Book
of
Poetry 📕

LOVE LINGER
BY LaToya D. Lee

I did not know I loved her for that long

I did not know I would soon have to end the connection between her and I

I did not know I would be in tears for the years to come

Still, I have not figured out the connection between her and I

Letting go

Accepting

What is love?

It is time I find out

No longer can I put my love life on hold

The connection

So strong

Why did I hold on so long to this connection?

So many love interests

And she is the connection I allowed to linger

I told my heart to stop loving her

Still, it would not stop loving her

I have unanswered questions about this connection

I can no longer explore the why

Emotionally, the connection can no longer linger

I must disconnect

I do not know why I loved her for so long

THIS IS ME
BY LaToya D. Lee

My communication skills aren't the best

Writing is my best form of communication

You are an avid reader, but will you need more

Will my writings not be enough to sustain LOVE?

The child 

Silenced by her parents

Ultimately, caused the communication skills to suffer 

As a child

I had to process most of my emotional moments alone 

As an adult 

I still process my chaotic moments alone

This is Me

The Love, I have for her makes me want to do life better 

I want her soul to feel safe here

I want her to be heard

I want to give her my undivided attention

I want her to Rest her soul without fear

I want her to be safe in my presence

In our sacred place

I want her to be seen clearly

By me

Rest your soul here

I will protect it from harm

Still

I want my voice to be heard by her

I want to be understood by her

I want us to meet in the middle

Understanding 

How we do life

How we experience life

Sometimes, I shut down

It is not intentional

Can we be gentle with each other's shortcomings?

Can we deliver are words with tender, love, and care?

Can we be gentle with each other's heart? 

I am a rebel

She is a rebel

Clashing with each other

I rebel against the strong-arm tactics

It is not as though her words aren't accurate 

It is not that I don't want to listen 

We have come full circle

The child 

Silenced by her parents

Now

Rebel against, complying to rules

As an adult 

She responds better to gentle communication 

This is Me

Making sure, I am being heard

Making sure, my voice isn't silenced

Still

I will listen to her needs and her wants

Gently, say what you need from me

I am imperfect

Daily, can she be patient with me?

Her feelings are valid here

Her opinions matter here

Her heart is safe here

Still 

When the communication is not syncing correctly

Will I still be safe in her arms?

Safety is my Top Priority

Mind, Body, and Soul

Am I safe with her?

Safety is my Top Priority

I will always choose safety for my mind, body, and soul

MOVING PIECES
BY LaToya D. Lee

I did not know she had moving pieces within her journey as well

I did not know those shifting puzzle pieces needed to be placed together by only her 

Pieces of her life puzzle were not going to be completed by me alone

I was laying the foundation for my future, not knowing she needed to do the same

Some of our shifting puzzle pieces needed to be sorted and placed alone

This life journey has been a zigzag and there are days it can be unclear  

Laying the foundation correctly was something that needed to be done by the both of us 

I knew she was gifted and had a bright light to offer the world

Still, I did not realize she needed grace

Because of selfish thinking,

I could be missing a major piece to my life puzzle 

Now that I have learned to give grace to my beaten heart 

All of the clues are coming together 

I did not want to allow understanding of her own life journey

But, I wanted her to give grace to my creative path

I have been gone so long figuring out my journey 

Why can’t I extend grace for her patience with my life journey?

We are both moving mountains on our journeys

My eyes have been open to her journey and all her moving puzzle pieces

Now, I understand it is not only me that needs to sort out and place pieces on our life journeys

What I know now,  

Sorting and placing our puzzle pieces with grace is needed 

I must lead with love on the journey back to her 

I am a work in progress

And, now I know  

The journey requires massive amounts of energy from the both of us

Please forgive me for not seeing you clearly

Your work is very important and it must be done

I will always strive to have peace within our home 

And promise to listen to your wants, needs, and desires 

Let’s meet in the middle of the circle of love 

Let’s strive for peace in our sacred place

Let’s have peace in the space of love  

I want to do life with you 

I would love to share my space with you

And, do everything necessary to keep peace, love, joy, safety, and abundance within our home 

Always knowing,

God knows all our life puzzle pieces, and how the pieces will be placed 

ART & LOVE 
BY LaToya D. Lee

She could not understand why it was necessary for me to be engulfed in my art work 

She could not understand why I could not separate from the creative work

She could not love me within the fullest of her heart

Because of the non-separation 

Still, I could not separate myself from the gift of creativity 

I could not explain to her why it was necessary for me to be one with my art work

I could not explain to her how my soul cried, knowing I could not do both

Love her fully and paint my pain on the world canvas 

Daily, my heart and soul is yearning to be near

To love her correctly 

Still, I cannot separate myself from the art work long enough to do so

Presently, I pray for her to have the love I could not give or show

Afar, I will love her during every moon

Not separating from the artist within me, caused me to miss out on a love of a lifetime 

Was she the love of my life? 

My mind wonder 

Did I choose this life of loneliness? 

Possibly 

What is the reality of not choosing art and love? 

You must live with the decision all the days of your life 

I have always known it was bigger than her and I 

But, I did not know this was how our love story would be read 

I could not separate from the artist 

Now, love has fleeted from my life 

I wish love would return to ‘The Artist’ who could not separate from her creative work

GEORGIA
BY LaToya D. Lee

Coming Soon ✨