Post No. 070: For Japheth, Part 1 — Soul Brother!

(Image from Shutterstock)

Soul Brother!

Be still, my brother,
And know that I love you.

Be still and know
You truly are my brother.

Be still and know
We will always be together.

Be still and know
That death cannot separate us.

Be still and know
I will always come for you.

Be still and know
That's how we found each other.

Be still and know
My heart lays open for you.

Be still and know
What my love for you holds.

Be still and know
We are a part of each other.

Be still and know
I am Earth and you are Fire.

Be still and know
Why I call you Soul Brother.

-Paul Whiting
(a.k.a., A Creative Writer)
"I maybe say too much about how life really is!"

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My Writing Notes:

The reason that I wrote this poem can be summed up with the following statement: Being the "Neo Hippy" that I am, I was trying to find a communal-style living situation, where I could live as sustainably as possible and also be the naturist that I am!

And the summer of 2000, and part of the autumn, I worked at Breitenbush Hot Springs, which is a bathing-area clothing-optional resort and convention center in Detroit, Oregon. And that is where I met Japheth (pronounced "jay-peth"), who is like My Soul Brother.

And I wrote this poem as a way to console "Jay" (which is his nickname), after I told him that I was HIV-positive!

You see, we were living in separate households when I told him that I was "positive," which was around November of 2000; however, later on, I lived with Jay, as a roommate, in the house that he and his boyfriend, Sean, bought in Portland.

By the way, I also did a rewrite of this poem that I wrote as a symbolic reference to the Chakras—or the Energy Centers of the Human Body—which is titled, "'Soul Children, My Children.'" (Please see "Soul Brother-Style Poem" in labels for the poem.)

And this poem was also published on my "Small All White in the Forest" blog (please see the hyperlink below for the blog), since I feel that the message in this poem applies to the message that I am trying to convey through "Small All White in the Forest."

This poem was written in Portland, Oregon.

-Paulee

https://smallallwhiteintheforest.blogspot.com

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This "Paul Whiting — A Creative Writer" Post No. 070 was edited on April 20th, 2026.

"Poetry is using the fewest words possible in order to describe all that is possible to describe." –Paul Whiting [June 1st, 2022]

Post No. 040: For My Friends, Part 5 — The Bright Sun Blessing

(Image from Transforming Truth)

The Bright Sun Blessing

How bright the sun
Warming your face!

How wise the star
Marking your path!

How full the moon
Guarding your rest!
__________

How clear the spring
Filling your well!

How fertile the soil
Yielding your seed!

How soft the breeze
Cooling your brow!
__________

How eternal the flame
Heating your hearth!

How sweet the love
Imbuing your home!

How kind the hand
Holding your own!

-Paul Whiting
(a.k.a., A Creative Writer)
"I maybe say too much about how life really is!"

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My Writing Notes:

The reason that I wrote this poem can be summed up with the following statement: I used to give poems as gifts for holidays and special occasions!

And I wrote this poem in as an any-occasion gift poem for anytime that I needed a heart-warming message, like a greeting card, but one general enough to be used for any special occasion.

And this poem was also published on my "Three Dark Horses" and "Small All White in the Forest" blogs (please see the hyperlinks below for the blogs), since I feel that the message in this poem applies to the message I am trying to convey through "Three Dark Horses" and "Small All White in the Forest." Plus, I feel that the message in this poem applies to the message I am trying to convey through my new "The Oneness Of God" spiritual practice!

This poem was written in Salt Lake City, Utah.

-Paulee

https://threedarkhorses.blogspot.com

https://smallallwhiteintheforest.blogspot.com

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This "Paul Whiting — A Creative Writer" Post No. 040 was edited on April 26th, 2026.

"Poetry is using the fewest words possible in order to describe all that is possible to describe." –Paul Whiting [June 1st, 2022]

Post No. 039: For My Friends, Part 4 — It Will Do

(Image from 7-themes.com)

It Will Do

What more can I
tell you of the way
I feel about you
that you don’t
already know?

Should I try to
conceal how deep
and still the water
of my trust is
drawn for you?

Would my lips—
blue in the undertaker's
dressing room—keep
silent my delight
for you?

Should I ineptly
proclaim the radiant sun
a candle, as to call
what burns inside
for you love?

Perhaps, it will do
to let what I feel flow
effortlessly to you, as
does the rising sea toward
the ascending moon.

-Paul Whiting
(a.k.a., A Creative Writer)
"I maybe say too much about how life really is!"

My Writing Notes:

The reason that I wrote this poem can be summed up with the following statement: This poem was inspired by "Chase" (which was his nickname) whom I met at a bookstore where we both worked. And we often got mistaken for "twin brothers," since we were so similar.

