Here are a few of my recent portraits, all for friends here on myspace. I have done over 150 celebrities in the last ten years, but doing these for friends is always the most rewarding. This latest one (Make Art, Not War), was done as a gift for a poet brother for his close friend's birthday. So Happy Birthday Jazz! I hope you like it. I will include the original photograph that was used as a reference, so you get a good idea of my creative process.
Please let me know if I can do one for you. My prices to friends start at just $500 and include a 12 x 16" stretched piece of art on canvas that frames out very nicely!
Have a beautiful day. xo, Barto

the final art...



closeup of the details and brush strokes...



a framing sample....



the original photo used for reference....





and here are a few other recent pieces...







ps. I also just finished a painting for my new book cover (my default at the moment). I can do art for commercial uses too, so please keep me in mind for your other art needs. Thanks!

Here's one from Healing Hands. Blessings, Bart

Tears of the Angel

Faith comes when you need it most,
     Delivering hope when all seems lost,
When the machine falters in the ghost,
     Angels come to whisper an Earthly cost.

Our sacred temples are struck first,
     To remind us of the lesson in living,
The blessing of life is also a curse,
     To appreciate every moment's giving.

We must learn to rise above gifted pain,
     To bring serenity to our prayers unfurled,
Seeking the lessons inside our losing gain,
     Finding love to wage on the warring world.

So choose here in our golden meantime,
     To claim the boundless of heavenly peace,
Here in the love of our dancing sometime,
     Tears of the angel shall bless our release.

© bartoluciano

Please support my work by purchasing a book, CD or piece of art. thanks!

Here's are some of the new portraits I have been doing for friends. Please let me know what you think - and when I can start on yours (I'm running a special now of just $500 for straight paintings or $750 for a full creative illustration and painting (like the fairy ones shown below). I hope you are having a great week and ready for a wonderful independence day celebration this weekend!
Blessing, Bart









And here are a few images showing the process from rough composition to development before the final painting (just to see the process...

original photo....



original very rough concept....



developed concept before painting....



PS please do not use, reproduce or distribute any of these images without my permission. Thanks!

Here's today's piece and a few of the new portraits I have been doing for friends. Please let me know what you think - and when I can start on yours (I'm running a special now of just $500 for straight paintings or $750 for a full creative illustration and painting (like the fairy ones shown below). I hope you are having a great week and ready for a wonderful independence day celebration this weekend!
Blessing, Bart

from my new "love notes" book in the works....

Capturing Our Sunrise

Doubt now refuses my pen,
     Denial scrambling for new realities,
Tonight claiming our where and when,
     Daylight giving way to someday fantasies.

My words find no alternative,
     Than the true confession of love,
You are the heavenly reason I live,
     Everything my dreams are made of.

So come home to me now,
     With forever burning in your eyes,
Let tomorrow take it's closing bow,
     Midnight finally capturing our sunrise.

© bartoluciano

a couple recent portraits...





and a rough composition in development before the final painting (just to see the process...

original photo....



original very rough concept....



developed concept before painting....

this one is appropriate for Sunday, and anyday I'm seeking a little peace and faith...

Dancing Transcendence

Today I give up regret for revelry,
And take up the mantle of Christ,
     Carrying his burden, and his knowing
     Witnessing miracles, and his destroying,
Streaming his tears, and his peace.

I give in to faith, in him, in me,
Empowered by my forgiveness,
     Shedding my recklessness,
     Less in doubt and weakness,
Embracing joy and kindness.

Child of God, come walk with me,
Down a golden path to radiance,
     Where there is no possessing,
     Where there is no comparing,
Sparkling in glorious brilliance.

Dance in this moment of unity,
Touch soul-to-soul in celestial flight,
     Feel my love for you ever expanding,
     Grace reborn from our tender loving,
Hope bearing light from darkest night.

Fly on wings of ancient sanctity,
To a place of perfect acceptance,
     And pray for today’s resurrecting,
     Ascending with God to enlightening,
Inside our dancing transcendence.

© bartoluciano

...Have a brilliant day. I have been out playing, training and working in the great outdoors lately, so I'm waaaaaaay behind on here. Please forgive me. I will do what I can : ) Chasing the sun, Barto

I will be doing a radio interview tonight about my poetry and paintings. Please tune in @ 6 pm PST (9 on the East Coast). It will also be available to listen to anytime after the live streaming broadcast. Come join us : )

www.blogtalkradio.com/usmile

As always, input, comments, suggestions and encouragement welcome!

Here are a few poems I may, or may not be, reading....

FEARLESSLY YOU

There is a trembling from inside,
That takes you to a daily peace,
Where your work becomes pride,
And doubts of the world cease.

It is the gold of given choice,
You must claim early every day,
To strengthen your own voice,
And the wings to carry you away.

Flying seems an impossible chance,
When you look only to the ground,
As silence seems a golden dance,
When hopeless is all you've found.

So, answer to the voices deep within,
Pick your shining star and hold true,
Believe well before you even begin,
The meaning of life is fearlessly you.


BAREFOOT IN THE SAND

I pondered today on all of life’s costs,
Of the demands that drive us insane,
Then I thought of the friends I’ve lost,
And how none of those demands remain.

For the things they use to love most,
Were the things that never cost anything,
Things far from a cash flow whipping post,
Like the touching songs we use to sing.

But we all get caught up in this game,
Trying to pay for things we think we need,
Forgetting simplicity seeking grand acclaim,
Losing our child in life’s grown up greed.

So I will ask you to take a moment away,
To let slip the world and it’s shouting demand,
To let peace dance for a minute in your today,
Walk with me a moment, barefoot in the sand.


SO YOU CAN TAKE FLIGHT ONE DAY

Dreams make life worth living,
Though day may bring pain,
As you take your unique giving,
Rise and fall again and again.

Remember there is a grand plan,
Behind every breath you take,
A life you are meant to demand,
History you are destined to make.

But strength comes from striving,
Though you may seek only bliss,
Light comes from dark surviving,
Gifted in every day’s devilish kiss.

Lift up your faith in tomorrow,
Make hope the price you pay,
Stretch your wings against sorrow,
So you can take flight one day.


LIFE’S BEAUTIFUL ACCIDENT

Dress your body in unwavering belief,
Let Heaven’s light be your radiance,
Press your hope against all grief,
As your faith becomes brilliance.

Deep inside your beating heart,
Is the iron will to survive anything,
To see endless in every day’s start,
As your invincible spirit takes wing.

God gives us each just enough,
To make us stronger everyday,
A true stroke found in waters rough,
Wet kindling used to light our way.

For this is the rule of His perfect law,
That life must be wrestled from death,
We must learn to fight with a glass jaw,
Strive as if each were our last breath.

We cannot foretell our sunset goodbye,
But we can live each given moment,
To raise our vision to the infinite sky,
Run headlong into life’s beautiful accident.


MOONLIGHT SURRENDER

The distant stars dance promise in the night,
Taunting me with visions of love’s madness,
Your awaiting embrace grips me so tight,
In the wrong of your oh so right badness.

I walk my days in a midnight dream,
Lost in the perfection of this starlight bliss,
Every whisper turned to a wanting scream,
Needing a moment of lifetimes in your kiss.

The hours pass as the clock testifies in agony,
To the half-hearted smile of joy’s pretender,
The music of my soul yearns for this harmony,
When daylight need becomes moonlight surrender.


HOWLING AT THE MOON

I am drawn out by the evening air,
Called into the devouring twilight,
Pursuing your scent everywhere,
My visions piercing your midnight.

You beckon me into our tossing dreams,
Where we ravage desire with a savage bite,
Stalking the mists and wading your streams,
Atop the mountain we scream into the night.

My search is endless, scenting your trails,
Restless to feed and end this chase,
The taste of your flesh to dismiss my ails,
Growling passion reflected on your face.

Panting for your naked nipping need,
My desire comes like the wolf to you,
Our yelping yearnings begging to feed,
A fateful ending to our hunting debut.

Tasting your tender flesh, I am healed,
In passionate feasting we sway and swoon,
The wolf whimpers and love is revealed,
We fall together, howling at the moon.

© bartoluciano

I've had a few friends ask for poetry about forgiveness and working on relationships, so here's one of my classics about "hanging in there". Enjoy. And have a brilliant day. I'm feeling great with my latest triathlon training - carving away the winter pounds : ) Blessings, B

Yesterday's Tomorrow

I awoke this morning to yesterday,
     Still dancing with hope in my mind,
I tried to forget that incessant someday,
     But today's insight staggered blind.

I tried to put those dreams away,
     Marching into a day without you,
But my hope would not be swayed,
     Awaiting the dawn of our dream come true.

It seems I am completely lost,
     No matter how far I wander,
You are the price love has cost,
     My perfection to covet or squander.

So I will reach deep inside again,
     For the strength to risk sorrow,
You are my love, my life, my best friend,
     The reason I nurture yesterday's tomorrow.

© bartoluciano

PS I will be doing a radio interview tonight about my poetry and paintings. Please tune in @ 6 pm PST (9 on the East Coast). It will also be available to listen to anytime after the live streaming broadcast. Come join us : )

www.blogtalkradio.com/usmile

Here's a recent poem, and some samples of portraits I've been doing lately. Let me know when I'll be doing yours : ) (I'm running a special right now of just $500). Have a great Friday and a brilliant weekend.
xo, Barto

Your Immutable Inner Voice

There comes a moment in life,
     When you must choose,
To forever ask yourself why,
     Or take a stand and refuse.

The devil in others will try,
     To trade riches for your soul,
To let your conscience sit by,
     As you exchange truth for gold.

It is in that moment that life is made,
     A single decision that will haunt you,
Screaming out the price you paid,
     To sacrifice what you know to be true.

So take the greatest of care,
     To choose right when given a choice,
To take a stand then and there,
     Or silence your immutable inner voice.

© bartoluciano

A slideshow sample. For bigger images, see my new "Paintings: Friends" album...

a rainy day note slipped under her latté.....

Love's Crackling Insane

Take my hand and step into the storm,
Feel the cleansing rain pour down,
Ride the sky where electricity is born,
As closet-hidden temptations are drowned.

Rise to the heights of the angry sky,
Allowing yesterday's raging heaven its due,
Let time pass over us without asking why,
Holding hands as our sunlight breaks through.

Today the maddening clouds will part,
Leaving only the passion of the hurricane,
Crystal clear skies will calm our skipping hearts,
As parched lonely turns to love's crackling insane.

