Further Collected Poems

By B.E. Stock

If you love poetry books that guide you into deep thinking from the heart, you will find A Further Collection of Poems to be one of the best poetry books to help you soar beyond the known world and catch a glimpse of new possibilities. If you have ever wondered, what is intelligent design? You will see potential answers as B. E. Stock takes you on a journey through relationships, society, institutions, religion and spirituality, ideas, and art. You will find a common thread of order and goodness as you soar beyond the known world exploring relationship poems and other poetic topics that will give you a glimpse of ultimate things and new possibilities.

The author has published several other good poetry books, and this is her most recent containing selected lyrics from 2001 to 2017. You will see symbolism in poetry as moments captured in photographs and other times only hints for the reader to discern. "He" is about religion and spirituality. "Visions" explores ideas, and "Beauty's Mead" delves into art. All shared in one of the best collections of poetry.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jul 18, 2018
• ISBN: 9781984539441

B.E. Stock

B. E. Stock is a prolific poet who writes in traditional forms and free verse. Other poets have described her work as "life-affirming and well crafted," "burning a hole in my consciousness," and "like a drink of clear water." She studied writing at the Bread Loaf Writers Conference, Sarah Lawrence College, the West Chester Conference, and Colrain. She has hosted numerous readings in New York City. Widely published in literary periodicals, B. E. Stock published two chapbooks, Soliloquies (1992) and In Praise of Leisure (1996). Mellen Poetry Press published her long narrative poem, "Sally Jordan," in 1996 in Three Women: Touching the Boundaries of Life. In 2001, she published her Collected Poems.

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Copyright © 2018 by B.E. Stock.

Library of Congress Control Number:              2018907873

ISBN:                  Hardcover                     978-1-9845-3946-5

                            Softcover                       978-1-9845-3945-8

                            eBook                             978-1-9845-3944-1

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.

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.

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: 07/17/2018

Xlibris

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CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

Preface

You And I

What The Old Man Said

He Urges Her To Hesitate

Another Life

The Anti-Hero

The Reading Group

The First Betrayal

The Doorway

Leaf Gathering

His Plea To Cora

Neighbors Fighting

Blues

After The War

In Those Days

Nap Song

Reflection

How She Cries Now

To My Sisters

The Other Branch

The Nursery

Yoga

We

When

America

I Love A Wall

The Tourist Parade

Library, When It Was

Tourists At Ground Zero

Phobia

Practicing The End

Comfort

Builders

Help In The City

Interlude

Optimism

Non-Science

Rooted

July 4 Neighborhood

The Speech

Teachers

Woman Eating A Mango

The Fired Clerk

Foundation

Woman With A Cervical Collar

He

One Small Note

Demonstration

The Evidence

Mortar

A Stalker’s Amends

The Office Party

Nature

In The Orchard

The Last Of Earth

The Madness Of The Literal

Noon Prayer

Vacation

The Flight From Egypt

Cupping Water

The Club

Judgment

Answers To Prayer

Moderation

The Lost Party

Scapegoat

Believing

Visions

Light And Salt

Visions In Time

For David

On The Island Of Shibin

Memento

The Last Time

Not Alone

The Weight Of Glory

Meaning

Destiny

Habit

The Solitude Of The Soul

Process

Meltdown

Star Shadow

The Fiery Mountain

Matrix

The Miracle Worker

The Old Judge

The Storm Sitter

Sleeper

When I Am Not Here

Companions

Body

I Heard Of His Passing

The Maple Tree

To Love The World

Beauty’s Mead

Bravado

Old Poets

Wilbur At West Chester

The Tonic Scale

Envy

The Marriage Of Queenie Tuscher

Broken Book Case

Kerouac

Mythic Powers

Revenge Of The Words

The Beethovens’ Neighbor

The Deaf Composer

Alas, Your Virtue

The Masters

Poetry Foundation

Dream Of A Seed

Contributor

Living Will

Digging For Gold

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Woman Eating a Mango – Coe Review, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, vol. 36, 2005.

Comfort – Lalitamba, New York, New York, no. 2, 2006.

I Love a Wall – Merton Seasonal, Louisville, Kentucky, Summer 2011.

When I Am Not Here – Trajectory, Frankfort, Kentucky, Spring 2012.

Builders – Poetry Porch (on-line magazine), 2013.

Old Foundation – Poetry Porch, 2013.

I Heard of His Passing – Blue Unicorn, Oakland, California, Spring 2014.

To My Sisters – Poetry Porch, 2015.

Broken Book Case – Poetry Porch, 2015.

Answers to Prayer – Time of Singing, Conneaut Lake, Pennsylvania, Winter 2016.

Visions in Time – Blue Unicorn, June 2017.

PREFACE

In Collected Poems, published in 2001, shortly before the Twin Towers fell, I assembled what I thought were the best short lyrics I had written to that point. I also supplied a lengthy introduction to my work, to which I refer the reader. Now, eighteen years later, I have written many more and want to provide the best of those in the present collection. While Collected Poems was arranged chronologically, Further Collected Poems is divided roughly by theme or subject, though there is inevitably some overlap. You and I is about relationships; We, about society and institutions; He, about religion and spirituality; Visions, about ideas; and Beauty’s Mead, about art. As before, I write in and out of form, in many modes and voices, so you are sure to find something to enjoy and perhaps share with a friend. For thus we refresh the soul of the world.

B. E. Stock, June 6, 2018

Brooklyn, New York

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You and I

WHAT THE OLD MAN SAID

Love is the hardest thing

Anyone ever tried.

Even teen idols sing

It could mean suicide.

But it could be much worse:

Decades of slavery

Abuse’s silent curse

Eyes not daring to see

The grind of helpless guilt

Still unable to stop

Beauty now all unfelt

Bitterness to the top.

And all that can be healed

Unlike living for money.

Bury gold in your field.

Trade bee stings for honey.

HE URGES HER TO HESITATE

Take this ring, but do not put it on.

Carry it in your pocket, bring it to the bottom of your dreams

To be tested against the color of your coral reef,

Your striped fish, the abundant weeds and rocky cliffs

I will never see. Take this ring, but do not put it away

Among the others in your mother of pearl box

Whose tinny music hinders the robbery that would

In any case be discontinued, given the oddity

Of your crosses, your holy face, your herald angels,

None of which can really be fenced. Carry this ring

To the office and the women’s room, the subway

And the café full of jazz and pastry,