COVER: This cover is the road of life. Sometimes the path of life can become rough and turbulent, and metaphorically present as a storm, as seen with rain and lightning in this picture front and back. The brick wall is a summation of all the obstacles,road- blocks, challenges, etc. that we all experience in life. When a person is tenacious, determined, dedicated, etc., they can break through that wall and live a life on the side of sunshine, blue skies, brilliant green grass, and smooth pavement. This is that path of life we should all be living on.
1. Color Of Human: Here we have a planet of different shapes, colors, and sizes. We even have the product of the different shapes and sizes exemplified with an orange little triangle, holding hands with parents of a yellow square and red triangle. We have other shapes there as well, holding hands and waving at each other, including love. They are allequally looking up at OUR planet wondering, “I wonder if that place has the gift of diversity like ours does?”
2. This Great Country: This brick wall is made up of all Americans; the blue Democrat, the red Republican, and all others above and below the flag. This poem and illustration aim to teach that we are all bricks in the same wall. What holds bricks together to stand in unity, is strong mortar; which translates into PEACE, LOVE, ACCEPTANCE, RESPECT, and HARMONY. It is then that the mortar will dry strong and keep us a wall of United States and Citizens, not an un-sturdy pile of bricks made up of Divided States and Citizens.
3. Fences: Every face on that page is the same person. The top two only difference is color of skin. The second row is only facial hair and religious attire. The third row is just a different color shirt. These people are all the same person. WEare all human and one race, made up of beautiful diversities.
4. Dreams of Another Life: The man on the bottom is homeless, smiling at the memories he had as a child, with his mom kissing him goodnight, and his father checking in on him as he pretends to sleep. This teaches kids that the homeless are human, had a childhood perhaps just like theirs, but weren’t as fortunate as we all are.
5. Colors: This poem shows the hands of four colors and at least two genders, holding four different colored and shaped fruits. This shows how there should be no second thought of the differences in colors and genders holding the fruits, as there should be no thought of the differences in the colors and shapes of the fruit.
6. Family Gathering: This poem talks about “Mom’s” holiday meal and to take just enough, that there is enough for all. “MOM” is our Creator, and the “holiday meal” is everything on Earth we all have to live happy and healthy lives. Everyone at this table is different from the other, yet all are welcome with love and security, and that they are safe with me and seen as family, the family of HUMAN. The illustration shows the roots and branches of our society, and the diversity that makes it as amazing as it is.
7. Dedication: This illustration shows a boy and girl equally telling a Magic Genie: “we don’t need you, since the magic is inside of us.” It also shows gender equality so allgenders know they can achieve what they want by working hard and staying; well, Dedicated!
8. Wish or Do: This illustration shows a boy with fear walking an uncertain obstacle to get to the glow behind the mountain. This teaches to take chances, pay attention, and follow your passion to attain your dreams beyond the horizon. Talk about it or do it!
9. Attitude: This illustration shows a young man surrounded by different people of different colors and genders, all expressing the same smile and eye contact as the young boy is. A young brown boy puts his hand on the white boys shoulder with an expression of: “hey buddy, I got your back.” This teaches us to project to those around us the exact energy we want projected on to us.
10. The Climb: This illustration shows us that every boy and girl equally can set a goal, do it alone or along with another, and work hard to achieve it, equally.
11. A Day In Life: While setting goals and dreaming of a bright future are appropriate and a wonderful aspect of life, we sometimes get lost in what we don’t have or what we will have, instead of focusing on the present and appreciating what we already have. Being in the present makes you aware of where you are, and whom you are with, and how it makes you feel. It allows you to look back and see that you took advantage of a gift of life: Today.
12. Goals: This Illustration shows a student approaching college for the first time, feeling small and seeing the future of success exemplified with the upward arrows on the top illustration. The bottom illustration shows that we all have the chance to be our best and conquer our obstacles and tests, and that the once intimidated student can become the intimidating graduate. The successor!
13. ELEMENTS: This is a personification poem. This is a love letter from Earth to Water. The illustration shows the human characteristics of each element, teaching in both words and visual examples, what personification means. The green hair on the man is grass as his body is earth, while the woman is made up of water. The meeting and embracing of the elements.
14. New To You and You to Me: This illustration shows Soul Mates passing each other and realizing there is a connection. It shows his heart is same color as her dress, and her heart is same color as his shirt. You never know who you will meet and when, so pay attention and project good energy, because you never know who will react to that energy with the same love, and perhaps be the person to them and them to you, that were meant to be, sincere and true.
15. Extremities: This illustration teaches that love is not easy. Relationships are not easy. It lets the reader know they are not nuts or weird to feel lost in the maze of love, lust, and relationships. It teaches to follow your path, express yourself, and don’t get frustrated. It’s part of life.
16. My Shooting Star: This illustration shows that simply put, sometimes dreams really do come true. That this young boy in the top illustration dreamt upon a shooting star to someday fall in love; while the bottom illustration shows that boy as a young man years later, telling his present love that she was the wish he made on that star.
17. Consequences of Love: This illustration shows a single man with another person’s footprints left as if they walked away and left him, like the lonely single leaf left on the tree he stands under. This shows that love has risks of leaving us hurt and alone, but most definitely worth it, considering the so many wonders of being in love. We need to teach that a broken heart is common and will heal with lessons learned on the journey of life, with each quest for love.
18. The Answer to a Wish: This illustration teaches the reader to never give up on falling in love and meeting the right person in life for them. That they should not put up a wall of defense, simply because someone once or twice or more times, had broken their heart. This illustration shows a blown out brick all, with a man sitting with his true love. He took down his defense, and it let love in.
19. Another World: This poem is about dying and becoming a part of the next journey. The first of two illustrations shows an androgynous individual’s soul becoming part of the Earth as their spirit rises to the heavens. The poem describes the transition and leads into the second illustration, which paints the perfect scene of the transformation from life to spirit, back into the earth we were all originally created from.
20. Parts of a Whole: This poem has two different perspectives of the same scene, while teaching about the parts of the whole that make up our Planet and the space it exists in. Space, Sea, Sand.
21. Green: This poem is a color poem. I used many examples of metaphor in this one. The greedy green eyes of corporate America, piercing through the leaves of the remaining earth we have, as buildings grow and take over the land, leaving the little green frog and lizard (US) helpless as the corporate growth progresses. The roots of happiness are being infected by money and selfishness of the business of life. We need to love and respect the Earth and what ‘s left of it.
22. Storm: This illustration is one of the last 3 poems of the book, all of which are the same environment, with different elements of weather. In this scene, we see a furious storm of rain and lightning.
23. A Day In Spring: This illustration is the second of the last 3 poems of the book, all of which are the same environment, with different elements of weather. In this scene, we see Spring portrayed with sunny skies, happy bugs, and wandering animals of Earth.
24. The Other Side: This illustration is the third of the last 3 poems of the book, all of which are the same environment, with different elements of weather. In this scene we exemplify the beauty of clouds and how diverse and picturesque they present to us all.
