1. Words to
Nourish the
soul
jeffrey robert lewis

3. O t i s P R E s s
COPyRight © 2013

5. Why
Words to Nourish the Soul is the result of endless discussions,
conversations and storytelling from the many cigar bars and water-
ing holes I have visited across America – listening to the stories of
hundreds of people talking about life, love, frustrations and fears. I
do not drink alcohol. I nourish a club soda, the people around me
and their words.
My single goal was to take the thoughts and sometimes words and
capture them in one place to share with those brave enough to read
(and re-read and re-read) this collection of poetry. Inside, everyone
will find a small part of themselves or in some cases, a larger part.
The people, who shared their stories, shared their hearts. The cigar
bar owners gave me a home when a hotel room would have been
a prison. The waiters and waitresses, managers, and others shared
their hopes and dreams, and each time, their words, like those of
the cigar puffing clan, touched a part of my heart, my soul.
I wrote Words to Nourish the Soul to speak to a small corner of the
readers mind, their soul, their emptiness and always, their heart.
There is no magic to this, simply one man’s desire to share words
that became poetic stories.
This is not something you can or should read once.
To nourish something, to truly savor it, requires – almost begs you
to sip it.
Anyone can read a poem, but only those brave enough to think
about it, savor the words like a great stew that slowly cooks, will
truly appreciate the underlying meaning.
jeffreyrobertlewis@gmail.com

7. In memory of my fallen heroes
Dr. Michael Chaikind
Irwin “Tubby” Harrison
United States Senator John Heinz
Dr. B.J. Curry Spitler
Dr. Ruth Weg

9. This collection is dedicated
To Kay who instilled in me courage, love and character
I carry you on my shoulder, in my heart
and inside my soul
every day.
To Greyson and Colby Lil my soul is nourished every day
because you embody the air I breathe, the love I have
and my desire to grow, to live and to love.

11. A very special thank you
To Leslie, Ally, Ana, Eddie, Lou, Ernest, Jenny and Nash
thank you for giving me a home where I can just be
and allowing me to be part of your family
Suzann, Dwight, Ed, Charlie, Jeremy, Ricardo, Charlie, DJ, Shanna,
Tanathan and Harold for making the world
of cigars a safe haven of friendship, thought,
laughter and intellectual growth
To the women, friends and family from the T Tour thank you for
helping me survive, forever enriching my spirit and my heart
To my family in Michigan, your spirit, passion and love has allowed
the bones of a thought to regenerate, rebuild and recapture
the essence of what is important.
To Lucy and Ricky, thank you for allowing me to heal with you
Neil, Melissa, Jo Anne, Connie, Rev. Willis, Scott, Cindy,
Phyllis and David for the inspiration
To Justin for believing these words deserve to be heard
For Bernard, Jim, Bill, Mary Anne, Barbara, Jana, Annette, Brenda
and Carolyn because you have never stopped caring
To the haunting eyes that looked like peeled grapes
For Sandy who never forgot
And Granit who saved my life
Iris, Max and Tod and making me feel like family
r

12. Mindi Fynke, who’s friendship lives in my heart and
who redefines caring every day; and Dr. Howard Wright for caring
without questions asked
And Melinda, for always believing in me
Look inside the words that follow, each of you is there.
And in many cases, you are in multiple places, through multiple
themes and multiple faces.
Always with a smile, because you recognized early on, words can
nourish the soul when we tear down the gates of fear and allow
yourself a little time to just breathe.
While we cannot always climb a cherry tree to escape, it’s the bowl
of cherries we will truly cherish.

15. Words to
Nourish the
soul

17. Our Eyes Collided
She was there at every turn
Band-aids allowed her to express herself
They allowed me to dream
She is the star of my life
Warmth, love, caring and laughter embody her spirit
The desire never ceases, it grows like the strength of character
Her laugh is infectious
It gives me strength
Her smile, disarming
It wraps around me in a blanket of love
No love is perfect
I never give up, I just keep trying

19. i Just Love
I love that you know yourself and your gentle sense of humor
I love your wit, of which I only sometimes have,
I am so envious
I love your strong arms when you embrace my heart
You are so stoic
Your strength of character, the warmth of your smile, and the gentle
nature of who you are
I am wrapped in your unlimited self
All gift wrapped and given as a present without expectation of one
in return
As I sat and pondered my life, I want to live in a world like yours
My love for you is pure
I do not need anything except your respect, admiration and your
unyielding care
I love that’s all
Endless, boundless and forever r

20. I did not ask to love you
I just do
I am not mad that you have no love for me
It’s not God’s way
There is a corner in my heart you will always occupy

23. Window of your soul
No more loneliness
We shed the tears of fear
We walk a path together
Our hands may never touch, but our souls will be interconnected,
forever
You will never be alone as long as the window of your soul are open to
the winds of change
Allow the growth of character, the tenderness of a smile, a wink, a hug ....
encircle your soul
The cloudy days will disappear
Fears will fade, slowly
As you open your heart every day like a story book full of new
characters, real and otherwise
Each of us has the ability to help someone, to heal a friend, to forgive
The challenge.... The opportunity.... will only happen if the window of
your soul is open to change

