BOOK OF SAMPLES
A Story in Every Poem
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
Here is a sample of my work, this is the first three pages of an 11 page poem. As I slowly pulled up. To a gate that was no longer there. And stepped out of my car. I slowly began to stare. Here at the camp. That's been closed for three years. I stand here in somber. And my face shared a few tears. My feet, they were just planted. As I slowly took it all in. Standing in the baseball camp. Where they taught the kids to win. But now it sits quiet. With the wind just whispering through. Blowing through the windows. And the open doors to. The cabins are now empty. No more kids to enter the door. Everything covered in dust. Bunk beds to be used no more. The smell of a home cooked meal. Is no longer in the air. And the clanging of the pots and pans. The sound is no longer there. The main shower and locker room. Remains dry and empty of gear. And the benches are no longer needed. With the absents of the kids cheer. The fields are all grown over. The baselines no longer exist. The scoreboard has begun to rust. The joy is now in the mist. No more sounds from the bat. Or the popping of the catcher's mitt. Or the kids, yelling and screaming. When the batter got a hit. You won't find any more kids. Standing there under the tree. Getting ready for the next practice. That will end half past three. No more team photo's. With the kids from all walks of life. Becoming a family in these woods. Learning to live without Strife. No more counselors night meetings. As they prepared for the next day. The camp that shook the world. Has now slowly passed away. The pitching machines are empty. No baseballs rolling through the rack. Or kids seeing one for the first time. And asking, what is that. The dugouts that was once full. Of cleats, gloves and bats. With all the energetic kids. Wearing there t-shirts and hats. Now the dugout is just bricks. Metal poles and a tin roof. No more kids laughing and joking. And acting like a big goof. The equipment room lays dormant. The catcher's mask on the floor. The bats are in the bag. The chest protector used no more. The catchers mitts are all cracked. The leather is old and brittle. The camp put up a good fight. But it lost its last acquittal. The bases are still on the shelf. Still waiting for that next game. But that game may never come. But it will never lose its fame. The helmets are upside down. Most of them covered in dust. And the door just stands wide open. With the markings, in God we trust. The pitch back still stands. Waiting to receive that next ball. But as I stand there in the silence. I realize it's over, that is all. No more instructions from the coaches. As they would stand at first and third base. And I found myself just standing here. At this once amazing place. As I walk around this old camp. I can see how things use to be. With the kids, just full of life. Playing baseball and living free. I can see the kids in their gear. Working on the running drills. With the number on the back of their tee's. Out there on Shean Field. The cabins are now all vacant. With the vines growing up the window. And I'm standing here at cabin one. Where the newest kids would go. As I gazed into one of the doors. And saw the bunk beds still there. But all the mattress were gone. And all I could do was stair. You could see the names on the wall. Of the kids that visited this place. And I can just see as they wrote there name. The joy that was on their face. The light sockets stand empty. With electricity connected no more. And I felt just a little sorrow. As I stood there at the front door. The dust has covered the floor. When once it was covered with shoes. Standing here just looking around. Is enough to give you the blues. All the cabins are now very quiet. As they are still surrounded by a tree. This is an era that has come to an end. But after forty plus years, how can that be. But if you would just stand still. You can hear an echo through the air. How each kid that came here. Was treated with respect and so fair. Everyone use to look the same. With their white tee's marked with the stamp. Proudly on the front of their chest. Marked Chandler Baseball Camp. But let me take you back. To a time when this place was alive. It was the hottest place on the planet. And my friends that is no jive. Ten years of planning. Before the construction would finally start. To building this fabulous facility. That would teach kids, character and heart. Building it from the ground up. With the planes to maintain it all year. One would be the top youth field in the country. That was prepared for a whole lot of cheer. The year was 1958. When Bo Belcher, a man very clean. Started an international phenomenon. When he brought this camp on the scene. The location was Chandler Oklahoma. In the woods outside of town. Mr. Belcher had no idea. How amazing his idea would be found. I can just see it in my mind. As the first cabin was complete. The legend had begun. Right there under his feet. And as he put up cabin two. Then three, four and then five. The phenomenon was awaking. And was slowly coming alive.
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
”THE BOOK OF SAMPLES” is just that, a variety of poetry of my favorite collections, over the past 38 years. In this book, you will read poems, of love, history, Everyday life, Humorous, Eerie and Christian poems. As well as my very first poems. Some are strictly my imagination, some are very true, I'll let you figure out which ones are real and which ones are not. Each poem tells a story, that's my style a story inside of every poem. You will read about (The Round House), my first Eerie poem. I'll tell you about the horrible things that happened there one night, in a little town in Oklahoma. You will read about an old building, that was (Boarded Up) for so many years, until someone entered and unleashed the horror, that was locked up inside. And I must talk about the God all mighty, with some of my Christian poems. And some history about Dr Martian Luther King, you will get a chance to learn all about his life. A poem called (Family) a story about a family back in the 1800's something happened so amazing that takes a great number of years to unfold and all the cards had to fall in the right place. You will read about one of the characters in the book that had an experience with a semi-Truck, that will just make you gasp, when you read what happened. Or my sports poems about this young man that was sent to prison, who claims to be innocent, he became a boxer while in prison, and you won't believe what happened to him. And of course my favorites, Chandler Baseball camp and the last and longest poem that I wrote, Barn Wood. And many other poems that I enjoyed writing.
About the Author
At a young age Demetrius was blessed with a gift of poetry, he discovered his ability at the age of 12. Demetrius had a poetry project to turn in for his final grade at school and it wasn’t until the night before the assignment was due that he began to work on it. He informed his mother that he needed a typewriter and at 7pm that Thursday evening Demetrius began his journey. As he put together a book of 25 poems that landed him an A+ the next morning. He found that his words fl owed naturally and has been writing poems ever since. As Demetrius grew older, his skills to bring his poems to life were ever increasing. He has been told “we can see the poem unfolding right in front of our eyes.” Each of his poems, tell a story. Demetrius has recited his poetry to audiences at many Church events as well as Colleges and Special events in Oklahoma. Copies of his poems are requested and then shared by his friends at different events themselves. Now when he reads his poems at the age of 51, copies are always on hand. He has always been told “you need to write a book.” Which brings us to this point. This is his first book of poetry. I hope you enjoy, BOOK OF SAMPLES, short stories, in a poem. And those 25 poems, that started it all, are inside this book. And what makes this book so unique, it took 38 years to write, from the very first poem that he wrote, in the eighth grade, to the very last one that he just finished at the age of 51 is in this book. All of his favorite poems are all together in one book, BOOK OF SAMPLES.