrapped around you tight,

Safe and secure, it feels so right.

Wet moist kisses upon your neck,

Along the cheek, as you would expect.

Then upon the lips, past the count of ten,

Spinning and reeling, your mind it does send.

As waves of ecstasy passes from view,

As I give of my love and passion to You!!

Samuel R. Merritt Sr. ©

♥

Road to Happiness

Sometimes we walk the roads of life in solitude alone,

We are trying to make our way towards a pleasantly happy home.

Many there are that cross our path, and some do journey along,

But for them to be with me is that alright or wrong?

We have shared with others, then departed ways, each their own life to seek,

Yet still we look for that special friend to converse with to speak.

Then one special and fateful day our two paths do chance to meet,