Short Stories With Poetry:
Volume 2
By: Michael Kamau
Copyright 2012
Short Stories With Poetry: Volume 2
First Story: Scotty Valentino
(poems)
1. A New And Improved Love Poem
2. Do I Love You?
3. Magic Is You
4. A Brand New Relationship
5. L-O-V-E
6. Love And Peace
7. Sexy Ghost
Second Story: The Potion Lady
(poems)
1. Her Given Name Is Inga
2. Ancestral Traveler
3. A Proud Little Farm Girl
4. I Humbly Give Thanks
5. Me And My Ancestor
6. Anger Must Be Controlled
7. Chief Winter Storm
8. I Could’ve Been A Writer
Third Story: Karla
(poems)
1. It’s Our Birthday
2. The Path Leading To Your Destiny
3. Children Of The Sun
4. Happy Birthday Grandpa
5. Do The Right Thing
6. Son Of Jenny
Fourth Story: Sensei Saul
(poems)
1. Winter Is Cool
2. Your Hero Will Find You
3. Will You Be My Hero?
4. Little Saul
First Story: Scotty Valentino
The Feminine Pride Book Club meet every first Tuesday of each month. Usually, steamy novels and Hollywood biography are the type of books they discuss. This month, they’ve agreed to try something different.
Victoria, the club’s organizer, stepped to the makeshift podium in her living room to introduce the surprise;
“Well ladies, we will explore a new genre this month. As you all know, the topic of love in the biographies we read as well as the novels we enjoy, is something we welcome with open hearts. This month, we will explore Love Poetry.”
“We have a special guest, and I can hear his car pulling into the driveway right now. He’s a poet who only writes of love. This month we will explore his latest love poetry book and allow him to recite a few selections.”
Because of conflicting schedules, only five members attended this month’s meeting. All five ladies looked toward the door when they heard the soft knocking.
Victoria walked over to the door, opened it and officially introduced their special guest;
“Ladies, please welcome, Scotty Valentino, also known as The Poet of Love.”
When they saw his six foot, two hundred pound muscular frame, each member stood and clapped. They admired his gentle smile which shinned through his neatly cultivated black and gray facial hair.
As each lady introduced herself, Scotty only noticed the forty year old, red dress wearing, Miss Mary. Her natural beauty and sexy essence were immediately noticeable. The Love Poet assumed Miss Mary to be approximately 5 foot 4 and she couldn’t have weighed more than 129 pounds. Miss Mary resembled someone he dreamed of just two weeks earlier.
The other ladies were Miss Mary’s best friend, Bella, their mutual friend, Katie and Victoria’s goddaughter, Sasha. Other than the twenty year old Sasha, the other ladies were slightly older than Miss Mary. Sasha and Miss Mary were the only unmarried women of the group.
After giving Miss Mary a personal hug, Scotty acknowledged the others with a gentle hand shake.
That’s when Miss Mary jokingly whispered a question to Victoria;
“Whose idea was it to bring this hunk to our meeting?”
Victoria, in a whispering tone of her own, answered;
“Believe it or not, my little brother, the detective, told me about him.”
In a very silly tone, Miss Mary jokingly said to everyone;
“Well, let’s give Love Poetry a try.”
The Love Poet proceeded to hand out autographed copies of his latest book: Poetry’s Favorite Topic in case they wanted to read along. Scotty Valentino did not stand at the podium. Instead, he sat in a comfortable chair as the book club members relaxed on two sofas.
Victoria nodded to their guest, suggesting that he should begin by formally introducing himself.
Just as The Love Poet began speaking, Miss Mary secretly wondered if Scotty Valentino could be her next husband;
“My name is Scotty Valentino, also known as The Poet of Love. It is my honor to be here with The Feminine Pride Book Club. I’m glad that your club organizer has finally accepted poetry as one of the genres you will now recognize.”
“Without further ado, I want to begin with a different kind of love poem.”
The Love Poet thumbed through his book until he reached the desired page and began reading;
(A New And Improved Love Poem)
“A new and improved love poem
for a twenty first century WORLD.
While sensuous bodies begin to twist and TWIRL,
it’s time for the kind of poetry
which will cause emotional feelings to SWIRL.”
“A hug and a KISS
are two of the special things
that lonely people MISS.
They see a falling star and secretly make a WISH.
On the other hand, LONELINESS,
for the enlightened individual,
is the solitary GIFT of quiet BLISS.”