© bartoluciano

Support poetry, art and hope - : ) www.bartoluciano.com

Here are a few of my poems of the day. If you like these and would like to be added to my preferred reader list to have access to them everyday, you can either subscribe directly by clicking the link below (for about a nickel a day), or you can also get a free one-year subscription with the purchase of any of my products at www.bartoluciano.com
And for those who have purchased in the past, or are already close friends and do not appear to be on my Pref List, just drop me an email and I'll fix that right away : )
Thank you for supporting my work, Bart

Sample Poem of the Day - May 12, 2009

Have you ever written a poem you swear you have written before? Somewhere between deja vu and delusional, Bart : )

from the hope in my heart... and the muse that will eternally inspire me...

Our Everyday Delicious

Sunrise cracks a smile with your name on its lips,
     Fresh coffee's call banished by neckline perfumes,
Daylight clinging to our starlight as reality slips,
     Breakfast in bed as our fitful dream resumes.

I must insist we fill our days with ravenous love,
     Drinking in the joy of our moments together,
Feasting on the fantasies dreams are made of,
     Gasping need engorging itself on our forever.

Now take my hand as we let delay slip away,
     Let lightning touch to our troubled mischevous,
Escape with me to our midnight passion play,
     Lost in the moments of our everyday delicious.

© bartolucano

Sample Poem of the Day - May 19, 2009

Here is my latest piece. Thank you so much for supporting my work. Have an amazing day! xo, B

This Moonlight Madness

Sunrise finds a body battered,
     By the torment of midnight sin,
Piecing together a dream shattered,
     As depraved day struggles to begin.

Starlight has no mercy or reserve,
     Screaming its incessant urgency,
Delay gnawing on a patient last nerve,
     As need turns from desire to emergency.

Morning tries to assuage dark fears,
     Of a tomorrow that may never come,
A trembling transformation as sunrise nears,
     Of a final someday that refuses to succumb.

So let us dance when the stars are at rest,
     Drawing our dreams into daylight brightness,
Wrap your wanton midnight in its Sunday best,
     Kiss away my tears, and this moonlight madness.

© bartoluciano

Sample Poem of the Day - March 12, 2009

I have been painting like crazy lately. If you have a minute, please check out my new albums and let me know what you think. If you'd like one of the limited edition prints, or might want to commission a painting of any sort one day, please let me know. Proceeds from the paintings go to support the models and causes of the subjects.
Blessings, love and hope, Bart

One Wish Closer to You

A million midnights
     Have passed by alone,
A thousand crooked turns
     To finally come home.

To wrap you in my arms
     Is all I want to make right,
This one shooting star wish
     Bring life to dreaming nights.

Intrigued by dancing mind,
     Enraptured by twisting touch,
Chocolate kisses over porcelain,
     Begging more, then just enough,

We’ve finally got our hands
     On our sultry forever come true,
One day closer, one dream less,
     One wish closer to you.

© bartoluciano

Sample Poem of the Day - January 15, 2009

Here's one of my best (I think??). I have made a few more revisions, so please let me know what you think. Input, critiques and suggestions are always welcome.
Have a beautiful day, Barto

Weaving Sunshine from Silver Linings

Let the screams of a thousand murmurs softly explode
     In a rainbow of satin scents, amid run-amuck hesitation,
Let your fingertips wander starlight’s mother load,
     A labyrinth of dreams, turned to breathless realization.

Lost in a twilight of musty cologne and neckline nectar
     The storm will pass, in thundering eyes, electric nails,
Scripting eroticism with need as its only director,
     Bating every moment with vivid, panting details.

So drift into this sunset, beyond yesterday’s way,
     Dismissing nay-saying doubt, and can’t-be whinings,
Speak boldy what only your whispered dreams say,
     And come to me, weaving sunshine from silver linings.

© bartoluciano

Sample Poem of the Day - January 5, 2009

Life's Beautiful Accident

Dress your body in unwavering belief,
     Let Heaven's light be your radiance,
Press your hope against all grief,
     As your faith becomes brilliance.

Deep inside your beating heart,
     Is the iron will to survive anything,
To see endless in every day's start,
     As your invincible spirit takes wing.

God gives us each just enough,
     To make us stronger everyday,
A true stroke found in waters rough,
     Wet kindling used to light our way.

For this is the rule of His perfect law,
     That life must be wrestled from death,
We must learn to fight with a glass jaw,
     Strive as if each were our last breath.

We cannot say who will survive or die,
     But we can live each given moment,
To raise our vision to the endless sky,
     Run headlong into life's beautiful accident.

© bartoluciano

...I hope your new year is beginning just as planned (whether by you or His plan : ) God bless, Barto

Sample Poem of the Day - February 27, 2009

Have an amazing weekend. I'm off to fight dragons, scale walls and find my way home.
In love and light, Bart

Distant Captivity

You reach me from so far away,
     Holding me close, at arm’s reach,
But I cannot beg tomorrow with today,
     Or learn the lesson you will not teach.

I hold your beautiful face in my hands,
     Every night when I lay down alone,
Feeling your secrets no one understands,
     Letting your passions cut me to the bone.

Now my dreams are lost in this waiting,
     Only bitter delay tasting the best of me,
Caught in this every moment’s hesitating,
     Pounding my heart against distant captivity.

© bartoluciano

Sample Poem of the Day - December 17, 2008

Our Heart Song

Listen with me to the murmuring wind,
     To the gentle voices whispering there,
Far above life's soiled and sinned,
     Wings of love carrying us anywhere.

Allow those spirits to embrace you,
     In hushed tones of midnight wisdom,
Painting visions of our timeless truth,
     In the bed chamber of our kingdom.

In stillness we will explore passion,
     Quieting the noise of delay's wrong,
Dancing wildly in starlight fashion,
     Note for note, to our heart song.

© bartoluciano

...have a brilliant day. May the blessings of the season be yours, and love always. Dancing in your light, Barto

Sample Poem of the Day - December 12, 2008

Dancing On Sunshine

French kisses in silken, Italian whispers,
     Humming a tune of sadness turned about,
Riding boots laid beside glass slippers,
     Silence telling more than even a shout.

Far above the crimson, maddening crowd,
     Behind stone walls of smirking, iron will,
We dance to make only ourselves proud,
     And let the craziness of fools become still.

Weaving hope from despair's silver lining,
     Swaying as angels on our own cloud nine,
Forever right here in our eyes shining,
     Two lovers as one, dancing on sunshine.

© bartoluciano

...running with all the season's last minute details. Did I remember to get your gift? Hmmmmm..... : ) xo, Barto

Sample Poem of the Day - December 12, 2008

Deep In You

The angels sing sweet truth to me,
     Bidding me share with you my gold,
Step into the angel of your destiny,
     And see heaven each day unfold.

Banish the deepest cold of the night,
     Spinning the gift of your golden ring,
Coming to the knowing of your own light,
     Silenced by pain, but meant to sing.

If you come to see with these divine eyes,
     Death will have meaning, your life a cause,
Equality and joy shall paint your skies,
     Perfection dancing even inside our flaws.

So embrace your inner passion,
     Until the day your mission is through,
Light your fire in your own fashion,
     Blazing in the love found deep in you.


©2008 Bartoluciano
Please visit my poetry website at
www.bartoluciano.com

...I hope you had a great weekend. It was beautiful here, though a bit cloudy at the beach. Rushing with new projects and plans for the holidays.
Take a minute to breathe, count your blessings and gift yourself too - with peace, hope and the real spirit of this season – unconditional love.
Blessings, Barto


... and many more to come, if you'd like : ) Simply click the link below to subscribe directly, or purchase any one of the over 100 products from art and poetry to music.
Thank you!!!...

Friend Discount Ordering Page

I thought I would share some of the amazing gifts I have been given about the little songs that play in my head, and I am compelled to share with the world -

"After reading this creation from your heart it led me to your web site, where I became entranced with your work. It is all absolutely heart sung, thank you, for sharing your talent with a world that is in need of more passion, romance and pure heartfelt love."
~ Laura

"This book captures your being, a magnificent giant oak tree in my mind, where I go for rest and rejuvenation, as I bask in the light of your knightly wisdom. You radiate the light of love through language, flooding my heart through an awakened mind. You express the lovers silent pulsating passion such that one sighs and sinks into soulful ecstasy upon reading your poems. Ah, finally, someone understands what I feel and what love means to me."
~ Dominique

"Your poetry speaks to my soul, leaving me feeling a well-needed oneness with my own erotic, personal, and usually untapped, sensual desires. You carry me to twilight moments where I sway in the lingered suspense between reality and my deepest fantasies. This book is a delightful gift for anyone you wish to invite to a deeper, soulful relationship."
~ Jewels

"You have such beautiful thoughts and feelings. I know you'll go down in history as one of the greatest poets of all time."
~ Your Greatest Fan, Gloria

"It seems that amidst all the ugly and inhuman happenings in the world, you found a place that is sacred in its beauty and simplicity to share with the rest of us. Reading your poetry makes me believe that love - the glorious temptress that it is - full of sweetness and passion - can be touched and caressed to become part of me."
~ Wendy

"Your words are like food for the lover's soul. Keep sharing your gift with the world that suffers and needs constant reminder that love really will prevail. May you always live in light, love and abundance. Namaste."
~ Mary

"Your work is amazingly beautiful and full of warmth. I feel like you are writing them just for me. You make me dream of the possibilities of a deep, maddening love out there somewhere waiting for me. You make me dream of fairy tale romance, endless passion and divine light."
~ Melony

"You have touched me in so many ways! Words can not describe how you make me feel. It is amazing how many feelings you can have for someone in just words. You have brought tears to my eyes!"
~ Alicia

"Dearest Bart, I really can not find just one word to describe what I think and feel about your book. It was beautiful, touching, moving, romantic, sensual, passionate, and so much more. I could almost feel the passion in your soul when you first wrote those words. I got a wonderful feeling inside while I was reading it. You are a truly beautiful man with a very deep and beautiful soul."
~ Anonymous

"Dear Bart, I have been reading, and I think I have been treated by your words. I am spoiled with your thoughts and now spoiled for anything less."
~ Anonymous

About my second book, Gentle Moments of Flight...-
"The words that drip from your pen, drip as tears from my eyes. I am touched so deeply. Your words inspire the spirit in me, reaching out to touch my very soul. I lose myself in your words and know that true love, divine connection and radiant forever are all right here for me to embrace and breath into my life. You bring my wings up to fly like no one else can. Aya!?
~ Tina

"This poetry is very different than most love poems. This is more like romantic and passionate poetry! Your poems are always positive, sweet and warm. When I read it, its becomes very personal. I can relate to exactly what your saying. Your writing makes me feel special and loved. It brings a warm glow to me every time I read one."
~ Kristen

