Holiday Songs and Kisses

Book Summary: Holiday Songs and Kisses is a collection of poems that came from ideas I had while attending a spiritual support group in Chicago called The Living Circle. These poems express my longing, as a Gay man living with HIV, to connect with my partner, friends and family as well as geniuses of art and literature in order to find spiritual enlightenment. They are personal poems yet convey universal themes for meditation that are inclusive of anyone who attempts to sympathize with others and love another human being. These poems transcend the faults of disability to praise others with songs, words and kisses. This book comes as the reward from much therapy. Websites: www.twitter.com/RubenandMike www.myspace.com/earthcircle Im on Facebook too. Author Commentary: Comming out publicly about my HIV status was a choice I made when decided to self-publish my book, "Holiday Songs and Kisses." I have been living with HIV for two years now and most of my friends and family know. I have even told people on Myspace.com and people that I have met in Support Groups and Group Therapy that I am HIV Positive. I try to be a conscious citizen and activist using democratic means, like sending letters to the President of the U.S. and people in Congress at www.Congress.org. Ive encouraged my partner, Mike, who is HIV negative, and people on the internet to write letters as well about many issues like Gay, Lesbian, Transgender Human Rights, Enviromental Issues, Health Care, Housing, Gun Violence, etc. Mike and I have received letters from Congress People in response to our concerns. I love to read great books of classic literature and contemporary poets as well. I like to go the the website www.NobelPrize.org and read speeches written by Poets, Writers, Peacemakers, Scientists and Economists who have won the Nobel Prize. One of my favorites is Martin Luther King Jr.s speech and lecture on that website. I have been through a few years of therapy to learn how to cope with Mental Health issues and keep myself in a constant process of recovery from symptoms that can make someone feel unwell. Holiday Songs and Kisses are prose poems that are partly inspired by desire to heal through therapy. I found a friend named Larry, another self-published Gay poet, in therapy who invited me to a spiritual support group called the Living Circle, a group that is open to everyone especially the GLBT community. I attended that group for over a year and wrote some notes down every time I spoke with the group about my concerns and lit a candle in vigil for someone. Holiday Songs and Kisses is a collection of some of those notes in prose poem form. The "Kisses" section of my book, was inspired by a film I saw with my partner Mike called "Cinema Paradiso." These "kisses" are also a collection of my ideas on film, art, music, literature and they are dedicated to anyone who choses to care about me, because some of my friends and family members have given me the loving supportive enviroment I needed to be creative. I believe that a poem lives by companionship and becomes greater in the eyes of a sensitive reader. These kisses transcend the personal dedications I have made and become universal meditations on family, romance, friendship, art, literature, film and religion. I dedicate these poems to anyone who desires to be loved and admired for their talents and achievements. I dedicate this book to anyone who desires to heal others and be healed. My medication is keeping me alive and healthy so I am full of life-affirmative praise for the people who care to make a difference in other peoples lives. Thank you very much and Good luck to you. May the Holidays and the new year bring you your best wishes, for now and for all time. Kind regards, Ruben Santos Claveria

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