Journey of a Romantic: A Collection of Poems

By Dick Carlsen

Inspired by well-known 1960’s San Francisco poet and lyricist, Rod McKuen, this collection of poems written by Dick Carlsen attempts to capture the essence of McKuen’s famous work. The collection employs a broad brush on the wide spectrum of love, loneliness, and romance. The poetry speaks to love’s attendant mystique, loneliness, separation, hurt, heartache, anguish, disappointment, longing, and other emotions, including its illusiveness. It embodies a romantic’s personal confiict between a relationship and independence.

Poetry is not everyone’s favorite reading, but this collection may be an exception, for it offers a snapshot of human emotions and spirit of the moment. Many readers may very well relate to the writings describing the experiential “journey” of the romantic, and it may resonate and induce nostalgia.

Above all, this collection of love poems is for all the romantics, men and women, past and present.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Nov 2, 2022
• ISBN: 9781665573580

Dick Carlsen

Dick Carlsen was born in and grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. He attended Chico State College, graduating in 1968, and completed graduate studies at Indiana University. He is retired after a 44-year Navy civilian career, during which he traveled extensively to Navy activities worldwide. He lives in Virginia Beach, Virginia, with his wife Cathy and their rescue dog, Woody. They enjoy occasional trips to other beach areas and Lake Gaston in North Carolina. His published novels include, Happy Valley College, The Head of the Snake, Monkey Bottom (a Navy-centric story), The Lost Boys of Happy Valley College, and Revenge in Monkey Bottom. His retirement hobby and passion is writing, and he volunteers most mornings of the week walking dogs in the care of a local animal rescue shelter.

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© 2022 Dick Carlsen. 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    10/25/2022

ISBN: 978-1-6655-7357-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6655-7358-0 (e)

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.

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

in the beginning

journey to reality

voyage

stinson beach

olema

sausilito

lincoln villa

apt. e

carmel

los gatos

oakland hills

your touch

golden gate park

a park

rockaway beach

with you

sounds of a summer night

separation

nelson’s bar

muir woods

to venus

file thirteen

california mountain highs

in the middle

secret

sacramento river road

someday

reality revisited

s. grant street

return

philly girl

the corner table

manhattan

question

norfolk summer storm

another night, another name

nantucket

oneness

october weekend

dawn

a brighter day

40th street

unwind

stream

bobby mcgee’s

missing you

friendships

of different seasons

hope

envy

pot of gold

tranquility

one day closer

melancholy wanderings

in the end

renaissance

your love

gem

sense of loss

away from you

saying goodbye

virginia beach

a deserted beach

sundays

yesterday

For Woody

in the beginning

honolulu

san francisco bay area

journey to reality

mine it seems

is the fate of travelers.

always so little time

to learn about

and get close to others,

but time

to reflect

and wonder.

the first

is my albatross

the second

my daily sustenance,

leading me to lush fields

that will

keep me strong

until reflection

becomes reality.

voyage

i departed years ago

on a voyage

for unknown destinations

met at times

by stormy seas,

blessed too infrequently

with friendly ports.

the sea is harsh on a man

witness the Sirens

luring men into mortality.

yet i returned each time

the