"Experiencing your music is one of my rare moments in heaven, one of total peace, relaxation, and soul stirring, which exhilarates me. You have sent me gifts that are unique, irreplaceable, gracious."
~ Sezanne

"Your songs tenderly touch my soul and reawakened all that is golden in me; veils drop from my eyes upon reading your words, and I see heaven is all around me. I wish every human heart to sing as your heart sings within your gentle moments of flight."
~ Dominique

"Your passion for love and life itself comes alive in your work. You are an exquisite. Someone who can find so many words and ways of expressing such an immense emotion.... talent... true talent. Heartfelt and invigorating I appreciate you sharing your works with me. I wish you all the best and can say nothing more than to keep that fire alive."
~ Denise

"You are one special person. I cant again thank you enough for everything that you, and your expressive writings have done for me. In this big old world its hard to connect with someone that has the strength, creativity and humbleness that you have."
~ Laurie

"Your works are truly inspiring. A genuine quality of lifting the heart to a higher place that most cannot express, much less put into words so eloquently. Your poetry makes a lady want to cuddle up and listen to you all night. Never lose faith. Your work is truly special."
~ Sherry

And about my third book, Tears of Ecstasy...-
?Your words ignite my souls womanly fires, stirring a deep desire for all that is great in love and passion. Your swaying songs make me believe that my dreams are attainable, guiding me to them with a hand that is at the same time soothing and electric to the body and soul. The world is truly blessed to revel in your talent. You are a prince of light and love!??
~ Dana Rose

"Your poetry dances through my mind, mirroring my own thoughts and dreams. Your profound words take my breath away and make the hair on the back of my neck stand up, my heart racing every time I read them. Your special and unique sentiments lift from the page and penetrate straight to my soul. I am lost in your world and my heart thanks you for your harmony and your depth. I will forever feel you deep inside me."
~ Ceata

"Your poetry makes me feel so deeply. As a woman, I do not want to be an object, and yet I know my smile, the swivel of my hips and sway of my breasts, make mens mouths water for a taste of me. The tears of ecstasy that flow upon reading your words command me to release the erotic creature deep inside me. True love is understanding and you understand the pain and pleasures of love like no other"
~ Countessa

"We are ruled by emotion and your poetry sings to the heart. Such things deserve quiet moments to be cloaked and reflect. It is refreshing to see that you have taken the realities of the paths you have walked, and remember them fondly."
~ Patricia

"Your poems were breathtaking and so romantic. Any woman would love to read them, each poem unique in it's own way. Some bring joy, some bring tears, and some just make you feel the ecstasy of your gentle touch. They capture every feeling a woman has!"
~ Lehua

"These poems make me wish there was someone out there who loved me so much. I love them all!"
~ Lori

"You are very well blessed and talented. Keep going on with the gift that God has placed in you! It's a wonderful thing to know your purpose in life, and you've certainly found yours."
~ Annie

And about my fourth book, Whispers of True Love...

"Your lyrical magics nourish me. What a wonder to befriend a renaissance man, a fellow romantic, a white knight... a kindred spirit! Your passionate prose has roused this woman's love-starved heart from quiet slumber, to the Wonder of loves possibilities. What a pleasure to hear your readings, to feel your passion, to imagine loves reality in your writings."
~ Lisa

"Your whispers speak to my searching soul, its need, its loss, its doubt. Your words embrace me and bring me home to the radiance of Love Divine, a love from deep in the heart. This book of poetry dares true love to dance in the light, blending and melding in the incredible magical enchantment of two souls eternally united. You give me hope and reassurance."
~ Nichole, Anxious Bride

"Bartoluciano, this book is a perfect resource for planning a wedding ceremony or finding ideas for toasts, readings and vows. It is a treasure, perfect as a wedding present or shower gift. Readers can give it to a couple, share it with their special someone, or gift it to themselves, reveling in the essence of true love."
~ Michelle, Wedding Planner

And about my Musing by Email...

"Sweet Prince, Your words have made me cry, not tears of sadness but of joy and hope. I was feeling very lonely, but even though you are so far away, you are also very close by. Thank you for the sweet and kind words that have made me feel so hopeful once more."
~ Elizabeth

"Such beautiful songs!!! Thank You for bringing tears to my eyes today and reminding me that there are beautiful people in the world full of love and hope."
~ Dana

"Every time I read your poetry I stop everything and it takes me minute to regain my composure and let the feelings die down inside. I don't know how to quite explain the sensations that flow through me. You create a fantasy, a dream that I truly believed was no longer in me. You speak a whole different language of kindness!"
~ Jenny

"I'm pleased you decided it would be worth the time it takes, to give pleasure to so many. Time can be so hard to come by and not always easy to give freely.
The songs and poems been have that given to you as gifts to share, mean something different to each set of eyes that read them. Remember, live's can be changed by such simple things such as words. Someone who had given up on love or life may begin to believe again, just because you decided to post your Arts again.
Just reminding you that what you do matters!! "
Smiles and Laughter, Laura


"Your poetry is absolutely beautiful! BEAUTIFUL! Coming from a powerful, empowered Soul =) You have wonderful messages of wisdom and experience to share with so many ... messages that cause other's hearts to SOAR FREE with an acceptance and belief in their own unique and original TRUTH!"
Shannon

Susan P.

God, that is so beautiful, Bart!

Edith

Again and again you always mesmerize me
with beautiful words in your poetry.

It reminds me of the days of the Knights of the Round Table
during King Arthur's era.

If a Knight wanted to conquere a Lady's heart he would tell her
the most passionate words ever.

I wish those days would be back.

Men now a days have lost complete romance in the relationship.

Thank you for always charing your poetry.

With love, your friend Edith.


lana deym campbell

Very sweet...and insightful...love that last stanza! Good wisdom~!

xo
Posted by lana deym campbell on May 4, 2008 4:53 PM 

PINKIE

Bart I really love this one thanks cindy

debbie

I really like this. thanks for sharing your gift with the world. i hope you have a good night and weekend. Deb
Posted by debbie on May 4, 2008 4:56 PM

MistressMary

YOU ARE SO AWSOME.. GREAT WRITE, VERY STIRRING.....SPIRITUAL...
YOUR NUMBER ONE FAN...MARYANNE
Posted by MistressMary on May 4, 2008 4:57 PM

LIVING MY LIFE FOR ME!!!!

I would have love for David to have gotten to read this one because it was and is us. Thank you very much this one will help me through another day. Norma
Posted by LIVING MY LIFE FOR ME!!!! on Apr 17, 2008 9:40 AM 
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dawnmarie

awwwww wow i just loved this piece... very moving and honest .... a wonderful write :o)
Posted by dawnmarie on Apr 17, 2008 5:51 PM


JoHee PoeTry - youtube.com/johee626

WOW very well said ;) nice write!
Posted by JoHee PoeTry - youtube.com/johee626 on Apr 13, 2008 9:09 AM 


♥ ♥ Stephanie that's me ♥ ♥

Beautiful!
Posted by ♥ ♥ Stephanie that's me ♥ ♥ on May 4, 2008 12:07 PM 

Kirsten

jUST bEAUTIFUL, I hOPE YOU ARE ENJOYING YOUR NEWLY MARRIED LIFE~kNOWING THAT SHE IS ONE YOU COULDNT LIVE WITHOUT.... hUGS TO YOU bARTO
Posted by Kirsten on May 4, 2008 12:13 PM 

Vesna

Indeed, a splendid piece..truly exceptional..I have saved this one ..love it!
Thank you Bart!

Vesna

SusanB - Morganlafey

A positive view that all of us need to be reminded of often. At least I do. I really enjoy your writing and I plan to return often!! Kudos. ~Susan

RollingThunder02~Fade to Black

Wonderful write! Holds true on many levels.

:o)
Posted by RollingThunder02~Fade to Black on Aug 5, 2008 2:21 PM

ANNA TWISTED

Very inspirational!
Posted by ANNA TWISTED on Aug 6, 2008 8:05 AM

We are off to kayak at the ocean today for my son's birthday. I hope your week is going great too. God bless, Bart
This one is appropriate, and always a good message (especially for myself : )

SusanB - Morganlafey

This is wonderful. What a great reminder of what is important in life. Excellent.
Posted by SusanB - Morganlafey on Aug 6, 2008 10:11 AM

LIL~SUGAH~

A perfect reminder to not let any time slip away. Take advantage of every moment you have. Love this uplifting write!
Posted by LIL~SUGAH~ on Aug 6, 2008 7:13 PM

SuperGirl Forever

HI BART...
THANK YOU FOR THE POEM TODAY....yOU KNOW WHAT MATTERS MOST IN LIFE....YOU'RE AN AMAZING MAN WITH MUCH INSIGHT,DISCERNMENT AND WISDOM...GOD IS BLESSING YOU AND YOURS BIG TIME!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO TRISTEN...I'M SURE U GUYS ARE HAVING CRAZY FUN!!! TALK TO U SOONER HA!
HEY IF YOUR CASSIDYS FRIEND SHE SENT OUT A BULLENTIN WITH HER NEW SONG IT'S NOT FINISHED YET BUT WHEN I GET THE CD I CAN'T WAIT FOR U TO HEAR IT....Sg
Posted by SuperGirl Forever on Aug 6, 2008 7:48 PM

~Willow~

You have such a wonderful talent my friend...Thank you for sharing it with all of us. Your words are always inspiring and touch the heart...Blessings always~Willow~
Posted by ~Willow~ on Aug 6, 2008 9:02 PM

Yvonne

Beautiful!!!!!
Namaste Yvonne

SusanB - Morganlafey

Hello my friend, this is a very romantic and beautifully composed poem. ~Susan
Posted by SusanB - Morganlafey on Aug 7, 2008 12:45 PM

LIL~SUGAH~

The whole poem is wonderful...but I just love this line...

"Find your heaven in our whimsy"

Love it!
Posted by LIL~SUGAH~ on Aug 7, 2008 7:22 PM

JuicySweet (FlexWriter)

Awwww so BEAUTIFUL!!!!
Posted by JuicySweet (FlexWriter) on Aug 8, 2008 7:09 AM

Graced out

Wow, wow, wow. Stunning. Painfully romantic... If only!

