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Beyond My Reach

by M. E. Sapphire

220 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #03-0995; ISBN 1-4120-0625-2; US$21.00, C$24.95, EUR24.70, £17.12

Love poetry, inspired by a symbiotic romance between a young inmate and older woman. Ms. Sapphire composed and dedicated more than 200 poems to one young man, just to say, "I love you." As lovers, they face each day enduring the painful reality they may never indulge in the pleasures of the flesh that lives so vividly within their hopes, dreams, and fantasies.

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About the Book      About the Author      Sample Excerpts      Catalogue Info

About the Book An endeavor of love, is the only way to aptly depict the motivation and deep love flowing from her heart into this poetry compilation from the outside to the inside. Beyond My Reach is unique in that it was written from the free world to an incarcerated lover. With much love, more than 200 poems were written to express the intense love thriving within this lonely sweetheart during the last four years, the length of their heated romance from a distance. Ms. Sapphire's amorous declarations of devotion were the only inspiration needed to profess her passion and write the first poem, I Close My Eyes. She never imagined then, the poetry would someday amass into a quantity great enough to fill a book. Written solely to verbalize new emotions of love, each poem in this book was inspired by one young man confined behind tall concrete walls and razor wire of the penal system... ---------------------------------- BEYOND THE WALLS Each day you face a dismal existence Wondering what's beyond that prison wall So many youthful years you've wasted What made you err, you barely recall Double locked doors quarantine your life In triple layered concrete cages Tall dual fences, loops of razor wire Stand sentinel over inmates of all ages Incarceration has taken a deadly toll on you Never trusting, dreading each new dawn Privacy embezzled by constant vigilance Leaves you silent, fearful and withdrawn The world is soon forgotten behind the walls As you obey endless, ever-changing rules Constantly watching your back, danger lurks Fearing brawls, protecting your family jewels Being an inmate with untainted record Double locked doors will surely open for you Living on the outside can soon resume You've learned your lesson, freedom is overdue Your true love awaits you beyond those walls When you're thrust from that dismal womb Born again to embark on a new journey You'll emerge from your dungeon of doom. March 12, 2001 For more information, please go to the www.mesapphire.com.

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About the Author Passionate! Relentless! Artistic! Meticulous! M.E. Sapphire, an enterprising Tennessee native, has worn many hats during her long career. As a business woman for 42 years, she remains the owner of a successful salon chain. As a young woman, she loved life and pursued many diverse occupations, including, executive secretary, hair stylist, and professional photographer, just to name a few. Her passions are poetry, nature, world travel, and her lover, behind the walls.

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Sample Excerpts

PREFACE
Initially, my goal was merely to say I love you to a young inmate through the voice of poetry. Those first amateurish efforts, were followed by others which were much improved and evolved into Beyond My Reach. The idea to verbalize my love in verse produced more than 200 poems over a three-year period. At first, I searched libraries, bookstores and the Internet for love poetry specifically relegated toward inmates. My hope was to find works from other writers to express and impress my lover. Intense research disclosed nothing was available to articulate my feelings or to depict the myriad of emotions associated with loving someone behind the walls.
      The results from researching my state's correctional facilities, disclosed the inmate population to total 150,000 offenders. When those numbers are multiplied by 50 states, the figures are astounding. By the end of 2002, the inmate population in the U.S. grew to a staggering 2.2 million offenders. The majority of those incarcerated are men snatched from society and from the arms of the women who love them, as they pay their debt to society. It would be safe to say, each of those inmates has a lover, wife, girlfriend, or sweetheart waiting patiently in the free world for his safe return. Until sentences are served, these men will continue to cherish the words and special sentiments from their loved ones on the outside.
      Many emotions are chronicled within the pages of this poetry compilation. There were times when my deepest feelings were revealed to portray love, sadness, jealousy, disappointment, loneliness, and fantasy. My efforts were directed toward verbalizing the anticipation of someday being united with my lover in the free world. Each poem was written to send a special message, regardless of the problems we faced on any particular day. Some of the poetry was written to portray prison life from an inmate's perspective.
      To satisfy a need within myself, I chose to write words of passion in an effort to entertain my lover and offer him a diversion from the daily traumas of prison life. The first poem, was my inspiration to write more, and quickly grew into this book filled with declarations of love. To think so many poems of denied love could have been written and dedicated to one young inmate, seems like an impossible feat. Dedicated to reassuring him of my devotion and loyalty, this book of poetry, Beyond my Reach, became a reality. Many individuals with incarcerated lovers will recognize some of their own needs have been realized as they read these expressions of love. They too, can empathize with the emotional turmoil, confusion, and perplexity of having a sweetheart behind the walls.
M. E. Sapphire

PASSION CONFINED

Loving you leaves me empty
To my heart, love's merely an apparition
You are the love of my life
But sadly, only by definition

Tears blur my mind and vision
Handsome features, no longer clear
Deprived and yearning for your touch
I pray for true love, real and sincere

Patiently waiting, passes my days
Memories cleave your body to mine
Our love once hopeful and profound
Leaves me empty, as silently I pine.

