Je t'aime...

As January becomes more than half old, I am forced to think of everythin but school and wedding details that have occupied my mind for the last two weeks. Now that Christmas and New Year's are over and my life has returned to some semblance of order, I find myself drawn to blog about the things I love about life. Some may be artistic and poignant, and others may be complete nonsense. Either way, they keep me from going insane.

1-- Art. What is not to love about art? I think you have to have an appreciation for the rich history that art represents as well as the mutlitude of emotions that it can elicit.

Monet's "Water Lilies". Is there a more classic piece of art than Monet's collection of impressionist paintings from Giverny? The use of light and color make paintings like this come to life. You can almost see the lilies moving on the water.

"Christina's World" by Wyeth. Is she looking towards or away from something? How accurately has he captured the pure starkness of the midwest and farmland. But also the underlying richness of the earth and the soil and the heritage from that part of the US.

I love that you can look at a painting at different times in your life and have it mean completely different things.

2-- Poetry. How amazing a gift when people can use words to mold and shape the feelings of others. Many of you may not know this, but I have a passion for poetry. I've even been known to pen a few poems in my day. My favorites would definitely have to be Sylvia Plath, Emily Dickinson and John Donne. But for your reading pleasure, here's a unique "Stofa" creation. Bear in mind that this is the first time I've posted any of my poems for popular reading.

Communication with a kiss,
digression of the human soul.
Feelings torture the pure heart inside.
Pressure of lips touching mine
enticing mixture of saliva
ignites the heat within my breast.
Feel it rage against
the rising tide of my distress.

Reason wars with passion.
Reason armed with sharp edged words
and cunningly disguised manipulating thoughts,
those vines that twist and change the landscape of my heart.
Passion equipped with fire
burns the path that the brain knows to reason.
Two halves of the same whole;
just two lives. Linked at the mouth,
joined by lust.
Transacting bodies, hearts, and minds
bought and sold with love.
Ghostlike forgotten emotions inhabit the mind’s lost reason,
haunting of the heart.

The world traffics in human emotions,
Barters for the feelings of desire and respect;
murky lines between the two
leave me bereft.
The empty shell of my heart
remains.
I can hear you echo off the hollow walls.

Communication with a kiss
jaded thoughts define the human condition.
Cursed with the thought of love
caught in our transactions.

3-- Laughter. Laughter is such a magical thing. I love to laugh! At life, at myself, more often at myself, but always to find some laughter, I think adds light to the bleakness we often find in this world.

When you have beautiful people in your life, I think it makes the whole bit easier.

4-- Family. My family is growing! I love the thought that in less than 6 months I will be welcomed into another family, will be welcoming others into my family, but will also be starting my own family. Families are crazy, insane collections of individuals that you have no ability to chose from, but that you learn to love, laugh, and live with. I love that families grow and continue to renew themselves, that they are not static but dynamic, and that they are always changing.