Conversations with My Muse: A Book of Selected Poetry

By Gary Bateman

Conversations with My Muse is a fascinating and compelling new book of selected poetry by Gary Bateman. As a new author, this work is Mr. Batemans first published book of poetry, and with it he brings to the reading public a refreshing and an eclectic selection of many different types of poetry and themes. The multi-thematic variety of Mr. Batemans poetry should capture the attention of most readers who have a sincere interest in poetry. His writings should also be of definite interest to new readers who are just discovering what poetry is all about and its invaluable contribution to world literature. Mr. Bateman brings a distinctive intellectual depth to his poetry and approaches each topic or theme individually with whatever level of commitment, nuance or understanding is required. He has a devout belief in the power of poetry as a most expressive medium for informing the reading public on issues, themes, problems, and life experiencesas part of the continuing human endeavor. Mr. Bateman sees poetry as a mirror for reflecting the very soul of mankind.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Apr 9, 2015
• ISBN: 9781504938822

Gary Bateman

Gary Bateman is a published poet, author, linguist, and professional writer. He hails from Wichita, Kansas in the United States and has already completed two major careers with the U.S. Government, as a former U.S. Army Intelligence Officer, and later as a U.S. Department of Defense Civilian in Germany where he specialized in the field of International Security Cooperation. Mr. Bateman holds multiple academic degrees with advanced graduate studies, and originally studied history, political science, and literature as primary fields of interest during his undergraduate college years. As a trained linguist, he has a multilingual proficiency in five languages, including his facility as a native English speaker. Mr. Bateman has lived in Europe for many years and presently resides with his family in Germany.

Book preview

© 2015 Gary Michael Bateman. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 07/15/2015

ISBN: 978-1-5049-3881-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5049-3880-8 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5049-3882-2 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

CONTENTS

PART I - Selected Poetry

A Broken Heart

A Cold Dark Yellow Unhallowed Moon

A Dream

A Most Irish Fairy Tale – Merry Christmas to All

A Poet’s View on Words

A Spider’s View

A Spirit Leaves the Body Seeking Eternity

A Time of Bliss

A Tree

A Withered Rose

A World on Fire

All Hallows’ Eve Black Mass Incantation

Always a Dream

An Ode to Fine Drinking

Angel Eyes Loving You Forever

Be Courageous Above All

Being

Black Cat Green Eyes Most Evil

Black Witch

Boring

Bryant’s Necropolis Conceit

Burning Flesh – The Devil’s Own

Can’t Make It Without You Baby

Chronicler of Events and Emotions

Complexus-Syntaxus-Maximus

Cosmic Dust

Creative Process

Cupid’s Golden Bow

Dance through your life

Death

Death of a Knight

Despair

Diamonds Forever My Love in This World

Dreaming of Nature’s Love So Rare

Eden Calling

Edge of the Forest

Enchanted Vision of Love So Pure

Enchantment

Eternal Soul

Evergreen in Winter Cold

Frank Sinatra You’re The One

God’s Return Ticket

Halloween Eve

Hate

Heinrich Heine Revisited

I Be, I Sing

I Know YOU from My Dream

Into Eternity’s Arms

JE SUIS CHARLIE — Afterthought

Joy

Jukebox Gigolo

King Vlad

King Vlad Redux – Second Cold War

Le Mot Juste

Leprechaun in My Bottle

Life

Looking Deeply into Your Heavenly Eyes

Love

Love Star Night

Love’s in the Stars

Love’s that Magical Wonder

Love’s the Soul’s Fire

Mirror of the Soul

Moon Light … Moon Night

Mother Nature Cries

My Christmas Dream

My Heart Skips a Beat My Love

My Window

New Year’s Baby 2015

No Fear My Dear Friend

Not Missing Love’s Beat

On Valentine’s Day My Love

Our Love and Passion Always Forever

Our Passions on Fire My Darling

Pearl Dreams of Rare Love

poisonously enchanted mushrooms so luscious rare

Prufrock’s Eternal Footman

Prufrock’s Symbolic World

Rainbow

Rapture

Rapunzel

rising from out of this cold frozen wasteland

Santa’s Favorite – Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer

Sending Waves Touching Beautiful Always

Sentiments of Love

Solitude

Sonnet to a Fine Poetess

Spill Ink

Star Light … Star Night

Starlight

Teardrops

The Enchantress with the Greenest of Eyes

The Evil Jack O’lantern

The Future

The Grim Reaper Cometh

The Noble Language

The Nocturnal Delight of Mephistopheles

The Past

The Present

The Radiance of Our Love So True

The Sorcerer

The Unholy Ones

Theatrum Mundi

Thinking of You

This One’s for You Bartender

Time Flies

Unrequited Love

Valentine’s Magic

Valentine’s Unicorn

we our souls will spend our time repenting

What Our Dreams Are Made Of

What Our Angels on High Meant

When Our Poetry Muse Beckons

Where are you Fred Astaire?

With You Forever My Love

Without Your Love

Would You Dance This Last Dance with Me

You Never Told Me

Your Beauty Is

Your Kiss

Your Look of Precious Love

Your Warmest Embrace My Love

Zapfhahn

Zephyr’s Magic

PART II - Epic Narrative Poem

Preface to Rosalia

Rosalia – The Evil Black Witch of the Harz

Book Dedication

For my wife Ingrid—my love and inspiration

Acknowledgements

Special Thanks to my fellow poets and colleagues:

Anne-Lise Andresen, Ingrid Krukenberg-Bateman, Liam McDaid, and

Michael Clarke for their collegial efforts on the various co-authored

poems we worked on together that are listed in this book

PART I

Selected Poetry

A Broken Heart

I have a broken heart so sad with sorrow,

My love’s full of such anguish and fear;

My soul’s afire with pain for the morrow.