“Yes, this love poem is new and IMPROVED.
Those who don’t know about love
need to go back to SCHOOL.
Utilizing harsh language
to hurt somebody’s feelings
are the actions of a FOOL.
Twenty first century romantics
need to learn how to keep their COOL.”
“Love is older than Adam and EVE.
Love is the relationship between colorful LEAVES
and one hundred year old oak TREES.
Love is a sensuous moment with your significant other, without any monetary FEES.
Love is the only element which will cause
a cold heart to UNFREEZE.”
“Love is a flock of beautiful birds flying HIGH.
Love is when tears of joy come forth
from your significant other’s
left and right EYE.
Love is the fuel which causes
our imagination to FLY.
A new and improved love poem is spoken
to verbally EMPHASIZE
that this particular human emotion
will always stand strong
and will never, ever DIE.”
After a very warm applause, Scotty turned a few pages and began to read another selection. This time, he put forth more emotion.
(Do I Love You?)
“Do I love when you hold me tight?
Of COURSE.
The tighter you squeeze,
more joyful tears come FORTH.
You are the rider, I am the HORSE.
Together we will ride
through all kinds of weather.
Our love is an undeniable FORCE.”
“Do I love when you kiss me?
The answer will always be YES.
Passion are among the things
humans need along with food,
clothing, shelter and REST.
When I was a lost bird,
you welcomed me into your NEST.
Now, I’m ready for the world.
With you by my side,
I’m finally able to set aside
my bulletproof VEST.”
“Do I love caressing your backside,
waist and hips?
I answer that question with a SMILE.
I adore everything about you.
I’ve always been extremely fascinated
by your one of a kind STYLE.
If your warm blood represented every body
of water, including the River NILE,
I will get completely undressed and try my best
to swim every single MILE.”
“To emphasis how much I care for you,
I must create poetic stanzas
energized by powerful VERBS.
When I was sick, sad and lonely,
your love provided medicinal HERB.
You once asked me;
‘Do I love you?’
I will try to put the answer into WORDS:
I love you just as much as
Mother Earth love squirrels and BIRDS.”
Miss Mary, though smiling, began to cry. When Scotty noticed her tears, he quickly turned to another selection in his book of love poetry and began to read even more dramatically.
(Magic Is You)
“Magic is believing that something miraculous could never happen, but it DID.
Magic is having your feelings hurt,
yet finding a way to FORGIVE.
Magic is looking into your lover’s eyes
while appreciating the fact that
your feelings are so SENSITIVE.”
“Magic is a cool, comfortable breeze,
blowing into your FACE.
No music is playing,
yet your cardiovascular drumbeat
synchronizes perfectly
with the rhythm and the BASS.
Magic is seeing a chocolate CAKE.
You do not have to indulge,
the enlightened mind is so powerful,
satisfaction comes by just imagining the TASTE.”
“Magic is seeing the elements of every season,
all in one beautiful DAY.
To help the listener along the WAY,
a Love Poet will sometimes blend
the elements of imagery
with the words he wants to SAY.”
“Magic is looking into a cloudy sky
and seeing baby BLUE.
Magic is wishing upon a star and receiving
a gift which is real and TRUE.
Before I created this poem,
I was searching for a CLUE.
As I began to write the very last line,
I realize that magic is YOU.”
Miss Mary’s tears slowed when Sasha held her. The Love Poet wanted to squeeze in one more poem before they pause for a discussion.
Scotty closed the book because the remaining poems he planned to recite, he has committed to memory. Besides, having free hands allows him to be more demonstrative while reciting.
As he stood, Scotty decided to properly introduce the next selection;
“Okay ladies, this poem is for those who are experiencing the beautiful feeling of infatuation. This is the feeling we get when we are involved in a brand new relationship.”
(A Brand New Relationship)
“I’m in a brand new relationship
and it feels so GOOD.
In fact, it feels better than
I thought it WOULD.
Birds, flowers and butterflies
are everywhere, because nature
is our new NEIGHBORHOOD.”
“There’s only one woman in my life,
I’ve learned to ignore all the REST.
Because of my new lover,
I’ve learned to give thanks
for the continuous beat of my heart
coming from within my CHEST.
This brand new relationship
is like a walk along the riverfront
where the water is clear and the air is FRESH.”
“What I’m feeling
is so much more than INFATUATION.
Even though we live in a NATION
where poor and working class folk
are forced to deal with
the rising tide of economic INFLATION,
me and my lover are free to share
blissful moments of sensuous SENSATION.”
