A Stroke of the Pen

By Rick Bozic

The inspiration for my book started about seven years ago after I suffered a massive stroke that the doctors were amazed that I even survived. Over the course of the next five years my body was ravaged by one major illness after another. I lived through heart surgery while being awake after the doctors inadvertently hit a nerve which woke me up and they could not get me back under anesthesia. I had to endure the procedure from start to finish wide awake and I can attest to the fact there is no greater pain in the world than being awake during heart surgery. I suffered two more strokes, not nearly as powerful but definitely taking its toll on my brain and left side functions. All told, I had six stroke and two minor strokes. My brain isnt what it used to be but then whose is?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jan 2, 2015
• ISBN: 9781503528192

Rick Bozic

I had two of my first poems published in 1997. One of them received an honorable mention and was nominated for a presidential award. I am inspired to write based upon the emotion that I am feeling at the time. Writing is a passion and not a chore. You write because it’s in your blood, and no matter what happens, that will never change. A portion of book sales and signings will be donated to the American Stroke Association. I believe in giving, and if they can find a way to help others, then it’s a worthwhile investment.

Book preview

Copyright © 2015 by Rick Bozic.

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 Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 12/19/2014

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Contents

Stuck in the Middle

Terror in the Shadows

Forever

Waiting for the Whisper

Drug of Choice

-Red

One Wish, If Only

Whole Again

Accept

For Whom the Bell Tolls

Farewell to Freedom

Locked On

My Princess Angel

It Is Time

Silver Penny

Butterflies

Paranoia

The Birth of Nothing

Death before Life

Prophetic Justice

The Power of Adoration

# 6

Portraits of Fire

Midnight Dream

Prince of Peace

Fingers of Death

One Heart Miles Away

Hidden Love

A Change of Seasons

No More

My Broken Promise

The Wealth of Love

Where Have I Gone?

Bobby

Heaven Sent

Filiation Destroyed

Oh Please, God, Wake Me

Tsunami

One Last Time

Surrendering Life

Lesion of Desire

He Has Risen

The Indwelling

Inches to Nowhere

The Last Tear

Stages

Friends for Life

One Chance

Love Hurts

Two Bodies, One Heart

God’s Gift to the World

-Red II

Not Me

I Believed

Appalling

It’s My Fault

The Bases Are Loaded

My Promise to You

Ghosts

A Ritual

My Baby True

I Cried

The Offspring

Success in Failure

Delicately Cruel

Calculations

Contained

Take Your Pick

Suppression

Looking Back

Nobody Knows

September Son

Over and Again

Resolution

-Red III

The Empire

Lost Promises

52 Pick Up

Another World

Unattainable

Love Is …

Enlightened

Alone Again

Titanium Sorrows

Unconscious Freedom

The Pulse

A Reason

Torn Ends of Sanity

Emotionally Sterile

Where Did You Come From?

Seven Steps to Freedom

Back Again

The Wall

The Friend I Never Had

No Easy Answer

Love’s Repression

A Flower Blossoms

Sign of the Times

Roll of the Dice

Bloodline Cast

The Mask

Fatal Epidemic

Carousel

Loneliness

Searching

Game Over

Broken Crutch

A Man of War

Trilogy

Chess

The Midnight Run

-Red IV

What Is

Courting the Militia

The Call

From Behind the Wall

Ten Years Gone

Slipping Away

Universal

Where Do I Go?

The Battle Rages On

Keep the Faith

Dream Warrior

I’m Coming Home

The Regime

Spiral Genocide

Paradise Lost

Breathe

Carousel

One-Way Street

The Day of the Dog

Time

Mount Fury

Borrowed

Indifference

Tick Tock

No Wonder

Free Falling

Rise of the Fall

Left Behind

Firestorm

Razor’s Edge

Almost There

I Believed

The Invisible Architect

Real Love

Pampered

The Game of Love

When Was the Last Time?

The Looking Glass

The inspiration for my book started about seven years ago after I suffered a massive stroke that the doctors were amazed that I even survived. Over the course of the next five years, my body was ravaged by one major illness after another. I lived through heart surgery while being awake after the doctor’s inadvertently hit a nerve, which woke me up, and they could not get me back under anesthesia. I had to endure the procedure from start to finish wide awake, and I can attest to the fact there is no greater pain in the world than being awake during heart surgery. I suffered two more strokes, not nearly as powerful but definitely taking its toll on my brain and left side functions. All told, I had six stroke and two minor strokes (am recovering from a stroke now). My brain isn’t what it used to be but then whose is?

I found that writing poetry, rhyming in particular, would just come to me. I would grab a pen and paper and sit down and write. If it didn’t just flow then I wouldn’t write it. For me, poetry comes free flowing and it develops as I write it. If I have to sit down and think of a subject to write about, it becomes forced and unnatural. Poetry should be a mixture of all different emotions and doesn’t have to have an answer at the end. It should be thought provoking, edgy, and left for the interpretation of the reader. Since my illness, it opened another area of my brain, which left me to write. It usually takes about four to five minutes to write a poem from start to finish without even knowing what I am going to be writing about.

From somebody who medically shouldn’t even be here to now writing a book is truly a miracle, and as long as they keep coming, I will keep writing. To read poetry you must have an open mind and a clear head to truly enjoy it.

My daughter Jordanne was an intricate part of this book process. She helped choose which poems should go in the book and also decided the first ones that should be read and the last ones. So a very special thanks to her as she has been one of my biggest supporters through all the rough times and didn’t get the normal childhood she deserved, so thank you so much, baby, for always being there.

Even with a brain injury, you can still use your