Posted by Graced out on Aug 8, 2008 12:04 PM

waterfalls buns and gardenia's

YEAH! 
I've got to say- you are sweetly comparable to one of my all-time favorite poets ~ Pablo Neruda. Passionate glory! This is insanely sweet! Glad to BE HERE, finally :-)

Cheers,
Marguerite
Posted by waterfalls buns and gardenia's on Aug 9, 2008 10:26 A

Rhymesoulnice

really enjoy this piece
Posted by Rhymesoulnice on Aug 8, 2008 9:51 AM

Faith

Simply Soaring....Wandering you will not be for much longer...just simply soaring. Wait paitiently dear friend. Like the Eagle that flys in a holding pattern to go at the right moment in time. Beautiful Poem Bart. Have an abudantly blessed weekend dear friend.

In His Sweetest Amazing Grace,
Faith
Posted by Faith on Aug 8, 2008 11:25 AM

Graced out

'and wrung wisdom from eyes pouring'
You are like a magician of words... I am in awe xxx
Posted by Graced out on Aug 8, 2008 12:10 PM

Artist, Author, Remie James

Very thoughtful
Posted by Artist, Author, Remie James on Aug 10, 2008 8:59 AM

Eileen's Sober Insanity...

love it ;)
Posted by Eileen's Sober Insanity... on Aug 14, 2008 8:42 AM

SusanB - Morganlafey

Hi Bart: There is nothing better than being in love. Beautiful write. Have a great weekend. ~Susan
Posted by SusanB - Morganlafey on Aug 9, 2008 11:32 AM

Darra

Lovely write!...Eloquent
Posted by Darra on Aug 9, 2008 3:45 PM

AngeliqueDiabla

The heat...the passion...the emotion that is captured between two people in love...it was beautiful...
Posted by AngeliqueDiabla on Aug 9, 2008 7:24 PM

Half Pint

Very nice :) So sorry about u'r drama in u'r life gb and have a good week Bec
Posted by Half Pint on Aug 10, 2008 2:11 PM

Metaphysical Sciences

That was very beautiful, your work is great. Keep on doing what you do best.
-THE UMS TEAM.
Posted by Metaphysical Sciences on Aug 12, 2008 5:

Gracy Goddess Of Light & Dreams

A Beautiful poem Bart.
Posted by Gracy Goddess Of Light & Dreams on Aug 12, 2008 10:26 AM

Eileen

Beautiful sentiment, lovely words.
Posted by Eileen on Aug 12, 2008 10:40 AM

SusanB - Morganlafey

Very tender poem.
Posted by SusanB - Mor

10K Poets

a very good poem
Posted by 10K Poets on Aug 12, 2008 4:04 PM 
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♥ ♥ Stephanie that's me ♥ ♥

Another great write! 
I hope your feeling better and please becareful. Same thing happen to a good friend of mine a couple years ago but he wasn't so lucky.. Have a blessed day my friend..
Stephanie
Posted by ♥ ♥ Stephanie that's me ♥ ♥ on Au

Susan P.

As Always, Bart, you have a way with words!

I wish you well! Hang in there!
Posted by Susan P. on Aug 13,

lana deym campbell

Sorry about your accident...it is always such a shock! 

Super poem composed as a result! Things happen to make us think, to challenge, to guide directions...you have nailed it with this one!

xo
Posted by lana deym campbell on Aug 13, 2008 9:32 AM

SusanB - Morganlafey

Well stated. I also believe that we hold the key, more times than not, to our own healing, both physically and emotionally. (I say this as a cancer survivor. I really did feel it was in my hands).

Beautiful, my friend.
Posted by SusanB - Morganlafey on Aug 13, 2008 4:31 PM

~Pamela~

I LOVE THIS........
Posted by ~Pamela~ on Aug 15, 2008 9:17 AM

Gretchen

You are amazing! I love this one too!! Im gonna post on my page
Posted by Gretchen on Aug 15, 2008 10:21 A

Moonbeam

Bart, Just lovely.... 
Sending healing light your way sweetie, hope all is better soon...
Take care,
Namaste, Maryanne
Posted by Moonbeam on Aug 15, 2008

Eileen

I have just started learning the joys of writing with this type of passion. Though I have been writing and have been published since 1974. Romance had eluded me until now. Yours is enchanting I hope mine is as endearing.
Posted by Eileen on Aug 16, 2008 9:21 AM 
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~Pamela~

beautiful......
Posted by ~Pamela~ on Aug 16, 20

WORDMACHINIST*

Love your way with words, man...you rock, Barto!
Posted by WORDMACHINIST* on Aug 16, 2008

SusanB - Morganlafey

I especially liked the last stanza. It is so beautiful!! Kudos.
Posted by SusanB - Morganlafey on Aug 16, 2008 4:15 PM 
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A treat!!

Susan P.

God, that is so beautiful, Bart!
Posted by Susan P. on Aug 18,

Edith

Again and again you always mesmerize me
with beautiful words in your poetry.

It reminds me of the days of the Knights of the Round Table
during King Arthur's era.

If a Knight wanted to conquere a Lady's heart he would tell her
the most passionate words ever.

I wish those days would be back.

Men now a days have lost complete romance in the relationship.

Thank you for always sharing your poetry.

With love, your friend Edith.

Very Nice Bart:) Ummm any yummy tomatos??? I could eat those for a meal:) YUMMO! Blessings dear one...be rolling down the interstate tomrrow...woooo hooo!!! Got the Butterflies dancing like crazy in my tummy.
Posted by Faith on Jul 18, 2008 8:48 AM

Anne Violette

This is exactly how I feel this week. You have captured the feeling of frustration and imminent confusion; yet with an awareness of knowing it doesn't matter because when you have someone who loves you then it makes all of the bad things that happen (ie - problems, situations, etc) then everything is going to be OKAY. 

Very nice!
Posted by Anne Violette on Jul 19, 2008 9:21 AM

Lady J. Fingertips

Very nice work.
Posted by Lady J. Fingertips on Jul 19

Faith

Nice:) Exceptional Work...just looks wonderful. Look forward to go seeing it in person. The one of Brad is really fabulous. Look forward to seeing Angelina:) Amazing Job...just love it!

Cathy

Incredible work! Where is this entertainment complex? I was just curious! Really great work!
Cathy

Bruise Violet

A wonderfully passionate poem, hungry yet tender...and the art is amazing.
Enjoy your breather, you've earned it :-)
Posted by Bruise Violet on Aug 3, 2008 4:17 AM

TheOriginal LinDA..

Welcome back my friend. This is a great poem.

Suzanne

Hey welcome back! Its great to see you again. This was an absolutely lovely poem today, thank you very much!
Posted by Suzanne on Jul 8, 2008 12:52 PM
~MASSEUSE~

oh don't we all know that curse!!!!
Posted by ~MASSEUSE~ on Jul 8, 2008 12:53 PM
Colleen

"The return road to mediocre is hard to travel,
When you crave the edge of love's fear,"

oh yeah... its a curse for sure!
Posted by Colleen on Jul 8, 2008 12:53 PM

candy

Very true.. may seem like a meaningless responce. But if you read my latest Blogs you will see there is more to the Curse.
Posted by candy on Jul 8, 2008 12:54 P

lana deym campbell

A poem with warnings....it has been a long time that I have seen that! Passion is double edged...so many broken hearts out there. Yet, do we really live without our passions?

A thought provoking write!

xo

The Perfect Jewelry is trying to fix deleted site

This is beautiful. I have been feeling this way and I was looking for words. Poems like this should keep your spirits UP faith and hope unseen by those who choose to look away is their fault not ours.
Posted by The Perfect Jewelry is trying to fix deleted site on
lana deym campbell

Another lovely write, so enjoyed :) - uplifting as usual. You do give so much...sorry that you will be away. Hope all is well with you (do not get your "The drama has shaken me to the core." 

In any case, have a good rest and a wonderful time away. 

xo
Posted by lana deym campbell on Jul 8, 2008 9:41 AM

TheOriginal LinDA..


This is a beautiful poem..YOU ALL will be missed.

Barry
You are always working so very hard to inspire and encourage others Bart. Some are blind to true love my Brother of peace and light. In the vision of respect for our Ancient bones, the wild Earth born marks of tragic pain will not be shed upon the sullen weeping trail compassed by this falling sleep...

No mask of indifference rules this torrent of truth. Vivid In the art of all life what brilliance in peace suffers in such sweet victory? You are a giver and place kindness above their jealousy.

I Ask them while in their frozen stance shallow and bleeding in judgement over those of courage bearing the torture in some sorted silence. Why hurt a scribe of passion?
See their ruthless and brutal skeletons reek of spiritual starvation as they linger modeling their surface as if it will last...they should watch more carefully the powers of their so called friends always pointing the stone throwing finger...where is the compassion for more love and the gifts of friendship? 

Poet !! Raise your voice even higer oh sheltered soul and seek the screaming voice within!! Sing oh crafting heart with great strength, so all may witness the fortitude within your living passion. We need your words of wisdom Bart !!

Each spirit of nature seeks their time in the sun though darkness walks with us transforming the wilting shadows. It is this shining path we choose for new creations that our unity in hope may rise above in sight to view that which cannot be impostered or owned....Look in splendor as a falling star upon that place we land in raging surrender...
Drink humbled in the magic of streams and feed from the fodder gifted by service in soil and sky. Touched majestic the high rising summit by sacred winds of eternal grace...

Elders of medicine migrate to the desert sands by the ice and snow and allow all life to absorb the ocean of wisdom by rain. Become a song of nature reaching out, connecting always to heal and encourage beyond all reason boundless creatures living in the orbit of this human cage...waisting not this pause of time we have chanced for a treasure to glimpse all life by beauty, love and peace. It is always the purpose of choice that spiral's all life in limitless direction. Yours leads to castles of peac and a community of living Love !!

I stand with you always my Brother ! Back to Back !! 

Kicking Bear Barry
The Eccentric Poet
Posted by Barry on Jul 8, 2008 9:43
Silent Dreams

Beautiful. :)
Posted by Silent Dreams on Jul 8, 2008 12:15 PM

Indigo Storm© - Lady Eros®


what a beautiful piece! I am sorry to hear that you are having to go....drama will do that here unfortunately...

