Jewels of the Heart
by
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Why is life so complicated?
It’s so hard to understand sometimes.
But at other times it just flows by
like a river gone wild with joy.
It’s such a luscious tapestry
Depicting both blame and tragedy,
And softened by the delicate threads of joy
sewn into the fabric of our woven lives.
Life’s a bit like a wine glass
Filled to the rim with richness
To deepen the reservoir of empathy
that perfumes the soul eternally.
Life’s sometimes like a decadent chocolate bar
Endlessly silky and sweet on the tongue,
With undertones of a darker spiciness
To savor the hidden treasures held within the heart.
Why is life so complicated? I ask again.
It’s a full-length, full-throated opera
As the characters act out their dream-life-scenarios
to the high notes of happiness or lower ones of sorrow:
they cry out their existence under the glinting moon and stars.
Life is as varied as the colors of a rainbow
That fills the drenched sky with its hues
Of bright glory from deepest purples to freshest greens
Which all together create harmony within.
Life is as bitter as the strongest coffee
In which the grounds are left in for good measure
Just to see how much our tongues can take
Before we gag, gasp, and gurgle for release from pain.
In short, it’s as revealing as a thigh-high slit evening gown
Or a full length mirror reflecting our images back again
So that we learn about whom we really are underneath
the epidermal layers of our own sun-kissed salty skin!
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About the Book
Jewels of the Heart by Hiam Gosaynie is a book of poems that describes myriad feelings and life experiences that every heart has inevitably been through in some form. These experiences both enrich and change us as we wade waist-deep into the unpredictable waves of love; wonder about the universe; deal with illness, aging parents, and death; gamely plot our course in the labyrinth of life; and finally seek peace, solace and spiritual renewal as well as healing when we face our most terrifying fears. We triumphantly emerge bruised but wiser and stronger on the other side: these are the “jewels” of every heart.
About the Author
Hiam Kalel Gosaynie, a first-generation Arab-American poet and an English as a Second Language (ESL) secondary teacher in Dearborn, Michigan for 21 years, has been devoted to teaching students of diverse cultures, and writing poetry and stories. Since she was a young girl in the town of her birth—Saginaw—in Mrs. Becker’s 7th grade English class, as well as Mr. Thibadeau, her 10th grade English teacher, both of whom inspired Hiam to become a teacher, she has dreamed of changing lives with knowledge and the written word. She is a graduate of the American University of Beirut, Lebanon, where she earned her B.A. in English literature in 1983, Saginaw Valley State University, and Wayne State University, where she received an M.A. in Education, in 1996. Moreover, Hiam has continued to be fascinated by languages, different cultures and traditions, and the beauty of word (in songs, music and poetry) which express the subtle nuances of divinity within the soul—bridging the gap among cultures and races—and giving us all more tolerance, understanding, and love for each other and for life.