Love Is the Remedy: Poems for a Mending Heart

By Mary Morgan Brown

For anyone who believes Tennyson’s old adage ‘tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all, this book is for you. Twenty-first century life is wrought with failed relationships. For the first time in history marriages have a less than 50% survival rate, as the poet here knows first-hand. With a triumph of the human spirit, Mary Morgan Brown rises above the ashes of her painful past to discover the glimmer of promise that fate has better things in store.

With raw honesty, sensuality, and humility, Ms. Brown chronicles the stages of love from the flirtatious risk taking to the broken promises. The universality of love permeates her poems about letting go and learning to love yourself again. You will laugh, cry, get angry, sigh, and cheer as this romantic soul touches yours. And you’ll be even more convinced that Tennyson was right afterall!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Dec 7, 2007
• ISBN: 9781465327123

Mary Morgan Brown

Mary Morgan Brown’s Seek, Wait, Trust: Poems for Navigating the Spiritual Journey was preceded by Love is the Remedy: Poems for a Mending Heart and will be followed by a series of children’s books. Mary is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators, a certified Amherst Writers facilitator, twice featured in Who’s Who among America’s Teachers, and a past Golden Apple nominee. Rev. Dr. Gregg Brown, a social justice advocate, is Senior Pastor at Miracles of Faith Community Church, ELCA, in Oakland, CA. Pastor Brown’s humble leadership and life-changing ministry have received national media attention from the New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, East Bay Times, and Chicago Tribune. His honors include the N.A.A.C.P. Merit Award, Man of the Year recognition from ABI, and Peacemaker, Civic Leader, and Humanitarian of the Year awards. Rev. Dr. James A. Forbes, Jr. is Senior Pastor Emeritus of Riverside Church in NYC, author of Whose Gospel? A Concise Guide to Progressive Protestantism, Founder of the Healing the Nations Foundation, and among the “12 Most Effective Preachers” in the English-speaking world.

Book preview

Love is the Remedy

Poems for a Mending Heart

Mary Morgan Brown

Copyright © 2007 by Mary Morgan Brown.

Photographs by Jason B. Hladik

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 12/09/2022

Xlibris

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Contents

Prelude

Allowing Myself to Be Vulnerable

Time

Hopeless

I Wonder

Layers

I Spent the Day Alone

Continue to Dream

The Course of a Lifetime

Sensing the Longing Within

I Waited

The Warmth of Your Smile

Meet Me Halfway

I Dropped My Guard

Love’s Lasting Flavor

The Flames of Passion

Awakened

Things This Right

Beyond Sense

More Than We Can Hide

A Man of Mystery

Friendship I’d Like to Keep

Like You

Moonstruck

You Are Not an Easy Man to Read

Brimming with Contentment

Is There a Way?

My Passions

Mr. Wonderful

Prince Charming

You Spoke to Me

Your Tender Ways

Morning Reflections

It’s Safe and Warm Here

For the Laughter

Loving You

Let Me Bring You Joy

Sent with a Mother’s Love

A Matter of Control

Uncharted Territory

Moving behind a Storm Cloud

Intensity

Reading between the Lines

Sharing Takes Two

Let Me Love You

Heart-Shaped Tenacity

Broken-Winged Bird

I Never Meant Living without You

Sleepless Night

Disconnected

Trampled

Easily Discarded

Moonlight Kisses

Can’t We Still Be Friends?

Why?

No Room for Me

Dead Dreams

Remembering

Old Wounds

What Happened?

The Man I Once Loved

Learning to Love Myself

Love in Full Bloom

Sacrificial Love

Lost Without You

Startled

A Matter of Time

Perhaps

What Would I Gain?

A Safer Sanctuary

Valuable Lessons

Questioning

A Rhythmic Pattern

Lessons in Love

Soul to Soul

The Last Word

Acknowledgements

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This book is dedicated to my husband, Gregg, who brought me the gift of love when I least expected and most needed it. Your love is an original jazz song . . . funky, passionate, soulful, sensual . . . with a syncopated groove that surprises, refreshes & invigorates.

There is no remedy for love but to love more.

Henry David Thoreau

Love is the Remedy

Prelude

Life rarely turns out the way we planned as pre-adolescents fantasizing about our perfect futures. I had imagined a charming supportive husband who faithfully adored me, two delightfully clever children—a boy and a girl, a fulfilling job, a lovely home, and a wealth of friends. Two failed marriages, the end of a long-term relationship, and many financial and personal challenges later, I can only say that was wishful thinking! But, luckily, the last three have been true, including the friendships of my four wonderful