My prayers and wishes for many many blessings to you and yours luv

~Carolanne

Colleen

I hope you get back to posting your poems soon! this was incredible and I would love to read more!!
Posted by Colleen on Jul 8, 2008 12:43 PM

lana deym campbell


Very sweet...and insightful...love that last stanza! Good wisdom~!

xo

PINKIE

Bart I really love this one thanks cindy

debbie


I really like this. thanks for sharing your gift with the world. i hope you have a good night and weekend. Deb

YOU ARE SO AWSOME.. GREAT WRITE, VERY STIRRING.....SPIRITUAL...
YOUR NUMBER ONE FAN...MARYANNE

This poem really got to me.
I use to listen to the son " one day at the time sweet Jesus" and it helps me
Exactly like this poem....now i will read it every day

thanx so so much

love Ullis

"You've Done It Again!~ Your words shattering down on my morning. SWEET, SWEET BLISS!
THANKS SO VERY MUCH!
~ Marguerite

How incredible you are!I can't find words to match the challenge you have right now. The friend you lost is the amazing friend you could rely on. I need to fill you right now with love, hope, happiness, forgiveness, no one can eat this........I'm still thinking
~ Lucy

"Im suprise you do not write romance books, staying on point as you do everyday...true love seems magical in being but it just takes work, lol
~Flojah

"SUCH GREAT TALENT... BRINGS A SMILE TO MY FACE EVERY TIME I READ YOUR WORK~ YOU ARE TRULY AMAZING!!!
~ Gretchen

"I love this, and it is exactly what i needed to read right now, like you had looked into my soul :) Makes perfect and simple sense, and written with perfect and beautiful words :) Thanks Bart.
~Nicki

"Beautiful metaphors and sentiments. Such a pleasure to read.
~Debbie

"I don't read everything you post. So why is it that the rare few times I have, the words touch me at the most perfect time. Keep it up...I love what you do and more importantly, so do you.
~AC

"Beyond the flames of desire... luvit as always Bart! I MUST do some book ordering at soonest!
~ Angel

"An absolutely wonderful and priceless poem, full of meaning. Keep up your wonderful work. I absolutely love your poems. I am going to buy the book. Keep up your good works.
~ Some Days Are Weird Like That

"Dear Barto, I just read this poem this morning, and thanks to your poem's words,
i feel that my soul became stronger, and the same thing with my faith. Thank you for your kind heart. God Bless you always my dear friend. And also my God bless your family as well.
With love, your friend Edith.

"Lovely. I think that all of us have shared these feelings at some point in our lives, the memory of a blissful encounter that overshadows everything we do and the agony of the ticking clock measuring our brief time together. Thank you for posting this, Bartoluciano.
~ Ann B. Keller, author

"I love it when you combine romance, sensuality, spirituality and poetic prose......it is when you are most secure in your own infinity......
Hope you are up and running track again soon.......movement of the body is as good for the body as a moving soul is for the spirit.......
Oh, to practice what I preach...........in my "truth spinning standing still".
~ earth2linda

"I like them both, but one line in the romantic one just captured me...
"Your easy smile becomes my best friend."
So I vote for the romantic version...
Both are excellent writes!
~ LIL~SUGAH

"You always amaze with your writing capability. Two great poems, I can not decide which one I like best.
My god bless you and your family, and get better soon honey.
~ Tamm

"Bart, this quest is so personal to me. Your quote: "This and everyday I will rise in prayer, Knowing that the choice is always mine, To live in yesterday's screaming anger, Or claim the joyful life I wish to define." hits home for me. Yesterday is the past...now is the present and I choose to fill my life with beautiful people, such as yourself! You are an angel put on earth - thank you for all the generous gifts you share! :)"
~ Christine

"I have thanked God for you and I want to thank you again. You bring so much light and happiness into my life. Hope and acceptance spawns from warm loving feelings. As a terminal patient we struggle at times with hope. But I think God has brought you and a few others into my life. I know few people as happy and blessed as I am. May God continue to bless you. He certainly was loving when he gave you so much beautiful talent. Not to mention that you face and eyes give you away as a very tender loving person."
~ HUGS Sunni

"Hi my friend. I hope you understand my bad english, I read your poetry ewery time I open Myspace, and I like it. I dont remember if I have told you that I woork at an christian rehabiliti home for alkohol and drog abuser..s, and I try to finde somthing posetiv and beutyful every day to give to them, and I like to ask you if it's allright with you that I translate som of your poetry to gove to them ? As you know we have a diffucol time in Iceland now and need every positiv seed ve get to make it grow. We dont know if we maby have to close our activity, corse of the ekonomi, but the need is mutch and our waiting list for thos ho like to kom to us is abaut 80 peapol and it means thei have to wait for 3 months, so I..m doing ewerything I can to make it brighter for those ho can make it."~Ásdís

I get a lot of requests for my own tips on writing a good poem, so I thought I'd repost this one and the interview that went along with it. Thanks to my friend Wes who did this original interview last year.
Please feel free to offer me your own tips and let me know what you think. Blessings, B

Here are my general tips:

1. Have one central theme
2. Focus on a common sentiment
3. Include interesting details that develop the storyline
4. Use a consistent format/meter throughout
5. Use language in a new or unusual way - metaphors, irony or details that are unusual or compelling
6. Make symbolic connections and develop them throughout
7. Convey a lesson or elicit reader reaction
8. Make sure it "breathes" - raw and real
9. Avoid cliches and predictable or forced rhyme
10. Speak from the heart about something you know well
11. Create an ironic or compelling title

And the interview that included them....

You're 40 now, how old were you when you first took up creative writing, and what first inspired you?

I have been writing my whole life. As with many writers, a kid lost in books of fantasy as a child. I first started connecting with poetry in the chapter headings and bits of poetry scattered through these books, mostly the heroic fantasy writings of CS Lewis, JRR Tolkein and Robert E. Howard. I became those characters and in time developed a real respect for the poetry there - the ability to share a story or give a taste of an upcoming chapter in a small space. I started journalling, writing creative phrases on scraps of paper and heading all my short stories and miscellaeous writings with little poems. It wasn't until high school, though, that anyone noticed my work or encouraged my writing. I had a phenomenal english teacher encourage me, and even though I went onto UCLA to study aerospace engineering originally, she said I would become a well known poet or novelist one day. I guess Mrs. Perry knew how to spot desire in a young heart, haha. I always kept journals and those same scraps of paper, and when the desktop computer came along, I started organizing them into my master catalog back in '86. It was just a hobby, but I think I got a few pieces published here and there in the Daily Bruin and other college rags, mostly hidden in the other "official" writing I did as a reporter and contributor. I went into advertising and copywriting as a career and used my writing gifts to help clients tell their product and service stories. Headlines are like little poems, you know, haha.


At what age did you publish your first set of works, what inspired you at the time not only in your writing, but to take the steps to have your work published?

I wrote a lot of poetry in high school and may have gotten into the school paper, got a few miscellaneous things into my college pubs, but not until I was in my thirties did I submitt a few things and get published. It took way too much work to submit and get paid nothing so I gave up. It wasn't until my thirties when I learned to do websites, that I created my own poetry website and started sharing my poems over the net directly with family, friends and fans of my work. I built up quite a following through emails and my website that way, then when I got on Myspace a couple years ago, with its bulletins and blogs, my readership really soared and the "chap books" I had put together myself (as a graphic designer that was relatively easy to do) really started selling. After talking to some other publishers and seeing how little money you made on each book sale, I decided to start my own publishing company and sell my books over the net directly. Since then, I have brought other poets into my company, written for nationally distributed authors and continue to add new books all the time. I get reviewed quite a bit now and am pretty highly rated on blog anod other poetry sites. I try to drive everything back to my website and my myspace page. Again, the margins and fan base management work out the best that way. I now have seven of my own books, with hundreds of other products from framed poems to t-shirts, text message distibution and even screensaver programs with my work displayed that way. My popularity has also helped promote my traditional artistic work as a painter, graphic designer and editor.

Did you find yourself first loving to read poetry, and then starting to write, or did your love of writing poetry cause you to take interest in other people's writing?

Kind of both, as described above. My interest in wrting motivated me to study the works of other poets over the years. Frost, Keller, Keating, Shakespeare, Browning and so many more. I have always been very spiritual personally too, so I read a lot and pulled wisdom from many religious texts. One of the books I read all the time and encourage others to do to is Bartlett's Familiar Quotations. It helps you get familiar with writings from many different sources and authors in a short time and also to let the "lessons of the ages" sink into your writing. A lot of my writing has these lessons weaved into it.


Since you were first published, have you seen your style or inspirations change now that your writing is more public, and, do you find you still write for yourself first, knowing that many people will enjoy reading your work regardless?

I always try to improve my writing style and scope of work, but I also realize that we must each develop our own style and passion. I do try to include a bit more broad-scope lessons and discoveries in my writing, mostly about finding your own passion and following your own dreams, because that has been so much of my own learning process in life - as with most people pursuing artistic careers. I do write personally a lot, though, and my readers always comment on how I create that personal relationship in my writing, as though I am speaking directly to, or even from, the reader. I try to take a step back and write more third-person, but the first person perspective always feels more genuine to me. I always tell people to follow their own heart and write in their own style. I think the more focussed on your own style you get, the better you are at doing what you love. I write constantly and have no concern that people will be turned off to my writing. My spirituallity tells me that what I do is right. My writing has evolved to be so much about helping others and healing that I do focus on being positive. Hope, love and faith. These are my tools : )

What poets did you find yourself attracted to when you first fell in love with poetry? What was it about their writing that captivated you? What kind of poetry do you enjoy reading now and who writes it?

Because of all the heroic fantasy I read as a child, I really connected with Renaissance and Elizabethan period writers, but I became a history buff too, so I can appreciate poets as ancient as Homer, Sappho and as culturally diverse as Rumi. The shelves of my bookcases are filled with the works of the world's greatest poets - Chaucer, Shakespeare, Browning, Keller, Tennyson, Whitman, Longfellow, Blake, Keats, Frost, Marlow, Eliot, Sandburg, and many others. For me, poetry has always been the most compelling form of writing because of its brevity and refined nature. The greatest poets make every word sing and include many different meanings in their pieces. And when the structure gets lost in the reading, that is truly beautiful. I have always been drawn to the poets that follow form and structure closely too, mostly because I admire the additional challenge of form. I can also appreciate the memorable element that form adds to a piece - like how the ancient bards used rhyme schemes and repetition to help them retain the stories and poems that they shared. You can see my appreciation in the forms and structure of my own work. That also allowed me to transition to song writing and music production too (the forms in song writing are different and more simplified, but some of the same tenets of being original, real and compelling cross over). Though I write some open verse material on occasion, most of my work follows the tighter structure of Shakespeare's iambic pentameter pieces with ABAB, CDCD, EFEF, GG or my own preference - ABAB, CDCD, EFEF, GHGH, with an additional stanza added sometimes. I concern myself less with the number of beats, as with just keeping the line lengths about the same to maintain the flow. I also think with readers' shorter attention spans today, they are more willing to appreciate the shorter pieces with definite structure over longer open verse pieces. I hear a lot of feedback to that effect. Today, I read the poetry of a lot of my contemporaries. I think it's important to keep poetry modern and approachable. I used to write using Elizabethan language, but quickly realized most people can't relate. You will occasionally see a thee or thine sneak in there, though : )

What is your favorite all time poem written by another poet and why?