“I love my lover, I love my LIFE.
Because of her, I’ve learned to
appreciate both a hot, Summer day
and a cool, Autumn NIGHT.
Sometimes love can awaken someone
with a burning flame of LIGHT.
I’m in a brand new relationship,
and it feels so RIGHT.”
Miss Mary began to cry once again.
The emotional book club member politely interrupted the quiet applause to compliment the poet;
“Your poems are so touching and so honest. And that last poem reminded me of how much I miss being in love. My husband was killed twenty four months ago and your poetry brought back many of the feelings we shared.”
The Love Poet sat on the sofa next to Miss Mary and said to her;
“If it’s alright with you and the rest of the book club, I would like to dedicate this next poem to you.”
Scotty held Miss Mary’s hand, looked into her eyes and rhythmically spoke;
(L-O-V-E)
“L-O-V-E is all about you and ME.
Our passion is both wild and FREE.
Even if we are no longer around
during the next CENTURY,
our great, grandchildren will be honored
to celebrate our one hundredth ANNIVERSARY.”
“You know that I love you.
It’s a phrase I don’t have to SAY.
But, for you, I will say it ANYWAY;
I love you when the sun is shinning
or when clouds are GRAY.
I love you every second of every minute
of every hour of every DAY.”
“L-O-V-E spells LOVE.
Even though we met at a sleazy NIGHTCLUB,
every kiss, every touch and every HUG
will catapult our spiritual ascension
to an atmosphere high ABOVE.”
“L-O-V-E is the number one topic
throughout the HISTORY of POETRY.
L-O-V-E governs the atmospheric existence
of every bird, squirrel, flower and TREE.
L-O-V-E stretches from the north to the south pole,
from sea to shinning SEA.
L-O-V-E is all about you and ME.”
Miss Mary began to cry and cry and cry. As Scotty held her tightly, the other ladies saw a side of Miss Mary they’d never seen. Bella has been best friends with Miss Mary for more than ten years and has never seen this side of her. Miss Mary has only been a member of the book club for six months. In those six months, Miss Mary rarely talked about the death of her husband.
Suddenly, honesty and anger took over. With a wet face from thousands of tears and a voice of fury, Miss Mary stood and yelled;
“I killed him! I killed him! That’s right, I killed my husband two years ago! That sucker cheated on me with a nineteen year old bimbo! I caught them in my bed and I killed both of them with a butcher knife! I killed my husband and his naked girlfriend! And if I had the chance, I’d do it again!”
Before anyone could do anything, Detective Derrick, which is Victoria’s younger brother and two uniformed, public safety officers smoothly entered the living room from the basement door where they were listening to the entire book club meeting through a hidden, audio surveillance device Scotty agreed to wear. They were waiting for a confession. And that is exactly what they got.
Only Scotty and Victoria were aware of the sting operation. Detective Derrick always believed that Miss Mary was the murderer of her husband and his mistress. Two years ago, investigators theorized that she hired a clean up man to make it look like a burglar did the dastardly deed. When Miss Mary was questioned, she claimed to have seen the assailant leaving the premises as she entered and found them dead. There was not enough evidence to convict her.
As Detective Derrick and the public safety officers escorted Miss Mary to the unmarked squad car which was parked two houses down, Victoria had a difficult time explaining to the remaining members of what just happened;
“When Miss Mary joined our club, my brother asked me to let him know if she gave any hints as to what happened to her husband the day he was killed.”
“At first, I didn’t want our club to be a part of such a stunt. But, when my brother introduced me to Scotty and shared his idea with me, I thought this would be the right thing to do. If Miss Mary killed her husband, she should be brought to justice. I was convinced that Scotty’s love poetry recitals would extract a confession. Scotty was willing to be bugged and it worked.”
Feeling very uncomfortable and somewhat betrayed, Bella and Katie decided to leave. Scotty was hurt when he realized they didn’t take their copies of his autographed books.
Although Victoria seemed sad, Sasha still wanted The Love Poet to read another selection.
Feeling awkward, it was only fair to explain to Victoria and Sasha why he agreed to take part in the sting;
“I started writing love poetry when I was twenty five. That was about twenty years ago. That was before independent authors could self publish on the internet. In those days, I sold copies of my poetry books from out of the trunk of my car. I never reported my earnings to the IRS. When they finally caught up with me, they said I owed more than fifty grand.”