You see, we were friends for quite a while but, later on, we had a falling out over a multilevel marketing ('MLM') program in which we were both involved! You see, the MLM program direct marketed a great product called Intra® which is still sold "as a natural food supplement [that] helps balance and strengthen the body's systems with the essential nutrients that are lacking in most modern diets."

And using my credit cards, I paid for three of us (that is, Chase, plus his boyfriend, and I) to 'go direct' as Independent Distributors—which cost about $2,000 (as I recall) for each of us back in the early 1990s—so that we could all qualify to buy the Intra® product at the lowest possible wholesale price. But none of us were really 'salesmen' (or should I say 'salespersons'?) and we couldn't sell enough of the Intra® product in order to make money!

And, eventually, he gave me back all of the product that I bought for him and his boyfriend that they couldn't sell (plus, I still had my own product from that original purchase that I couldn't sell either—all of which I gave to my father, who simply loved Intra® as an "Herbal Juice Suitable for All Ages") and we never spoke to each other again!

But do not let that diminish your perception of Intra® which "is a precise formulation of 23 time-tested and trusted botanical extracts manufactured by Lifestyles Global Network Canada," because it really works!

And this poem was also published on my "Small All White in the Forest" blog (please see the hyperlink below for the blog), since I feel that the message in this poem applies to the message that I am trying to convey through "Small All White in the Forest."

This poem was written in Salt Lake City, Utah.

-Paulee

https://smallallwhiteintheforest.blogspot.com

This "Paul Whiting — A Creative Writer" Post No. 039 was edited on September 12th, 2023.

"Poetry is using the fewest words possible in order to describe all that is possible to describe." –Paul Whiting [June 1st, 2022]

Post No. 038: For My Friends, Part 3 — In An Envelope

(Image from mob.org)

In An Envelope

I cannot tell you
how much I care,

because my words
would be droplets

in a forest fire.

I cannot show you
how deeply I feel,

because my touch
would be starlight

in the autumn sun.

I cannot give you
all that I wish to,

because my adoration
would be the cosmos

in an envelope.

-Paul Whiting
(a.k.a., A Creative Writer)
"I maybe say too much about how life really is!"

My Writing Notes:

The reason that I wrote this poem can be summed up with the following statement: This poem was inspired by Gary who was "a total stud from the land of spuds!" He lived in Idaho and was 'married with children.' And Gary's wife knew that he was gay, but she had no problem still being married to him; however, I am not sure if his wife knew that he was sexually active with other men, since they were not sexually active anymore, due to his homosexuality. And, although I don't remember the specifics of how we met (I think we met at the antique store where I was working), we were "hot and heavy" for a while, whenever he came down to Utah from Idaho for his family-owned floral business.

And this poem was also published on my "Small All White in the Forest" blog (please see the hyperlink below for the blog), since I feel that the message in this poem applies to the message that I am trying to convey through "Small All White in the Forest."

This poem was written in Salt Lake City, Utah.

-Paulee

https://smallallwhiteintheforest.blogspot.com

This "Paul Whiting — A Creative Writer" Post No. 038 was edited on September 12th, 2023.

"Poetry is using the fewest words possible in order to describe all that is possible to describe." –Paul Whiting [June 1st, 2022]

Post No. 037: For My Friends, Part 2 — Do Not Ask Of Me

(Image from The Guardian)

Do Not Ask Of Me!

How can I love you?
How can I not?

Ask me instead
How I can possibly

Squint toward
The sun

Or stare at
The moon

Or lend an ear to
The rain

Or tiptoe through
The snow

Or wonder under
The butterfly

Or bumble around
The bee...

...But account for how
I can love you?

Do not ask of me!

-Paul Whiting
(a.k.a., A Creative Writer)
"I maybe say too much about how life really is!"

My Writing Notes:

The reason that I wrote this poem can be summed up with the following statement: This poem was inspired by Adam, my sister-in-law's coworker and friend. And she tried to "matchmake" Adam and I! You see, he and I dated for a while and he asked me once, "How can you love me?"

So, I answered him with this poem.

And this poem was also published on my "Small All White in the Forest" blog (please see the hyperlink below for the blog), since I feel that the message in this poem applies to the message that I am trying to convey through "Small All White in the Forest."

This poem was written in Salt Lake City, Utah.

-Paulee

https://smallallwhiteintheforest.blogspot.com

This "Paul Whiting — A Creative Writer" Post No. 037 was edited on September 12th, 2023.

"Poetry is using the fewest words possible in order to describe all that is possible to describe." –Paul Whiting [June 1st, 2022]

Post No. 036: For My Friends, Part 1 — To Love Your Fellow Men

(Image from Beyond The Stereotype)

To Love Your Fellow Men
(Or, "It Isn't Christlike To Love Your Fellow Men")

You and I at twelve,
holding one another;
looking for ourselves—
searching through each other.