That's an impossible question to answer. I enjoy reading the works of many poets and my preference changes with my moods almost everyday. But you can't go wrong reading Shakespeare or Frost. Again, some of my contemporary poets that write new stuff everyday blow me away. Check my top friends list and my publishing company authors for those. And my wife is actually an amazing poet herself, though she tries to claim she isn't, haha.


From the many poems of yours I have read, I notice your rhyming scheme and syllable count stays pretty consistent. You have 12 line poems, with lines A and C, and B and D rhyming, with about ten syllables per line. What poets influence you to write in that style, and why such consistency?

I think I answered this one above, but Shakespeare was definitely the man who defined a style universally recognized. I do broaden my styles somewhat, but Shakespeare's sonnet format is so natural to me now I can write a piece in that form in five or ten minutes for the original drafts. And I have found my best work flows out like that. Focussing on the content and not just the form is best, I believe. Tighter rhyme schemes also make you polish your work more and examine word relationships you may never explore if you just write in blank verse or open form. I also try to tie in intra-line rhyme schemes and forms that flow similarly from one line to the next at the beginnings. I wrote some specific tips on "writing a good poem" according to my preferences that I share with other poets that ask. These include:

1. Have one central theme
2. Focus on a common sentiment
3. Include interesting details that develop the storyline
4. Use a consistent format/meter throughout
5. Use language in a new or unusual way - metaphors, irony or details that are unusual or compelling
6. Make symbolic connections and develop them throughout
7. Convey a lesson or elicit reader reaction
8. Make sure it "breathes" - raw and real
9. Avoid cliches and predictable or forced rhyme
10. Speak from the heart about something you know well
11. Create an ironic or compelling title


How do you build your poems, do you usually have a separate thought or idea per four line bracket that create your story and develop the poem's meaning, or do you have a continuous stream of thought that resolves itself by the end of the poem naturally?

Most of my poems start out as a title, something to grab the reader's attention, much like a headline on an ad. Sometimes, though, the title comes through from the writing on a specific topic. I try to stay open to creative ideas at all times and "play in my subconscious" a lot. So ideas come from many sources, movies, books, conversations and a lot from correspondence with friends and fans all over the world. I always have a pen handy and jot stuff down - in the night, while in the shower, while driving (that one has gained a lot of appreciation from other divers over the years, lol). During the writing process, I do always try to create a beginning, middle and an end to my poems -
"this is the idea, here are some more details, here is the conflict, and here is the conflict resolution"... usually translated directly into the four or five stanzas I write in. I try to keep my stuff short and accessible, again for the rushed reader today that has just a minute or two to appreciate some poetry. A lot of my readers say I write poetry for people that don't like poetry, haha.

Was your writing more liberal early in your writing career, or did you always find yourself sticking to template?

My original writings were random thoughts, scraps of sentiments written in unusual ways and journalling entries written mostly about or from my different fantasy characters. I developed my own style over the years. My earlies published works were even more structured than they are today, using ABAB ABAB ABAB formats. It was fun and challenging, but gets a bit repetitive for the reader when they read a whole book that way. Most of my readers now can recognize my form of ABAB, CDCD, EFEF, GHGH at a glance.


What advice to you have for young poets today, who have dreams of being published, yet have no defined style or consistency to format of their writing?

Write constantly, carry a pen and a journal or at least scraps of paper whenever you go. Read and watch stories all the time. Absorb like a sponge. Turn off reality tv and watch movies - they have a defined beginning, middle and an end and the production qualities are maintained by hundreds of people. Read the great poets, imitate their lessons and their styles. Test out different styles until you find one that works for you. Take classes on poetry. Go to poetry readings and poetry book signings. Perform your poetry in front of others. Develop a pen name and even an alter ego if it helps you write more openly and take criticism more easily. Ask others what they think of your work and how they would suggest you make it better. Become a fan of poets that will correspond with you and develop your own fan base beyond your own family (normally giving you no helpful feedback at all : ). Keep a rough catalog of all your work in one place, preferably on a computer, so you can access your original thoughts to put them together into new poems and refine them constantly. Ask someone else to read your stuff out loud and see where they have difficulty understanding or putting your thoughts together. Make your own "chap book" and sell it to others, even if you have to nearly give it away, or give it away (a chap book is a collection of 35-50 poems usallually formatted on an 8 1/2 x 11" of 8 1/2 x 14" page, in landscape format and folded in half, then stapled in the center to make a book - great starter book cause most poets can format and print them on their own equipment, or at the local printshop, or at their office after hours : ). Blog and create your own website or web page through sites like Myspace and many of the writer websites now that allow you to create your own page for free. Offer your readers something regularly, like new blog postings of your work all the time (I post a Poem of the Day and over 50,000 people a year now stop by to read my blogs and daily bulletins). This creates a feedback loop that will keep you motivated and help you refine your work and find your style. Submit your work to contests and publications and websites that solicit materials. Don't waste your time and money on vanity press publishers, though, like Poetry.com that just solicits everyone and sells you overpriced compilation books that don't get read by anyone but their paid staff, and your mother who had to pay eighty bucks for a book worth twenty at best (no offense to Poetry.com that encourages people to write, but does little to create writing careers). Submit your chap books to reviewers and publishers that publish poets. Buy the book "The Poet's Market" and take the advice written in there. Oh yea, and get a real job, cause poetry is a very difficult career to make money at, unless you like low wages and lots of travel to obscure coffeeshops, bookstores and miscellaneous venues. I always tell poets the same thing as I tell aspiring musicians - "Follow your passion, but be patient and get used to working for like a buck an hour. It usually take twenty years to become an overnight success." There are always exceptions to this, but unless you are related to someone already famous or win American Idol (they need one of those for poets, by the way), it will be a tough road. You can do well publishing your own work and selling directly over the net, though, as I do today. But even I don't make that much... at least not until Oprah decides to have me on : )


You have published works that range from inspirational, to love, to erotic. I can say that I have not read many poems of yours along the lines of heartbreak or pain, which I do find in most poets' work. How do you find yourself so positive and upbeat in your writing, and was there a time when you found yourself writing about more depressing subject matter?

Actually, you just identified my personal contribution to the world of poetry. Hope, love and faith are my guiding forces in poetry. There are lots of people that write angry poetry, so I try to keep mine positive almost all the time. But you will see depressing themes, difficulties and death running through much of my work. I believe, personally, though that life is about overcoming these adversities and transcending. Personally, I see Jesus Christ as as much a role model as a savior. Poetry allows us a unique way to inspire others and lift people up. I think that's why my work has become so much about healing, through love, forgiveness, strength and acceptance. The best comments I hear are about how I helped readers find strength and hope - to love again, to endure and even to live. I have helped many people through health crisis, drug addictions, heartbreaks and even attempted suicides. I actually had one woman tell me she took an overdose of pills and laid down to die, then caught sight of my book I had sent her free of charge, read some of it and made herself throw up the pills she had already swallowed. It sounds pretty fantastic, but I met her and verified what she had said actually happened. And she is one of the richest women in the world, at least financially : ) We all get depressed and down sometimes and I write about that stuff too, but my calling is to lift others up, so that's 99% of what I share with my readers. I'd like to see a program or venue for positive poetry on a national or international scale.


What has writing done for your inner well-being? Most people never find the kind of outlet for their feelings, thoughts, and emotions that writers get to enjoy.

My poetry defines me and allows me to turn my life "inside out". You can see my experiences, feel my emotions, and walk through the valleys of pain, sorrow and hope with me in my writing. I encourage everyone to do it. It's the best form of self-healing you can do, whether you share it with the world or not. But sharing it with others completes a creative loop and a healing process that I think is amazing. Even when I feel down, I can go to my computer, read some correspondence from friends and fans and find meaning in my life and healing just a few keystrokes away. The internet is an incredible tool for writers and fans alike, connecting them as never before.



In respect to the previous question, how has that molded you into the person you are today?

I am a poet, beyond the artist, parent, friend and human being that I am at every other moment. I have faced death a few times and am convinced that God kept me alive so I can share the gifts He has given me with others. I won't go too far into my own religious beliefs, but I believe the voices of other poets often speak through my poems. It's not unusual for me to sit down and type a piece from beginning to end in a few minutes and then have the strange feeling of not even recognizing the piece after going back and reading it a minute later. Readers often say they are shocked by how my writing speaks of their immediate experiences and I just explain it by saying I am an empath. Again, I won't go too deep into the creative process, but every great artist, writer or musician will attest to this experience of being "in the moment and out of your body" when they create.


This I have to ask: Now that you are published, and have been for quite some time, you are used to writing knowing your work will be read by the masses. If you were isolated on a desert island, and your work was never to be read again, would you still write the way you do now, and could you find the same satisfaction in your work?

Writing is something I do because I can't resist. Even when I try to take a break, the ideas and words come to me all the time. I have not experienced writer's block in years. Sometimes I can write as many as ten new pieces in a single day. And sometimes I wish I could shut it off, but it's not possible. It's like opening a floodgate on creativity. Once it's open, it comes through with a force of it's own. I'd love to spend some time on a desert island. I have no doubt I would come back with a couple more books, or be sending poetry out in bottle and hollowed out coconuts, haha. I will always seek a way of disbursing the energy and product of my writing, though. I think that's part of the writing flow - it must flow away from you to allow room for the new ideas to come through. And yes, I amuse myself, mostly because much of my writing has a feeling of being from somewhere or someone else anyway. Here is one of my pieces explaining my own personal "psychosis"... that I recommend to everyone : )

Do What You Can't Not Do

You will find something in your life,
That you simply cannot ignore,
Something that fills your mind,
Draws you to your own ocean shore.

It will be a gift no other understands,
Most precious and perfect for you,
Given in its own time by God's hands,
To become one day your deepest truth.

So listen to your silence inside,
For the beauty that calls to you,
Let your own light shine with pride,
And do what you can't not do.

© bartoluciano

(I wrote this poem in two minutes and never refined or polished it because it seems so perfect as is, including its structural "flaws")

Thank you for all the inspiration, encouragement and support from my friends here on MySpace.

To show my gratitude, I have discounted all my book prices. All 8 of my books are now in hardcopy!