“When Victoria’s brother asked me to do this, he assured me that my tax debt would be cleared. That was the kind of gig I couldn’t pass up.”
“Unlike Victoria, I didn’t think Miss Mary would confess today. I was willing to go on a date with her and continue to wear a wire until Detective Derrick got what he wanted. Please, don’t be mad at me. I’m just a struggling poet. Sooner or later my ship will come in. Until then, I will continue to write, type and recite Love Poetry. This is what I do.”
As the three of them sat, Sasha thanked Scotty for the explanation and asked if he could recite another selection from his book.
The Love Poet continued;
(Love And Peace)
“Love and peace makes
the world go AROUND.
With these elements in your heart,
your soul is definitely heaven BOUND.
Stand still in the middle of the forest,
listen to the SOUND:
The wind is beginning to gust,
which would indicate that rain
will soon come falling DOWN.”
“During the storm,
it is imperative that the true believer
maintain a constant level of love and PEACE.
We must learn to balance key ingredients
such as bitter and SWEET.
Mother Earth will continue to provide
food for all living creatures to EAT.
Rain comes from clouds above,
but nourishment comes out of the ground,
underneath our FEET.”
“Why do wrongdoers perform criminal ACTS?
Why do humanoid street gangs
gather in WOLFPACKS?
Meanwhile, honest people who try to live
a good life are forced to pay the piper,
as well as city, state and government TAX.
Listen closely as The Love Poet
carefully blend metaphoric verse
with actual FACTS.”
“Our habitual lifestyle created global warming
which has a negative effect on Arctic PARADISE.
In a materialistic society, we love fast cars.
On the other hand, penguins and polar bears
are in need of more ICE.
Creatures here in the Western Hemisphere
such as raccoons and field MICE
are counting on us to do what is RIGHT.
For love and peace to spread all over the globe,
true believers everywhere
must be willing to SACRIFICE.”
Sasha, smiling with joy, quickly stood and said;
“Wow! I’ve never heard poetry like that before. You’re mixing peace and love with global issues. You’re connecting other parts of the world with our situation here. I think that is ingenious.”
Before The Love Poet could thank her for the compliment, Sasha eagerly asked;
“Have you ever thought of going into the studio to record your poetry with music?”
Hunching his shoulders, Scotty simply said;
“Well, yeah. But, studios cost too much.”
Sasha, still excited, said to Scotty;
“My brother’s band is looking for something new. Their former lead singer signed a solo contract and abandoned them. The cool thing is, they have their own studio.”
Sasha quickly pulled out her cell phone to call her brother. After a short conversation, her brother wanted to hear one of Scotty’s poems. Sasha held the phone next to Scotty’s mouth and asked him to recite.
Thinking this could be his big moment,
The Love Poet breathed deeply and said;
“This piece is for a more mature listener. Based on a dream that I had a couple of weeks ago, I call this one, Sexy Ghost.”
(Sexy Ghost)
“Sometimes she appear to me
completely UNDRESSED
and her hair is a beautiful MESS.
Other times, she’s all made up,
wearing a skin tight, red DRESS.
When I come home late from work
she takes all my sexual energy
before allowing me to get some REST.
I’ve decided to write this rhyme
as a way to poetically CONFESS.”
“My secret is this;
I’m in love with a Sexy GHOST.
After a night of exhausting passion,
I’m enjoying orange juice and wheat TOAST,
still thinking of last night when my hands
were aggressively squeezing
her tender, rump ROAST.”
“She’s not with me all the time.
My Sexy Ghost comes to me
when I’m in NEED.
When I decided to be alone,
that’s when I subconsciously planted the SEED.
Now, whenever my sensuous self gets hungry,
my Sexy Ghost visits me so that I can FEED.”
“Whenever I ask her how she DIED,
Sexy Ghost immediately stops hugging me
and begin to CRY.
After I get on my knees to APOLOGIZE,
she quickly forgives me
and then she gives me all her goodies.
The ultimate PRIZE
is always somewhere INSIDE
those thick and juicy THIGHS.”
“I never, ever see her during the AFTERNOON.
She only comes to me when the sun’s light
is reflecting off of the MOON.
No longer do I suffer from symptoms
of depression, which exemplify
GLOOM and/or DOOM.
I’m in love with a Sexy Ghost
who only exist in my BEDROOM.”
Sasha handed the phone to Scotty.
After complimenting his poetry, Sasha’s brother asked;
“Can you come downtown in the morning to record with us?”