Poetic messages from the Heart. (self publishing).

The romantic language of poetry is no longer exclusively the province of women. Men are writing poetry that includes emotional expressions designed to tug at the heartstrings. Yet poets whose work is outside the hip hop-inspired poetry slam variety are finding traditional publishing doors tightly shut. And the only way their messages of love and life will reach the market is through self-publishing.

Dubious and Darling (Milligan Books) is one such venture. The book--a compilation of romantic poems that express love from a man's point of view--was published by Hugh Mitchell Bou'Vier. "My poetry is about how a relationship between a man and a woman weaves its way through various stages. In the beginning, the best-behavior stage is the `darling' stage. It only takes a moment to shift to `dubious; where uncertainties cloud the relationship. However, true love will take a man and a woman back to `darling;" observes Bou'Vier.

This is a romantic sentiment for a poet who began writing poetry at the age of seven. "I couldn't express myself so that adults could understand" says Bou'Vier. "So I began writing poetry and telling adults, `This is how I feel.' My mother even stopped smoking after reading my words--something I couldn't get her to do when I tried to `tell' her to quit"

Over the years, Bou'Vier has worked to develop his craft. "It takes months to write a poem because I develop the lines first" he says. "Sometimes, I wake up in the middle of the night, write two or three lines and then place that paper in a drawer. I do this until I'm ready to write a poem. Then, I'll pull out all the lines that I've written and put them together--like a puzzle" Bou'Vier sees his poetry as much more than a hobby. It's a mission. "I want to, along with God, create a new race of people who know how to love each other for life." Much of Dubious and Darling was written in Europe--London, Milan, Paris--and the romantic flavor is evident. "I want to show women the depth and breadth of how and what a man feels. This book is what love means to me"

Visions (Ethnos Publishing) by Kevin Briggs takes on a similar sentiment. "I want to address every situation that can happen in life" says the New Jersey native. "Whether about abortion, relationships, following in the steps of our elders, the wisdom of time--I want my words to cover the entire spectrum of life."

Like every devoted writer, Briggs takes his craft seriously. "It is not just the words, it's the entire process for me" Before writing a word, Briggs prays and meditates. "I bring God into everything." Though Briggs considers himself a writer now, it wasn't a driving ambition for him initially.

"I had a lot of free time at my job," Briggs says. "So I would sit at the computer and think about writing. I didn't have any idea what I wanted to write, I just wanted to try. One day a friend challenged me. She gave me one word and told me to write about it. I did." That word was "commitment" and hours later Briggs had his first poem. "I was amazed," Briggs says. "It had to be divine intervention--God showing me what I could do. Even now, my words just flow and when I re-read my poems I wonder where the words came from. I don't even speak the way I write." One thing that Briggs does to make his poetry different is to bring suspense to his writings. "There's always a twist at the end. No one knows how my poems are going to end."

It was through life-changing experiences that Tico Wells, an actor and filmmaker, began writing poetry. "I began writing poetry when I was at Bowie State College and always wanted to publish. But it was a "someday" kind of dream." However, "someday" quickly became reality within a year when Wells lost his mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, an aunt, a close friend and two music legends whom he admired--Tito Puente and Grover Washington Jr.

"The departing of a loved one is so painful, yet so exacting that it is not easy to communicate the myriad of emotions and complexities that surface inside of you. I could only do it with words." It was then that Messages From the Heart, the Soul and Beyond (CIC Productions) was born. "I had to come to terms with all of my feelings--how to be, who to be, what to be. My poetry expresses all of that" Wells gives much of the credit for his survival to one source. "My mother inspired me before she passed. But it was the grace of God that allowed me to release myself through writing and acting. I thank God for the talent."

These three brothers are talented indeed, and they represent the growing number of male poets who reveal their deepest emotions. They write without fear, and are devoted to the craft and provide insight for all of us who are blessed and touched by their emotional expressions of life and love.