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When one gets acquainted with the poetry of Ric Masten and with his preferred method of oral delivery, one cannot help but think of the bards of times past who traveled the dusty roads sharing their compositions with all whom would lend an ear. Ric has spent thirty years traveling the world, reading his poetry, sharing his observations of life with new friends in new places. His credits encompass fourteen published books as well as inclusion of selections from his work in psychology and public speaking textbooks.
One has only to glance at the titles of poems in books such as Speaking and I Know It Isn't Funny but…I Love To Make You Laugh to realize how broad the range of thoughts he shares with us is. Just to give you an idea consider this sampling of titles (subjects) from Speaking: "The Wine,'' "A Suicide Attempt," "Grandparents and Grandchildren," "Morning People vs Night People," "The Quake of '89," "The Orangutans," and "With a Friend Dying of Cancer." As these titles illustrate, Ric's poetry is as rich with idea and emotion as an artist's color chart is with infinite shades color. In his Author's Note (Speaking), Ric distinctly defines what sharing his work means to him. "i think of my poems and songs/ as hands/ if i don't hold them out to you/ i find i won't be touched/ if i keep them in my pocket/ i will never get to see you/ seeing me/ seeing you….
For more information on Ric Masten log onto his website at http://www.ricmasten.com. You can also hear Ric read a poem of the week if you have or can download RealPlayer G2 at http://www.real.com. For now enjoy the following poems which he has allowed us to reprint here.
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