To get the special rate on all of my books (including my newest one "Dreams of Hope"), click this link:

www.bartoluciano.com/OrderDiscounts.html


Please browse around the site too, read some of the new poetry samples and let me know what you think.
Thanks again for your ongoing support.

Every book sale allows me to continue writing and sharing my little songs with the world.
Blessings, Your Friend Bart

This blog includes my top poems in the following categories:

Romance
Spirituality
Inspirational
Sensuality

It is accessible only to those who have supported me along the way with inspirations, consistent encouragements, love and financial support for my art. Please feel free to comment on your favorites and thank you for all you have done for me.

I will add more pieces to this list as the most compelling little songs flow through me. Blessings to you and to the Infinite Spirit that works His magic through me.

Please continue to send your thoughts and inspirations to me. And please purchase my books, framed poems, CD’s and other merchandise whenever you can afford to so that I may continue to touch the world with the gifts that are granted to me. Click here to go to the ordering page on my poetry site. Thanks again.

This basic blog editor tends to remove the quotation marks, so please excuse those mistakes reflected here. For the final formatting and beautiful typography complimenting my words, please see my website and order a book or poem to hold in your hands. I hope you enjoy...

ROMANCE

One Dream Closer to Someday

I breath you in,
Like the midnight air,
Feeling moonlight sin,
Raging right there,
Wanting to touch me,
Like I want you,
You are waiting easy,
Like the stars are few.

Your kiss is something,
I have always known,
Like your simple everything,
Your starlight groan,
A need to come to me,
Every dreaming night,
A calling to our destiny,
We cannot ever fight.

So take my infinite hand,
Under the jealous stars,
Make this our demand,
And the final wish of ours,
That we shall be together,
Somehow, some time, someway,
In a moment stretching forever,
One dream closer to someday.


Really, Truly You

I don’t know this gift of friendship,
Or the deep magic in your eyes,
But your voice echoes a kinship,
Dancing across my infinite skies.

From a moment’s gentle desire,
Whispering my sacred name to me,
You have ignited my blazing fire,
Fanning my madness and serenity.

So, I will wait my coming turn,
For your most precious energies,
To accept time and smiling learn,
To sway in our flawless ease.

For friendship starts our dance,
And promises to make it right,
Should we choose our romance,
Or to pass silently in the night.

In tenderness and perfect grace,
I give my unconditional love true,
Glimpsing forever on your face,
And loving really, truly, you.


Deliverance

Wandering through faraway, hidden lands,
Untouched by time, chaos and chance,
I met an angel with fiery eyes and gentle hands,
Blind to her own beautiful and perfect dance.

She sang of love and two golden bands,
Wherein petty self parts from arrogance,
Where a sacred prayer banishes demands,
Trust spinning magic from trite circumstance.

She floated over expanding fairy-lands,
Offering a future ablaze in crystal radiance,
Where she carried me to magical wonderlands,
And I granted sight to her perfect elegance.

Now we fly together against blind commands,
Empowering and spinning in a kindred dance,
Where our energy commingles and ever expands,
To grant deliverance inside eternal romance.


Forever Tangled in You

In your eyes, my illusion comes to life,
My breath caught in wonderous oneness,
Infinite husband embraces eternal wife,
Inspiration comes from distant closeness.

We dance passionate enchantments,
Weaving a bond from spirit to kiss,
Images seducing our wanting moments,
Souls mingling in our spinning bliss.

This loving treasure glitters before me,
Every sense alive, lost in eternal reelings,
An infinite bond woven in celestial destiny,
A swaying rainbow of tender feelings.

In our embrace elation claims me,
Chants of ancient love sing anew,
Your soul slides into my glass slipper,
And I am forever tangled in you.


Heated Teasing

I dreamed tonight of a fair damsel,
And found my heart needing,
Wanting your burning parallel,
And your tender squeezing.

Now I know your temptation well,
And taste from afar your pleasing,
Like an eager teenager who fell,
And knows not passion..s easing.

Whisper your inescapable spell,
And clutch my soul to your seething,
I can take no more of your farewell,
Or your endless, heated teasing.


Counting the Moments to You

To make the world go away,
I wrap myself in our tomorrow,
Dreaming of our someday,
And a life without sorrow.

In my mad dashing haste,
I sometimes forget to regonize,
The somedays we have chased,
And where are togetherness lies.

But know that I will come to you,
To lose myself in your eyes,
To make our dream come true,
Dancing in your gentle sighs.

The minutes slip into forever,
The hours cutting me in two,
Yet I am still lost in our whenever,
Counting the moments to you.


SPIRITUALITY

Dancing Transcendence

Today I give up regret for revelry,
And take up the mantle of Christ,
Carrying his burden, and his knowing
Witnessing miracles, and his destroying,
Streaming his tears, and his peace.

I give in to faith, in him, in me,
Empowered by my forgiveness,
Shedding my recklessness,
Less in doubt and weakness,
Embracing joy and kindness.

Child of God, come walk with me,
Down a golden path to radiance,
Where there is no possessing,
Where there is no comparing,
Sparkling in glorious brilliance.

Dance in this moment of unity,
Touch soul-to-soul in celestial flight,
Feel my love for you ever expanding,
Grace reborn from our tender loving,
Hope bearing light from darkest night.

Fly on wings of ancient sanctity,
To a place of perfect acceptance,
And pray for today’s resurrecting,
Ascending with God to enlightening,
Inside our dancing transcendence.


Angel’s Flight

I want not for life’s gold,
Or fame or power’s insight,
I seek heaven’s eternal truth,
True love and guiding light.

I seek the most easily given,
Yet that held most tight,
To embrace your perfection,
To worship you in the night.

I want for our glory and our unity,
For our trust, our truth, our starlight,
To hold your glistening passion
Up to the blazing sun of our delight.

In your embrace I come to lost measure,
Touching heaven in your angel’s light,
This life’s reward, your soul treasure,
Earthly perfection, our angel’s flight.


The Church Key

Rise today into heaven’s serenity,
Leaving behind the burden of fear,
Give into your own deep divinity,
In faith’s hope we shall persevere.

Praise the strength of God,
And his Son’s ultimate sacrifice,
For yourself, spare the rod,
Learn to forgive earthly vice.

We need only choose to release,
The vision of a someday place,
Instead to seek an everyday peace,
Heaven guiding our knowing grace.

So this day save your own soul,
Accepting God’s will in perfection,
Make heaven on earth a goal,
Inside your angel..s resurrection.

For Jesus was no more pure,
Than you can choose to be,
Faith in you is the daily cure,
Belief the true church key.


The Saint in You

You are given a path to choose,
A life of hardship or tainted love,
To accept a vision, but also to lose,
A shattered past to climb above.

Suffering summons the elder soul,
As trees grow from daily bending,
So choose with me a distant goal,
Shouting hope against the rending.

Accept your lot and your crown,
That the pressing thorns shall rest,
Upon a will to transform a frown,
And dance with every pain in jest.

In faithful silence bear your cross,
Step gently into divine preview,
Of inspired art, yet constant loss,
All to honor the saint in you.


Angel’s Resurrection

The devil sat upon my bed today,
Speaking of greed and gifted ease,
Offering me gold if I should go away,
Frustrated as I prayed upon my knees.

So then he revealed the pictures,
Of the treasures I had wished for,
Bending the truth of holy scriptures,
Into lies that he spun once more.

He stacked gold and pleasures of lust,
Offering it all to me in simple trade,
But he knew little of my heavenly must,
Or the promise of faith that I had made.

For he had played this game before,
And won souls almost every time,
Making man fool and woman whore,
But he did not get my laughing sublime.

For I knew what he could not say to me,
As I reveled in God’s daily perfection,
So he spat at my feet swearing calamity,
And I smiled in my angel..s resurrection.


INSPIRATIONAL

The Trust In Your Heart

If life was all about ease,
We’d fall gently into forever,
But it is a preluding tease,
A taste of storming weather.

We succumb to daily pain,
Or put a smile on our face,
Refusing to dance again,
Or coming to our own grace.

There is difficulty in living,
A daily test of hard choice,
To take from heaven’s giving,
Or to silence our own voice.

The raging hand of fate,
Will come to offer temptation,
To look into shade and hate,
Or love and seek resurrection.

So look deeply into your soul,
To find the light of your way,
Choose hope as a simple goal,
Basking in sunshine everyday.

For life is not about the endings,
But the way we choose to start,
Not about the storm’s rendings,
But the trust you have in your heart.


Fearlessly You

There is a trembling from inside,
That takes you to a daily peace,
Where your work becomes pride,
And doubts of the world cease.

It is the gold of given choice,
You must claim early every day,
To strengthen your own voice,
And the wings to carry you away.

Flying seems an impossible chance,
When you look only to the ground,
As silence seems a golden dance,
When hopeless is all you’ve found.

So, answer to the voices deep within,
Pick your shining star and hold true,
Believe well before you even begin,
The meaning of life is fearlessly you.


The Beauty of Your Grace

I have a lovely gift of revelation,
Hidden inside a magical fairy box,
A delight of hope and inspiration,
Here beyond calendars and clocks.

It is a granting of sweet release,
A key to opening a grand door,
To a place of complete peace,
A knowing we have known before.

Outside in a rolling spring glade,
This same magic glitters in the sun,
Granting rest in blazing shade,
And fuel to the light of our one.

So I will open to the heart in you,
This treasure that was gifted to me,
A secret separating gold from blue,
And guiding the hand of destiny.

It is our hope that matters more,
Than a universe of raging calamity,
Sparkling against the downpour,
Smiling in our knowing infinity.

In this moment Pandora shall come,
To crinkle the corners of her face,
At the new pounding of your drum,
And the beauty of your grace.


SENSUALITY

Deep in the Night

Though I would bend all of my patience
To banish your memory from haunting me,
You came to me again deep in the night,
Where you took hold of me.

You whispered of hidden fantasies,
Of temptations and of anxious chastity,
In a captured moment you groaned with passion,
With patience, then explosive immediacy.

You kissed my neck with the gentlest caress
And brought forth deep longing in me,
Pressing your trembling and willing body
Against the shuddering in me.

You refused to become one
With the man growing in me,
From afar you stoked my fire
And breathed life to my fantasy.

"Soon," you chided, "we will dance
To the rhythm of love’s revelry,
And a kinship made sweeter still
Will explode into reality."


Wet with Love

Your storm rolls over me,
Drenching my life in madness,
My thirst coming to your taste,
Drawn to your dripping badness,
Soaking me in the honey of
Your clutching, waiting need.
My pulse quickens, lighting flashes,
Fantasy plants its devilish seed.