My heart seeks such a palliative yarrow,

My thoughts are shattered, no longer clear;

I have a broken heart so sad with sorrow.

My desire’s gone, a victim of a much harrow,

My emotions are awry and bring no cheer;

My soul’s afire with pain for the morrow.

Your anger strikes my heart like a poison arrow,

Your evil intent revealed with no sugary veneer;

I have a broken heart so sad with sorrow.

I live my life now with no surcease of sorrow,

Your former love declarations ring now so queer;

My soul’s afire with pain for the morrow.

My spirit’s in tatters from your hateful harrow,

And your face now haunts me with a nasty leer;

I have a broken heart so sad with sorrow.

My soul’s afire with pain for the morrow.

Gary Bateman – November 14, 2014

(Villanelle)

A Cold Dark Yellow Unhallowed Moon

A cold dark yellow unhallowed moon smiles beguilingly

In the pitch black starless and cold empty night sky

Suckling upon the blood and the very life force of

Pure innocence, light, and goodness … .

Fear stirs eerily in the forlorn sound of a fog horn that’s

Blowing and crying a sad echo haunting far in the distance

It warns of the imminent arrival of a malevolent Hellspawn

Force of absolute unmitigated evil … The Phantom Vampire.

As the Phantom Vampire materializes from nowhere in the

Darkest shade of night blanketed in the thickest of fog and

The coldest of night air … One can sense with utter fear

And foreboding shivering sounds touching from the shadows

Creeping softly cold fingers down the spine with walking

Fingers crawling inside a prism of frozen ice and in a mist

Of souls crying in the presence of demons while yearning lust

Of one blanket covering the sky’s face painted showing

Hell’s own hideous face—an exquisite evil and a spirit

Drunken and moaning in an eternal fiery abyss of

Suffering and howling, sounding their own lust for pain

Great darkness grips those who walk this troubled Earth

Without joy casting happiness to the lepers always and

Forever chained to the darkness and eating out hope

In the very end … .

From this spider’s web and nest of dark perpetual evil

The Phantom Vampire transforms himself from ethereal

Form to his human form quite frightening indeed for

Any human being gazing at his grim countenance and

His most fiery red eyes glaring intently whenever he

Encounters an unsuspecting soul … and the sight of

His razor-sharp canine teeth bring on convulsive fear

In the hearts and minds of his intended victims … .

The Phantom Vampire’s ritual on the foggy nights of the

Cold Dark Yellow Unhallowed Moon is to drink the blood

Of as many young innocent people as he can all the while

Destroying their lives and tormenting their souls in an

Unending existence of evil and debauchery as minions of

The Undead … .

As a servant of Lucifer himself, the Phantom Vampire’s

Principal charge is that of a Soul Seeker— and seeking

Them he does quite successfully while destroying lives

This unending process is interrupted only by the dawn of

The next day’s morning as the bright rays of sunlight warm

The Earth and purify and sanctify the power and purpose of

The Almighty Lord God … .

As a priest … a man of the cloth in this bucolic Irish village

Along the sea coast, I hold my head in shame and revulsion

At the evil escapades rendered by the Phantom Vampire

During his nocturnal visits to feed on the blood and souls

Of our innocent people … .

I always turn and talk to God while earnestly praying for their

Blind souls through their gossamer eyelids and seeking the

Lord’s divine protection and delivery from this most dark and

Wretched evil … May the bright sunlight show them the

Road to true happiness during the Feast of All Souls and to the

Gates of Salvation … .

With no fear and with most clear purpose in mind and the divine

Support of our Almighty Lord God in Heaven … I shall be the

One fulfilling God’s charge in driving that long wooden stake—

Blessed with Holy Water and Angel’s Dust—through that

Evil dead putrid heart of the Phantom Vampire!

Gary Bateman and Liam McDaid – A Collaborated Poem,

November 6, 2014 (Free Verse)

A Dream

At a moment in my life long, long ago—

I had a dream of an ethereal existence,

Transcending the very mortal bounds of existence.

What a sublime notion worthy of thought;

To be an Entity beyond our mortal existence.

My thoughts are there, each and every day;

Moving outside of Everydayness.

What a moment to behold while gazing

Into the vortex of life: past, present, future.

Who will be my Sage? my Guide?

Questions pervade my Soul, my Being.

When I awaken will I remember or

Continue living as a one-dimensional person?

My dream world should be my reality.

My real world should be not—or is this so?

Gary Bateman – September 28, 2014

(Free Verse)

A Most Irish Fairy Tale – Merry Christmas to All

It’s not just Santa Claus who we meet in the very cold of December;

There is Carolina, and she’s the beauty of a winter picture perfect

With luscious-long, coal-black curly hair far down on her back, and

As a true fairy princess, Carolina is quite beautiful with such bright

Blue eyes and that certain incandescent glow for all to see and

Dressed in a sparkling white robe made of angelic content with

A glossy coat so radiant and sprinkled with pearls and diamonds.

Out of the woods she walks so quietly in the night’s fresh snow

With a glimpse of two deer and a fox on hunt walking carefully,

Carolina hopes the deer will walk around with an angelic guard;

The secret is that beautiful Carolina speaks the animals’ languages

And this is an enchanted reality known only to the forest animals;

The birds play in all their splendor so fine without sorrow and they

Fly while Carolina—the Fairy Maiden of this Enchanted Forest,

Keeps watch carefully on the evening horizon while the snow falls

Now apace in the hope and wish for such a marvelous and majestic

Christmas—while in the distance the ground is now frozen frosted

Hard and like shining and sprinkling silver in the mist until the very

Rays of Enraptured Sunlight break in the morning mist—this most

Wondrous image is at once so divine and fabulous to behold and

Cherish as the annual