Nick Leforce

Falling Before Grace Nick Leforce

People in all cultures turn to poetry to give voice to what seems impossible to say and express feelings too vast to be contained by the prosaic language of everyday life. Throughout the centuries, poetry has been the primary vehicle for sharing the deepest feelings, the most beautiful thoughts, and the most sublime secrets of the soul. And love, of all the mysteries of human experience, is the deepest, most beautiful, and most sublime. There is no denying the power of love. It is the deepest need and most potent force in our lives. It's absence in infants and children has been documented to lead to a "failure to thrive," a kind of giving up and withering away. It has inspired people to sail vast oceans, climb towering mountains, cross over forbidden borders, and endure unbearable suffering. Love opens the eyes to beauty, the heart to wonder, and the spirit to eternity. To fall in love is to become a poet because poetry is the language of love. Whether you are a closet poet, who may never whisper a line to a listening ear, or a poet laureate, who is celebrated as the best of the best, love is your Mojo, the driving force to bring alive the secrets of the heart. Poetry is the midwife for the birth of love, the gardener for the growth of love, the guide to the sacred meeting ground of love, the coach in the troubled times of love, and the friend to carry you through the loss of love. May you find, in these poems, your midwife, your gardener, your guide, your coach, and your friend. May these poems open your eyes to the face of the Beloved, the face behind the face of every soul mate and every kindred spirit you encounter, including the one you see in the mirror who longs for your love like no other.