I roil in your sprinkling tease,
Abandoned to parching calmness,
Showered in steely desperation,
Wanting your humid restlessness,
Dancing in our gathering storm
And your gentle, singing lead,
Twisting in your torrent of love,
Your downpour of rhythmic need.

In the breaking climax we fly,
Cleansing tears raining pureness,
Cloudy dreams crashing upon us,
Flooding fantasy into our realness,
Your tinkling screams run across
My glistening, erupting greed,
Brought suddenly to stillness,
As our shuddering waves recede.


Brand Spanking You

There’s a twinkle in your eye,
An unfulfilled fantasy there,
Even when you try to deny,
Your eyes beg a twisted affair.

Your naked truth others can..t see,
I find this your most tantalizing side,
As it is coming so clear to me,
The most erotic of our wild ride.

I am dreaming of your gentleness,
But also your ravenous cravings,
You come to me with your restless,
Withheld desire and passionate savings.

So let us dance this sensual dance,
Of the love and lust to drive us through,
Let us embrace our paradise chance,
Together again, brand spanking you.


Yes Please

You are standing over me,
Holding my breath in your hands,
You are commanding me,
To be your intimate man.

You come in shadow guise,
Dancing innocent sensuality,
But I know your true sighs,
The desire you have for me.

Suddenly you smile and turn,
Lowering your love over me,
Making me twist and burn,
With your dripping ecstasy.

I am spinning your world,
In slow rhythmic waves,
Making you my bad girl,
Giving everything she craves.

Now I am driving you on,
Into a sea of blanketed love,
Where our hearts are drawn,
Thrusting passions from above.

In a moment we are quivering,
Rocking hard to the edge of ease,
Giving into this love..s delivering,
Begging Baby, oh Baby, yes please.


Holding Me Breathless

I cannot wait a moment longer,
To hold my passions in check,
Weakness overwhelming stronger,
Kisses to adorn your delicate neck.

Seated here in my soul of need,
Is the craving to stand and deliver,
The spirit to plant my devilish seed,
Making your dreams shake and quiver.

So open your deepest lust to me,
Bring fantasy welling from inside,
Grant me your raging ecstasy,
Take with me this screaming ride.

Now rise to the pouring heights,
Dancing in our clutching relentless,
Set me in your most wicked sights,
Come to me, holding me breathless.


Have an amazing day! And thanks again for taking your precious time to walk with me through distant lands and far away dreams. I am always honored to share my work with you.
Putting a song in your heart, Bart

©2006 www.bartoluciano.com and Passion’s Press Publishing

It's so hard for me to tell which ones are the best, but I believe these ten mark my top contributions to the world. If I am missing any that you think should be on this list, please let me know. My next blog down contains more of my top pieces ("some of the best I have written"). There's also one here that doesn't belong. Which one? Thanks for your input. best, Bart

PS. please do not reproduce, post or share these poems without my express written consent. Thank you.

THE TASTE OF YOUR OWN SUNSHINE

Love's kiss will have come and gone,
Stabbing you through with twisting fate,
History shall at times do you wrong,
Leaving your dream feast an empty plate.

It is natural that the gift of pleasure flies,
On wings of chance and laughing whim,
Granting you ever a taste of truth and lies,
In heavenly brilliant and devilish dim.

But we are everyday given our choice,
To cling to dark fears and hide away,
Or share the song of our own voice,
Bringing dreams to every new day.

So stand tall and look far beyond,
The immediate pain of bitter calamity,
Accept the lessons that make you strong,
Let go of despair and shape your destiny.

For life is not about what we get now,
Or the fleeting treasures that others define,
It is about finding your own hope somehow,
Savoring the taste of your own sunshine.

© bartoluciano


MOONLIGHT SURRENDER

The distant stars dance promise in the night,
Taunting me with visions of love's madness,
Your awaiting embrace grips me so tight,
In the wrong of your oh so right badness.

I walk my days in a midnight dream,
Lost in the perfection of this starlight bliss,
Every whisper turned to a wanting scream,
Needing a moment of lifetimes in your kiss.

The hours pass as the clock testifies in agony,
To the half-hearted smile of joy's pretender,
The music of my soul yearns for this harmony,
When daylight need becomes moonlight surrender.

© bartoluciano


REALLY, TRULY YOU

I don't know this gift of friendship,
Or the deep magic in your eyes,
But your voice echoes a kinship,
Dancing across my infinite skies.

From a moment's gentle desire,
Whispering my sacred name to me,
You have ignited my blazing fire,
Fanning my madness and serenity.

So, I will wait my coming turn,
For your most precious energies,
To accept time and smiling learn,
To sway in our flawless ease.

For friendship starts our dance,
And promises to make it right,
Should we choose our romance,
Or to pass silently in the night.

In tenderness and perfect grace,
I give my unconditional love true,
Glimpsing forever on your face,
And loving really, truly, you.

© bartoluciano


ANGEL'S RESURRECTION

The devil sat upon my bed today,
Speaking of greed and gifted ease,
Offering me gold if I should go away,
Frustrated as I prayed upon my knees.

So then he revealed the pictures,
Of the treasures I had wished for,
Bending the truth of holy scriptures,
Into lies that he spun once more.

He stacked gold and pleasures of lust,
Offering it all to me in simple trade,
But he knew little of my heavenly must,
Or the promise of faith that I had made.

For he had played this game before,
And won souls almost every time,
Making man fool and woman whore,
But he did not get my laughing sublime.

For I knew what he could not say to me,
As I reveled in God's daily perfection,
So he spat at my feet swearing calamity,
And I smiled in my angel's resurrection.

© bartoluciano


FEARLESSLY YOU

There is a trembling from inside,
That takes you to a daily peace,
Where your work becomes pride,
And doubts of the world cease.

It is the gold of given choice,
You must claim early every day,
To strengthen your own voice,
And the wings to carry you away.

Flying seems an impossible chance,
When you look only to the ground,
As silence seems a golden dance,
When hopeless is all you've found.

So, answer to the voices deep within,
Pick your shining star and hold true,
Believe well before you even begin,
The meaning of life is fearlessly you.

© bartoluciano


BAREFOOT IN THE SAND

I pondered today on all of life's costs,
Of the demands that drive us insane,
Then I thought of the friends I've lost,
And how none of those demands remain.

For the things they used to love most,
Where the things that never cost anything,
Things far from a cash flow whipping post,
Like the touching songs we use to sing.

But we all get caught up in this game,
Trying to pay for things we think we need,
Forgetting simplicity seeking grand acclaim,
Losing our child in life's grown up greed.

So I will ask you to take a moment away,
To let slip the world and it's shouting demand,
To let peace dance for a minute in your today,
Walk with me a moment, barefoot in the sand.

© bartoluciano


YOUR EVERY MOMENT'S TIMELESS

Come dance with me in stillness,
Spinning in infinite union and bliss,
Share with me your daily endless,
Your angel's embrace and heavenly kiss.

Bring your raging spirit to peace,
And lie your body next to mine,
Clutch me in your everyday release,
In a moment that goes on for all time.

Guide me to your long-held fantasies,
Whisper secrets only tomorrow has known,
Reveal your feast of passion's delicacies,
Lie in a bed of passion someday has grown.

Take my hand and lead me into you,
Show me all you have hidden there inside,
Let our eternal destiny carry us through,
Reveal to me what you can no longer hide.

Come away from yesterday's knowing alone,
Become my promised infinite endless,
Let your wandering heart finally come home,
Find in me your every moment's timeless.

© bartoluciano


WHISPERING WHAT YOUR SOUL SCREAMS

Winter kisses every lifetime,
With the patience of tomorrow,
To sweeten the coming springtime,
Daring you to rise above sorrow.

Much of life is lived in preparation,
Wittling your soul to its core,
Trials of simplicity's temptation,
Taking that one last step more.

This is what we are meant to learn,
The lessons of painful transcendence,
To find the light that makes you burn,
To declare your own independence.

So count with me your given gifts,
And everyday chase your dreams,
Faithful as the sand of chance shifts,
Whispering what your soul screams.

© bartoluciano


SET FIRE TO YOUR OWN RAINBOW

We are each given a choice,
At the fiery dawn of every day,
To sing with our heavenly voice,
Or to languish in despair's run away.

The universe evolves in blazing pain,
Giving us a taste of happiness as a tease,
Letting us feel both sunshine and rain,
Seeing how joy comes with little ease.

Love, too, is a sword with two edges,
Filling our lives with beauty and wonder,
Made perfect with lifelong pledges,
But refined by daily doubtful thunder.

So every morning when you rise remember,
That you must do more than sit and listen,
You must sing to find your own vocal timber,
And your flower feel dewdrops to glisten.

So stand up to your highest height,
Becoming what your own dreams show,
Turn day into what you see in the night,
And set fire to your own rainbow.

© bartoluciano


DANCING TRANSCENDENCE

Today I give up regret for revelry,
And take up the mantle of Christ,
Carrying his burden, and his knowing
Witnessing miracles, and his destroying,
Streaming his tears, and his peace.

I give in to faith, in him, in me,
Empowered by my forgiveness,
Shedding my recklessness,
Less in doubt and weakness,
Embracing joy and kindness.

Child of God, come walk with me,
Down a golden path to radiance,
Where there is no possessing,
Where there is no comparing,
Sparkling in glorious brilliance.

Dance in this moment of unity,
Touch soul-to-soul in celestial flight,
Feel my love for you ever expanding,
Grace reborn from our tender loving,
Hope bearing light from darkest night.

Fly on wings of ancient sanctity,
To a place of perfect acceptance,
And pray for today's resurrecting,
Ascending with God to enlightening,
Inside our dancing transcendence.

© bartoluciano


YOU'RE CRAZY LIKE ME

Those who judge, do not understand,
The madness bonding our hopeful lives,
Most people simply cannot comprehend,
The veil of clarity that weaves our disguise.

So they complain and gift us with names,
Wondering how dreamers can be so sure,
Playing their destructive, fool's gold games,
Screaming Hell's curse to our Heavenly pure.

Their green envy drips crimson cruel,
Cutting wounds with emotional swords,
Drumming our ears with normality's rule,
As if duplicity delivers its promised rewards.

What they cannot see is what they deny,
Beauty in living by what our hearts feel,
To accept ridicule with a smiling reply,
Knowing self-respect is what's truly real.

So smile in your misunderstood badness,
In the perfect light that brought us to be,
Where unconditional love is our madness;
I'm crazy like you and you're crazy like me.

© bartoluciano