COVER: The cover shows four different people, from left to right: an Asian man, Latina woman, Black woman, and a Caucasian man, holding hands and not just finishing the race together, but WINNING THE RACE TOGETHER. When all colors, creeds, and genders come together, we will win together.
1. Mixed Salad: This illustration shows four different colors and different genders offering the reader a mixed salad. The mixed salad allows the reader to learn that the individual ingredients are recognized, just as amazing as they are mixed together. This ends the melting pot analogy which leaves everything one color. We already are one color, the color of human. We are also made up of a plethora of colors and genders, and need to appreciate each by themselves, and well as all together.
2. The Dis-Connect: This illustration shows a boy and girl CREATING their fun and joy and happiness in a corporate world. The metaphor is exemplified with the paintbrush in the little girls hand in the painted tree house and the paint-can full of “nature”, as they paint over the brick and cement of corporate and technological society.
3. Mirror Love: This illustration shows any color, gender, or ethnicity of any two people, feeling the feeling that one feels when they meet: “the one!”
4. The COVID Revolution: This illustration shows the four people of all different colors and genders, indiscriminately accepting a patient with COVID-19. This shows that the disease does not care who it attacks, but that ALL colors and genders of individuals will help you beat this virus’s attack without prejudice or discrimination.
5. Becoming A Poet: This illustration shows a young man, working hard to create a future of uncertainty with choices to make, and obstacles to conquer. The bust in the background is of Ralph Waldo Emerson. The bird in the cage signifies Maya Angelou’s poem: Caged Bird, and the bifurcated road outside signifies Robert Frost’s: The Road Not Taken.
6. Room For One Race: This illustration shows a missile of racism, with a bomb on its tip full of bullying, along with needles of hate; all aiming down on our society. The people are teachers made up of every color and gender, holding up books of Peace, Equality, Acceptance, and Love. The point of this illustration is to prove that since hate, racism, and bullying are products of ignorance and fear, then it will take knowledge and education to beat such entities as a racism, hate, and bullying. The books represent the knowledge as the defense to the missile and needles, made up entirely of ignorance and fear.
7. White Canvas- Black Belt: This illustration shows a white belt creating art by painting his goal to be attained. This poem compares and contrasts the differences and similarities of both being an artist and a martial artist. A martial artist starts as a white belt, and attains colors in time to eventually earn black. The artist starts on a blank white canvas, and utilizes colors and patterns over time until the canvas is covered with color. Both, attaining a goal in the end: achievement with use of color, to be and/or create the best one can.
8. My Greatest Karma: This is a personal poem. This illustration is of my fiancé and I, as I proposed on my favorite bridge, also seen in book 1 in the poem ANOTHER WORLD. The cloud above us sees nothing but love, so takes the shape of a heart, and I am on my knee hearing the amazing word YES, after I ask for her hand in marriage. She then looked directly into the camera of my phone, and screamed: “Oh my God! Yes!” J
9. Creating the Worlds View Of You: This illustration shows two children of different colors and genders, smiling at each other while in the woods on a hike, with the globe being seen as their eyes. This tells the reader to see yourself through the eyes of the world around you, so you can see the effect your amazing energy has on others.
10. Forever Here: This illustration shows the spirit of someone who has passed away, drifting up to heaven and looking down at their family or loved ones visiting their grave.
11. The Stand: This Illustration shows cops and people of color, standing in a line with arms around each other, pledging allegiance to the flag; as a cop shakes hands with a man of color up front. This illustration shows that whether dressed in a nice shirt and slacks, or dressed down in a hoodie or street clothes, that no person should be racially profiled or treated differently than the next. A black man in a hoodie should be treated with same respect as a black man in a suit. The same goes for all colors and genders. To live a life of equality requires treating everyone as equal.
