Touching Hearts Through Poetry

By Dora Davis-Kennedy

I can remember writing poetry as early as the age of fourteen. For me, writing poems was either an expression of young love or a means of escaping farm life. I do know I write what I feel deep in my heart. Sometimes I would daydream about what life would be like after leaving the farm. At that time, I did not appreciate or value the importance of farm life. Then falling in love for the first time gave me words that would flow like water. That was the beginning of my poetry.

Then came my retirement from the Air Force. I took a job as a substitute teacher to test the waters and see if I wanted to go back to the classroom. On May 23, 1995, was my last substitute teaching positions for the year. The last period of the day was a literature class, and yes, you guessed it, it was an assignment to write a poem. After directing the students on what they were to do, I sat back, thought about my daughter, who was also graduating, and at that moment, I wrote with them. The poem that came out of that session, "Life Captured," was the first in this book. After that, the words would sometimes overwhelm me. It did not matter where or when. I would sometimes wake up from a deep sleep, and there were words on my heart. Driving down the street, I would have to pull off the road. And can you imagine sitting in church, concentrating on the words of the pastor, and poem comes into your heart? That is what it was like for next few years. When the word came, I made every effort to put them on paper. If I did not have a notepad, I would write on whatever was available, a store receipts, the back of an envelope, or even a paper bag. It did not matter; I just knew I had to capture the words.

You see, there was a problem with these abrupt encounters with words. I found, through experience, that I could not ignore them because if I did, they would be lost. Yes, the words that were flowing so freely at the time would be gone if I did not take heed at that exact moment. So I learned incredibly early that it did not matter when or where the words came; I had to stop everything and write them down.

So you see, my poetry comes to me at times when the spirit urges it. I cannot just will a poem to be. It must be stirred up in my spirit. My poetry is a combination of spiritual and emotional love. The love for people and my love of God. I never know which will spark the flame, and that does not matter, but I do know I must be ready to put pen to paper when it happens.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Mar 16, 2022
• ISBN: 9781639615858

Book preview

Life Captured (Arvette)

During Mrs. C. Wetzerl’s literature class (first and second period) at Biloxi High School

Each day starts a new beginning,

With new adventures never ending.

Open your eyes and see the wonder,

Open your thoughts, emerge from under.

Life has its many ups and downs,

Our faces wear the scars of smiles or frowns.

Live each day as if it’s your last,

Think of the future, don’t dwell in the past.

Wipe off the dust of yesterday’s labor,

Open your thoughts to tomorrow’s favors.

Reach for the stars and hold on tight,

Reach out for life with all your might.

Don’t let the good things in life pass you by,

In order to succeed, you must first try.

Life won’t stop because you’re young,

So run and capture life before the setting of the sun.

Today is yours but to do as He will,

You can’t reach your goals while standing still.

Trust and believe that He’ll bring you through,

Whatever His will, you’ll be able to do.

May 23, 1995

Hidden Dreams

Have you ever wondered as you sit all alone?

What happens to our dreams? Are they really gone?

Do they just disappear, fade away, and die?

Or are they hidden, deep down inside they lie?

Can we recapture dreams once lost?

Or have they vanished, and at what cost?

Dreams never experienced, lived, or achieved,

As if dead, mourned, and bereaved.

Wake up, all you sleeping, dormant souls,

Let the dreams emerge, let the truth be told.

Dreams are our life’s hopes and woes,

They can be reached, open up and grab hold.

Live out your dreams, and fear them not,

Give it your best, give it all you’ve