25. Behind the Mask
Etched In my soul
Someday you will remember me
When you least expect it
You will see or hear something that triggers
Memories of times past, tears shed, and longing denied
The words echoed inside me all night
She sat in a crowded airport restaurant bar, motionless
Tears were streaming down her cheeks
Her mascara had melted into her skin and dried
And her eyes so blue, a deep lapis, encircled with deep black
And redlines that formed a spider web around her eyes – giftwrapped
Everyone around her knew the pain – everyone at one point
in their life had lived that moment in time r

26. Each of us fragile remembering sitting listless, lost, and crying inside
It was an aching that tugged endlessly at your heart
Recollections etched in your soul
She slowly rose from her bar stool knowing everyone around her
Heard the words
Saw the tears
None of us could hide any more than she could
Suddenly each of us was confronted with our own human condition
Like domino’s most of us rose up with her and simply clapped in support
We had all lived that moment
We had all cried endless tears
At that moment we were reminded it could be us
Etched, forever.

29. the Cathedral of hope
Broken Glass
Shattered dreams
Sitting behind your eyes I see two paintings
One of pain and hope
The other, a greater world full of endless possibilities
As we stitch the tattered fabric of your marriage into a seamless
cloth of hope in the midst of struggles
We sing a song to no one hoping the winds of time are the siren
back into her heart
Creating a path that begins at the cathedral of hope
And, with every try, the haunting of yesterday’s memories still
linger, unresolved

31. Locked
Shadow boxing too many memories
Chasing rainbows and windmills
To go forward I look backwards
She stepped on my heart
Stripped my soul
But the inner strength guided me along a new path
My heart beats to a different drummer
She still smiles in my heart, forever
The anger lost
But I am still shadow boxing what was, what can never be
The wild side, has been reloaded, reloaded, reloaded
My soul exposed
My eyes dance
My heart rescued from the cold hard ground
Now, I am shadow boxing the future
No ghosts, only dreams of what will be
What can be?
It’s a lock!

33. Circles
As walked along the road divided,
We had no destination
Stillness surrounded us
No words were spoken
But each time our eyes met, a story was unfolding
I could feel my heart beating faster and faster with excitement,
anticipation and intense fear
The faster we walked; the sounds of gravel grinding under our feet
grew louder
Clouds of dust circled us
Our feet locked in step
My hand slowly approached yours
Instant fear came over me
I was breathless with excitement
But frantic
Would our souls join? r

34. My thoughts were going round and round
My body was quickly becoming a human roller coaster
I was quickly locked in time remembering the first ride on a
Ferris wheel
The same fear was slowly inching up the back of my neck,
skin tingling, heart racing
I awoke to your breathless whisper
The rustle of the covers with each turn
A dream I have again and again

37. tenderness
Mingling, merging souls
Hearts and minds intertwined
I start the sentence – you complete my thought
You captivate my heart
Dominate my thoughts
Scramble my insides
Your eyes smile at me
My heart is still, fulfilled, complete
My fear of the dark subsides
I no longer need to be the king of the great escape
For me, the only dream unfilled is the one you never try to make real

39. My Largeness
You whisked away years of fears, misgivings, and far too many tears
Helped me begin to realize the scars of my past can slowly be healed
Your hands, with a touch so gentle every woman’s body should feel
its warmth and tenderness
From you I gained purpose and reignited my strength within
My heart found a new home
The words are poetic not in style, but in substance
They echo in my dreams, my memories and my every day
I am embraced for who I am
Loved for all that I am
My largeness is not ridiculed rather respected, revered and enjoyed
I am so far from perfect
But my heart sings,
And the quiet solitude of my life is surrounded by smiles,
New days and blue skies r

40. Scars are slowly healing
I cannot make you want me or truly love me
Today I stand alone that like a single blade of grass blowing across
acres of cornfields
My beauty and dignity rebuilding
I embrace my largeness
It is who I am, proudly

43. Words to Nourish the soul
Encourages
Emboldens
Inspires
Embraces your insides and asks
You to open the window to your soul
The privacy of its torment
Navigate beyond the threads of selfishness to the intimacy of selflessness
Can you allow the haunting imprints of your inner rage to reach your
soul’s deepest despair?
To unwind
And permit happiness to pierce the veil of despair
Allowing vulnerability to guide you
Reassure you
And permit the paradox of life to laugh with you
Simply to embrace love unafraid, unabashedly
And open the window to your soul

45. If you have a story to share, please send it in an email.
Your thoughts, stories, trials and tribulations are all welcome.
Allow me to use it for the next book of poetry.
In ways I cannot explain, they inspire and enrich my soul.

47. For anyone wanting copies of this book, please address your
$10 check (for each copy) to:
The United Way of Greater Detroit
c/o
Otis Press
5851 Upton Street
Mclean Virginia 22101

48. 100% of all contributions will be used by
the United Way of Greater Detroit
to continue to create programs
and solutions to help
those in need.
O t i s P R E s s