12. A Test Of The Heart: This illustration exemplifies a situation many of us have been through, and many will to come. Relationships are tricky and have bridges that lead us back sometimes. This illustration is just a reminder for people not to burn a bridge, and keep the faith that if it’s meant to be, it will be.
13. Faith: This illustration shows a male hand and a female hand. The bracelets on each represent the beauty of different religions with the symbols showing a glow. When the hands meet in peace, then the entire scene spreads the glow of those symbols. This represents that we can flourish with peace and love on the waves of religion, while being faithful to our own, and showing love and respect to those of others.
14. Lost Anxiety: This illustration simply exemplifies the power of the mind and breath, as the person in the scene glows with their energy as they channel it through meditation as the process is explained in the poem.
15. The Insidious Path To Peace: This illustration exemplifies the title itself. Slowly moving turtles up a challenging hill to get to the peace they seek. These turtles have random flags all over their shells to exemplify all nations of the globe, as this slow and tortuous path to peace commences.
16. Separate Hearts: This illustration simply puts a picture to what most of us have all experienced. It teaches the reader that it’s normal, it has happened to most, and is NOT the end of the world. Just move on and learn from what your mistakes may have been.
17. Rain and Recollection: This illustration simply puts in a place to recall a situation in the past that allows us to remember it, utilizing our senses. This is an androgynous person, looking out a wet window on a rainy day, just day- dreaming about their past.
18. Soulmate: This illustration is of a young woman, showing innocence in a white gown with a butterfly, leaning against her Soulmate, which in this case, is a person who is either gay, transsexual, or other. Nobody has the right to tell a person who they can love or be loved by. Also, I took the word(s) Soul Mate, and put them together purposefully to make Soulmate, and prove the point at hand. When a Soul belongs to a mate, no strength in the world can keep them apart. J
19. Decisions: This illustration shows a person metaphorically standing on any day of life. The decisions we make lead us to our goals, destinations, and future; with lots of consequences and variables. This person is standing in the middle of 6 paths, exemplifying a consistency of life. Choices, impulse, planning, etc. lead all to what we call our destiny made up of the decisions we made throughout our lives.
20. Learning Lesson: This illustration shows a young girl and a boy, working together to teach the older generations about the important things in life. When all colors and genders work and teach together, perhaps we as a country and a globe will all learn what’s on the chalkboard. We can and should always be open to learning. Whether as a kid with a grown up teacher, or a grown-up zipping their lips and listening and learning from a youngster.
21. Awakening: This illustration exemplifies in the bottom illustration a boy in a dream, while the top illustration is of the boy waking up from the dream. Dreaming about cold and death, and a dry throat; but then waking up and hearing his mom yelling to wear a scarf as to avoid catching a cold. This shows how we can sometimes be so close in reality between the realms of dreams and reality.
22. Fight For Peace: This illustration shows three couples, an Asian man with a Latina woman, a black woman with a Caucasian man, and a young black girl with a young Caucasian boy; all at a picnic and enjoying their time together. I made the woman the Queen of the Grill to break the traditional saying of King of the Grill. I know many women who grill like champs, and so this woman is a Queen of the Grill.
23. A New Friend: This illustration simply shows a Chiropractor explaining the difference of a healthy and unhealthy spine to his patient. As a Chiropractor, I’ve put a poetic explanation of what Chiropractic is and does, and how it should be a part of everyone’s lives; healing from the inside out and correcting the cause of the problem.
24. …And The Kitchen Sink: This illustration simply shows in the sink what I wrote about in the poem. Sometimes, the metaphor is just what it is J….and the kitchen sink!
25. Seconds In The Wind: This is the last poem and illustration of the book, and leaves the reader thinking about what was, what is, and what will be. The illustration shows the same young man in three phases of his life: as a child with mom, lost as a teen, and with a girl friend while growing up. This tells you to appreciate the present, and you won’t feel lost at all. You won’t be a kid wishing you were older, or older feeling you missed out on something while you were young. Today is a gift, that’s why they call it the present!
