Out of the Shadows

By E.M.C. LaRAIA

Out of the Shadows reflects a time in my life when, struggling with depression, I found the capacity to drift through each day by writing about my visions of life with the internal conflict of hiding my emotions from family and friends, hiding this inner turmoil consuming my thoughts and my outward smiles and bright eyes facade for others to see.

My poems in my first collection, Behind the Shadows, are fictional, created by an empathy for the human condition of many different issues of social unrest in the world.

The depression I experienced heightened my emotions, allowing me to create such poems as I Still Wonder Why, which is about a child in foster care, bouncing from one home to another, wondering why he was taken away from his parents. New-Found Sense depicts someone who recently lost her sight and is now realizing how keen her other senses are in helping her see with a new-found vision.

My second collection, Into the Light, was inspired by the love and devotion of my husband of forty-five years, James, and that of my family and friends. Look Back and Smile reflects the inner thoughts of a bride as she walks down the aisle, conversing with her mom and dad to be comforted, knowing how much her new groom will take care of her and love her. And Then There Were Three is a conversation between a pregnant woman about to give birth and her child still yet to be born. I wrote this poem seven years before I had my first child!

I share my poems with anyone who has had loss and love, who has cried and laughed, and mourned and rejoiced in their lives. May you be inspired to know that even at your darkest moments, you, too, can come out of the shadows.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Aug 20, 2018
• ISBN: 9781984547156

Book preview

Copyright © 2018 by E.M.C. LaRAIA.

Library of Congress Control Number:           2018909757

ISBN:                          Hardcover                      978-1-9845-4717-0

                                    Softcover                         978-1-9845-4716-3

                                    eBook                             978-1-9845-4715-6

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: 08/17/2018

Xlibris

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

783901

To my husband, Jimmy, and daughter, Laura, who encouraged me to publish my writings I have held since 1983! All my love!

CONTENTS

Collection 1

Out of the Shadows

Heartache

My Lasting Peace

The Passing

Walk Softly

I Walk With Thee

Ageless Beauty

The Golden Years

Pillar of Love

Until We Meet Again

Life’s Rewards

Only A Breath Away

Fleeting Time

An Appetite For Home

Windows of Love

Kiss Yesterday Good-Bye

You Were There

Reflections

Shattered Pieces

Requiem of A Floater

Shadowed Sunshine

New – Found Sense

A Pathway Through Life

Not Enough

A Place In My Mind

Love Will Carry Us Through

A Gift

A Grand Lady

The Prophecy

The Turning Point

Loneliness

Silken Wonder

Life’s Obstacles

I Still Wonder, Why?

Shadowed Dreams

Walk Cautiously

Rest, My Friend, Rest

Peace Eternal

The Judgement

Collection 2

Into the Light

Rainy Day Love

My Life, My Love, My Always

Together Always

You

Life’s Highway

Solitude of Love

The Beauty of Love

If Nothing Else …

First Love, Only Love

Thoughts of Love

One Life, One Love

Natural Beauty

Springtime Splendor

Who Will Lead?

Down the Path of Life

At Rainbow’s End

My Provider

… And Then There Were Three

Who, But He …

A Mother’s Prayer

A Child’s Prayer

If Anything, …

Look Back And Smile

Family

Home

Always, Forever

When I Am With You

Thoughts of You

My Rainbow’s End

A Valentine For You

A Masterpiece of Love

But We Have Love

Riches Beyond Measure

Destiny

You Were There

My Life, My Love, My All

He Is

Who?

A Best Seller

The Guardian

A Time To Remember

Doors of Life

Fulfilled Wishes

Our Time

Star Shine

A Love Letter To Him

Friendship

Beyond Friendship

Of Life And Love

A Time To Look Ahead

Hold On To Me, Eternally

COLLECTION 1

BEHIND THE SHADOWS

OUT OF THE SHADOWS

Walking through the darkness,

Stumbling along the pathway of my life,

I hear the crushing sounds of dreams beneath my feet

As if they whisper ‘do not look back but ahead.’

I trudge on through

Grasping onto a strength of faith and love.

Fog rears its head as I bypass another obstacle.

But the hope of one day coming out