The Journey of Joy

By Piedad Guzman

The Journey of Joy is distinguished by its focus on human rights and social justice movements. Guzman aims to inspire as well as provide practical information. The combination of quotes, photographs, resources, and the international perspective on human struggle makes this a unique offering that may appeal to readers for reasons beyond the poetrys level of sophistication. BlueInk Review.

The Journey of Joy, divided in four chapters entitled New York, Love, Reality and Life, touches on a diversity of current concerns. These are the boroughs where, traveling fast, the poet discovers the self every day. Flashing through sensory experience, she has supercharged the Whitmanesque style in the 21st century. At breathing spots, Gandhi, Prophet Mohamed, Martin Luther King, Jr. and like personages are quoted. Cellphone text messages, New Yorker code and Guzmans American, Ecuadorian and Bolivian background are mashed into a funk rave that sweeps her audience along into a state of belief that the citizens of humanity do make a difference for peace in the music of a thousand languages that soothe the New York air.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Dec 28, 2012
• ISBN: 9781469131450

Piedad Guzman

About the Author Piedad C. Guzman received her B.B.A. from Baruch College, and lives in New York City. She has volunteered with several antipoverty organizations, such as Bread for the World and Habitat for Humanity. She advocated for the Jubilee 2000 Coalition and the International Criminal Court, and has organized conferences at the Catholic Center at NYU, Judson Memorial Church, Cabrini Nursing Home, and the United Nations. Piedad began writing in 2007, and hopes her poetry will inspire people to support human rights and peace worldwide.

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Copyright © 2012 by Piedad Guzman.

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.

Rev. date: 09/26/2013

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris LLC

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

[e-mail]

104296

I dedicate this book to the human race.

CONTENTS

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Chapter 1                      31560.png New York 31569.png

Central Park

Blue

Age

Older And Younger

Homeless

Hunger

Signals

Picking Apples

Dancing

The Sun And The Moon

Bryant Park

Present

Parkside

Clouds

Chapter 2                      31571.png Love 31573.png

Dance Of Love

Rainbow Of Love

Where Are You?

Together

The Perfect Love

Chapter 3                      31575.png Reality 31577.png

Fire Life

Death And Report

Blasphemes

The Valley

Final Grade

Chapter 4                   

  31604.png Life

31606.png

Snow

The Night And The Self

Where Are You From?

Christmas Night

Fast Life

Laid Off

In Or Out

Angel

Cry

Stress

The Anchor

Halloween

Real Unreal

Alignment

Walk In Love

Language

Bride

Passion

The Mission I Love

Let It Be

The Melting Pot

The Gate

The Prince Of Joy

Borders In Love

The Castle Of Joy

Hope

Our Race

Summary

Glossary

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I am grateful to my friend, Susan Atkins, for the innumerable hours she spent listening to me and giving her feedback on my poems. I also express my gratitude to friends and acquaintances who listened and praised my poetry.

I highly appreciate the great work of the founders and directors of the following organizations: Bread for the World, Jubilee 2000 Coalition, and the International Criminal Court. I had the opportunity to volunteer for these organizations, and my work with them led me to find myself.

I am grateful to my parents, who enjoy my writings and encouraged me to share my poems with others, especially to my mother who watered the seed of kindness I found in my soul.

Butterflies_092212.tif

INTRODUCTION

How many years I wonder what to do?

Looking for something, I didn’t know

Boyfriends, friends, and parties were not enough.

I delightfully smelled my childhood dreams—

When I was a child, I contemplated the Bolivian sky;

I observed the beauty of the stars

Dreaming, one day I would learn more about them.

I came to New York, and I fell in love with the city

I was born;

I partied a lot and enjoyed the Jersey shore

The sky is the limit inspired me to search for

the unknown,

And dancing and drinking at night, I found the dream of my life.

The sky was not enough, I wanted to touch the stars!

The stars I contemplated in the Bolivian sky

`Cause I can’t see stars in the New York City sky;

I chose to follow the dreams of my soul and live not without dreams.

Living in New York I walk on the stars, dream on the beach,

And I found my dreams were no dreams—It is the

reality I love!

9116.pngButterflies_092212.tif

31647.png NEW YORK 31651.png

butterfly2.tifButterflies_092212.tif

CENTRAL PARK

Dogs walk whilst their owners run in