Poetic Musings Of An Old Fat Man

This collection of storoems and poems offers hours of enjoyment as it makes the reader think, feel, and ponder life. The next poem may make the reader laugh or perhaps will bring a tear to the eye. The various subjects addressed will both surprise and delight. This is a collection both to own and to give as a gift, as it will surely be read and re-read. It continues in the footsteps of Harry Gilleland's previous two published poetry collections.

The poetry in this book addresses a wide variety of subjects. It is written in various formats or styles, including forty-three rhyming storoems (story-poems), five acrostic poems, five political poems, and twenty-nine free-verse poems. Seven older poems (prize-winners and author's favorites) are included as lagniappe. These eighty-nine poems offer the reader hours upon hours of reading pleasure.

ÿInside one of Contemporary India's most Influential Poets The twenty-four papers inÿPhilosophical Musings for a Meaningful Lifeÿstudy the poetry collectionsWinged Reasonÿ(2010),ÿWrite Son, Writeÿ(2011), andÿMulticultural Symphonyÿ(2014), of Dr. K.V. Dominic and reveal his humanistic values and concept of universal brotherhood, his social criticism devoid of absurdity and obscurity, his profound concern for the marginalized sections of society, and his reverence for Nature. All the papers focus on the poet's anguish at the evils and the inhuman attitude prevalent in the society and necessitate harmony of existence. In the context of Indian English poetry, the papers find Dominic to be unique in his use of simple and plain language to address the vast canvass of human life and the neglected segment of human society. Further, the papers bring out how the universal appeal of Dominic lies in his ability to view the world as a sanctuary and acknowledge him as the promising voice of the present century for his belief in the interrelatedness of all lives that ascertains positive change in the individuals. Dr. S. Kumaran, Editor, is working as an Assistant Professor in the Postgraduate & Research Department of English, Thiruvalluvar Government Arts College, Rasipuram. He is Associate Editor of two refereed international biannual journals,ÿWriters Editors Criticsÿ(WEC) andÿInternational Journal on Multicultural Literatureÿ(IJML); and a Member of the Editorial Boards of various journals from India and abroad. "This critical study on the poetry of Dr. K.V. Dominic deserves to be read closely for evaluation and to be on the shelf of every notable library.ÿPhilosophical Musings for a Meaningful Lifeÿwill inspire scholars from the West to find rubies and diamonds in the Indian poetry of today." --Dr. Stephen Gill, Poet Laureate of Ansted University "K.V. Dominic's social consciousness is his chief forte. Not for a moment does he divert attention from the simple and innocent activities of ordinary human beings. From his lyrics originate feelings of eternal sympathy, peace, and fraternal unity." --P.C.K. Prem, critic from Himachal Pradesh, India From the World Voices Series Modern History Press www.ModernHistoryPress.com

This work examines a significant sampling of those twentieth-century American literary works which focus on the native past. It is the first critical study that deals with a broad range of our modern historical literature -- meditative essays, novels, short stories, poems, and verse.

A Muslim woman’s searingly honest memoir of her journey toward self-acceptance as she comes to see her body as a symbol of rebellion and hope—and chooses to live her life unapologetically Ever since she was little, Leah Vernon was told what to believe and how to act. There wasn’t any room for imperfection. ‘Good’ Muslim girls listened more than they spoke. They didn’t have a missing father or a mother with a mental disability. They didn’t have fat bodies or grow up wishing they could be like the white characters they saw on TV. They didn’t have husbands who abused and cheated on them. They certainly didn’t have secret abortions. In Unashamed, Vernon takes to task the myth of the perfect Muslim woman with frank dispatches on her love-hate relationship with her hijab and her faith, race, weight, mental health, domestic violence, sexuality, the millennial world of dating, and the process of finding her voice. She opens up about her tumultuous adolescence living at the poverty line with her fiercely loving but troubled mother, her absent dad, her siblings, and the violent dissolution of her 10-year marriage. Tired of the constant policing of her clothing in the name of Islam and Western beauty standards, Vernon reflects on her experiences with hustling paycheck to paycheck, body-shaming, and redefining what it means to be a “good” Muslim. Irreverent, youthful, and funny, Unashamed gives anyone who is marginalized permission to live unapologetic, confident lives. “Vernon’s determined advocacy for body positivity as a feminist and mental health issue, and her painful journey to self-acceptance, are moving and powerful, forcing readers to examine their own preconceptions about beauty standards and health.” —Booklist

Over the Fireside with Silent Friends is a collection of short musings and ruminations by Richard King. Excerpt: "On Getting Away from Yourself - I always feel so sorry for the blind, because it seems to me they can never get away from themselves by wandering in pastures new. It is trite to say that the glory of the golden sunsets, the glory of the mountains and the valleys, the coming of spring, the radiance of summer—all these things are denied them. They are. But their great deprivation is that none of these things can help them to get away from themselves, from the torments of their own souls, the haunting dreadfulness of their own secret worries. We, the more fortunate, not only can fill our souls with beauty by the contemplation of beautiful things, but, when the tale of our inner-life possesses the torments of Hell, we can turn to them in our despair because we know that their glory will ease our pain, will help us to forget awhile, will give us renewed courage to go on fighting until the end. But where all is blackness, those inner-torments must assume gigantic proportions. Nothing can take them away—except time and the weariness of a soul too utterly weary to care any longer. But time works so slowly, and the utter weariness of the soul is often so prolonged before, as it were, the spirit snaps and the blessed numbness of indifference settles down upon our hearts. People who can see have the whole of the wonder of Nature working for them in their woe. It is hard to feel utterly crushed and broken before a wide expanse of mountain, moorland, or sea. Something in their strength and vastness seems to bring renewed vigour to our heart and soul. It is as if God spoke words of encouragement to you through the wonder which is His world. But blind—one can have none of these consolations. All is darkness—darkness which seems to thrust you back once more towards the terror of your own heart-break. Sometimes I wonder that the blind do not go mad. To them there is only music and love to bring renewed courage to a heart weary of its own conflict. To get away from yourself—and not to be able to do it—oh, that must be Hell indeed! Verily sometimes the human need of pity is positively terrifying."

Poetic Musings is an anthology of poems. The quotes and the thoughts are inspired from the Bible. The words are penned down from real experiences. Encouraged to encourage the lost. Empowered to empower the weak. Inspired to inspire the drained. Healed to heal the wounded.