The ghost of dreams unfilled
Holds my hand, walks by my side
Every youthful day behind bars
Drowned by the lonely tears I've cried

Freedom, a remote possibility
Invades the recesses of my mind
Never in the real world for me
Since we met, love's been confined

Discouraged but never depleted
Of faith, hopes, and dreams
The voices of love unrequited
Are silent forever, or so it seems
April 22, 2001

NAKED BETRAYAL

Thrusting to the rhythmic beating of hearts
Perspiring bodies slither and slide
Flesh to flesh, she drowns in his eyes
Savoring the ripples of passion's rising tide

Glistening with honey, pink petals unfurl
Nipple to nipple, consumed bodies entwine
Silently she screams for his creamy release
Sweaty bodies drink kisses, sweet as red wine

Belly to belly their fused bodies convulse
Soaring the high seas of satiated pleasures
Entangled in blissful waves of ecstasy
Lovers ravish their secret hidden treasure

The cadence of eroticism still beats loudly
As heart to heart, they fly solo once more
Miles apart, lovers climb the pinnacle of lust
Echoed dreams motivate denied love to soar

Entangled in a world of chaotic nightmares
Imagination stirs nakedness into erotic confusion
Toe to toe, the current of unrequited passion flows
Reality awakens slumber to another illusion

Mind to mind, lonely souls envision paradise
Instead of the familiar world of self-gratification
Dreams and fantasies are multiplied by desires
To escape the walls of silent desperation
January 13, 2003

SWEET GRATIFICATION

Visions of butterfly kisses softly
Seduce the pleasures of my deprived flesh
Sweet nectar glistens on petals of desire
Libidos lure our contrasts to enmesh

Dancing to the rhythm of love
Searching tongues seduce, tantalize, tease
Impassioned sexuality lies naked
Clad only in a gentle zephyr breeze

Moonlight kisses a mountain peak
Sequins glitter on flushing seas
Clouds play peek-a-boo with the moon
You penetrate my secret treasure with ease

You satiate silent desires of tender love
Your scent still lingers moist upon my thighs
My body trembles from your sensuous touch
You undress my soul with yearning eyes

Clothe me with your nakedness
Consume the very core of my existence
Riveting seduction unravels our fantasy
Of sweet gratification from a distance.
January 1, 2003

I Walk Alone

Sand squishes between my toes
As I stroll along the warm sandy beach
I walk alone and think only of you
Serving time and out of reach

Salt water gently kisses my feet
A soft breeze flows through my hair
I stand alone awaiting your return
Youthful love caught me unaware

Sun beams hot upon my shoulders
Sea gulls scream, barely above my head
Surely, they must wonder why I sit alone
To toss them drifting crumbs of bread

Sailboats glide silently in the distance
Laughter proclaims their summer fun
I stand alone and envy their love
If only our pasts could be undone

With all my heart, I miss your touch
Lingering to admire a colorful shell
I walk alone and remember your caress
Without your love, I'm in a private hell

Your scent sill lingers in my mind
As the sun slowly slides into the sea
I walk alone, I taste your tender kiss
Vivid clouds become a flaming plea

Tonight I'll lie alone in our big bed
Dreaming dreams of what's soon to be
I'll feel the ocean spray upon my face
As hand in hand we look out to sea
January 20, 2001

      New young love introduced a new energetic zest for life, I never dreamed possible. Feeling young and vibrant for the first time in decades, abundant love overflows this once empty heart. My lover has found a new appreciation for life as he enjoys unconditional love. He feels contentment as he endures serving time, and his fate as an inmate. Anger and hate once consumed him, but have been replaced by love, enthusiasm and hope. These are new traits, only recently discovered after I elbowed myself into his dreary existence. Because of generous love, he is full of pride, holds his head high and feels loved for the first time in his life. Only recently, he has become comfortable expressing inner feelings of childhood traumas, as well as emotional love, which to him was previously a foreign language. Now, he takes great pride in everything he does and accepts this beautiful love we share, even if it is love from a distance. Primarily, he accepts imprisonment, the cruel twist of fate he has been dealt by life and a true love beyond his reach.
      If destiny had afforded us the luxury of finding each other in earlier years, under different circumstances, both our worlds would surely have been transformed forever. For me, death lurks in the shadows as my time clock continues to tick, intent on ending our relationship forever, rather than offering culmination of emotional desires. For him, his first chance for parole will be in the year 2022, long after I have left this earth. The situation we face is much like a fairy tale without the happily ever after.
      Hopes and dreams for the future, perpetuate and nourish our hearts with enduring affection. Rather than face the reality of possibly never being together, true love inspires our anticipation of one day being united till death severs our physical bonds. Until then, the poetry flows, expressing feelings of intense, unrequited love. Faith nourishes our sincere, heartfelt devotion that may never be smiled upon by friends, families, nor fate. Sadly, this symbiotic romance may never share the joy of consummation. Regardless, we patiently indulge our hopes, dreams, and fantasies for an uncertain tomorrow, with the assurance we have found the loves of our lives.

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Catalogue Information

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