The Poetry Book Posted 06.08.08 The other day I received a surprise package in the mail--it was my poetry book of yesteryear. Now this book had definitely made its rounds throughout the Tacoma and Seattle area where I spent my evenings hitting the club scene.  Who ever I dated--at one time or another had possession of this traveling companion. Inside was a compilation of many poems--most written before I became a Christian in 1993. The poems were about love--most of it gone wrong. There was the classic, Deserae's Hex from Hell  that spoke of a man who could not get "Deserae" off his mind--no matter what he did. He was a man trapped within his own obsession. Then there was Exit 14--a metaphoric poem using two cars as a symbol of the lives of two people living in the the fast lane. One of these "cars" mistakes a "pit stop" by the other as a sign of romantic interest. But the other leaves him and returns to her former relationship--where she is trapped from moving forward. Both "cars" end up as  causalities on the freeway called love. Lastly there was my favorite--it is called The Drifter's Cafe'. It explains what takes in a night club as two people meet in hopes of a relationship.   Late  at night across the pier, on top of the ocean to the docks rear Overlooking the glitter of isolation bay, is the home of the heartless, the Drifter's Cafe It's where the glamorous meet and superficial dine, as they search for riches and trophies so fine. And inside there's a doorway which leads to a hall, where the customers share stories--tales so tall Explaining to each other how their lives turned out right, while ignoring the fact why they're present tonight. Their secrets passed like a shooting star, an attempt to explain just who they are. But when the evening fades and it is time to go. You realize how much of that person you know. There's a number and a name that yearns for change, but the parking lot is so empty--the correlation so strange. There's no lights no glitter just a dive on the bay, with a run down sign that reads "The Drifter's Cafe" Such was my experience as I hit the clubs. Today as I read those poems of heartbreak and broken love, it makes me aware of who I used to be. I was always searching for that relationship. I was always hoping that one day I would meet the right one. I believed that true happiness lied within a future relationship and I as determined to find it. For five years of my life I was on this treadmill and I was going no where fast. Then amazingly God opened my heart to contemplate Him--then to accept Him. What I discovered over the ensuing years was that the "one" relationship I needed was not a woman--the one I needed was God. Today I have had this divine relationship with Him for over fifteen years. Yet still, sometimes I truly can't comprehend how far I've I've come in life's journey. Fortunately....I realized this the other day as I ventured to my mailbox As I re-read those poems of heartbreak I grieved for that young man fifteen years ago. It made my heart heavy! I wonder if there is someone out there that feels the same way I did many years ago. If you are one of those, I hope that my story allows you to understand that only one relationship will truly change your life. It is not with a man or a woman--but it is with Jesus, the lover of people like you. He definitely changes lives! My poetry book is my reminder and testimony of just how far this man has come. Thank you God for opening my eyes.