You and I embraced
behind a bolted door,
chancing a lapse from Grace
for wanting to explore.

You and I desired
expression beneath a quilt
of thoughts brought to fire
that smoldered us in guilt.

You and I, my friend,
rehearsing to a tune,
moved in me again,
which I’m now dancing to.
__________

Strange how pain matures
and hate begins to breed,
till breathing needs a cure,
till death’s a remedy.

I would heed the men
who damn the ‘godless souls’
and cry, “To hell with them!”
when I was one of ‘those.’

Though they think their words
quote solely deity,
the only voice they’ve heard
comes from their misery.

So, I’ve declined their life,
which tells me where I’ll end,
since it isn’t Christ-like
to love your fellow men.
__________

You and I have kept
our scars discreet and these
wounds that haven’t wept
can only make you bleed.

You and I were taught
to cede our inner-selves,
suffer not our thoughts
and veil our anguish well.

You and I aren’t flesh
to fertilize the wheat,
as a life lived for death
won’t seed you soul to peace.

You and I, dear friend,
needn’t leave our ending
to a breath that’s spent
fearing breath we’re spending.

-Paul Whiting
(a.k.a., A Creative Writer)
"I maybe say too much about how life really is!"

My Writing Notes:

The reason that I wrote this poem can be summed up with the following statement: This poem took me a long time to write!

You see, I tried to challenge myself to write a really powerful poem about a very difficult topic for me: my childhood best friend Tim and I exploring our homosexuality together from behind "The Zion Curtain" of our upbringing in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ("The Mormon Church").

And this poem was also published on my "Small All White in the Forest" blog (please see the hyperlink below for the blog), since I feel that the message in this poem applies to the message that I am trying to convey through "Small All White in the Forest."

This poem was written in Salt Lake City, Utah.

-Paulee

https://smallallwhiteintheforest.blogspot.com

This "Paul Whiting — A Creative Writer" Post No. 036 was edited on September 12th, 2023.

"Poetry is using the fewest words possible in order to describe all that is possible to describe." –Paul Whiting [June 1st, 2022]

Post No. 029: My First Gay Friend, Part 5 — Though (and) Still

(Image from Globe Views)

Though...

...I would never again look
so long, my friend—
for when being friends took
so long, my friend,
feeling that I had known you
so long, my friend,
carried me along through
'so long, my friend.'

Still...

...You have been cold for
so long, my friend, that
I can only endure
so long, my friend.
I have been 'dumb' for you
so long, my friend,
that before I am 'numb' too
so long, my friend.

-Paul Whiting
(a.k.a., A Creative Writer)
"I maybe say too much about how life really is!"

My Writing Notes:

The reason that I wrote this poem can be summed up with the following statement: I had a huge crush on my first gay friend Greg, but he already had a boyfriend! And I let go of Greg as a friend, because I felt like he wasn't good for me, which is why I wrote this poem but—more than likely—it was probably just me who was at fault!

You see, I had way too many expectations for what our relationship could be, since I had a huge crush on him—although he wasn't interested in me 'romantically.' And I imagine that is why Greg was so 'cold' to me, because he wasn't interested in me 'romantically,' but I still expected more from our relationship...even though I really shouldn't have.

Just so you know, I revised this poem, as I often do with my writing! And I changed how one line of this poem was written when I realized that I should remove the metaphorical comparisons to "deafness" and "blindness," since it is disrespectful toward those who are deaf or blind. So, I wanted to show you how this particular line used to be written, before I revised it as above.

And it used to be written like this:

I have been 'deaf' for you
so long, my friend,
that before I am 'blind' too
so long, my friend.

Thus, I revised this poem to be written as it is above.

And this poem was also published on my "Small All White in the Forest" blog (please see the hyperlink below for the blog), since I feel that the message in this poem applies to the message that I am trying to convey through "Small All White in the Forest."

This poem was written in Salt Lake City, Utah.

-Paulee

https://smallallwhiteintheforest.blogspot.com

This "Paul Whiting — A Creative Writer" Post No. 029 was edited on September 7th, 2023.

"Poetry is using the fewest words possible in order to describe all that is possible to describe." –Paul Whiting [June 1st, 2022]

Post No. 028: My First Gay Friend, Part 4 — The Seducer's Song

(Image from DogChannel.com)

The Seducer's Song

Have I frightened you, my
dearest friend?
Have I scared you from me?
Behind the curtain you spied me,
dearest friend,
a watcher's ruses tumbling.

Though, I meant my quest for a
dearest friend,
The Seducer's Song sings true.
I know you love me as your
dearest friend,
but I'm in love with you.

You embraced me when, my
dearest friend,
my eyes rained confession blue.
And his song you affirmed, the
dearest friend,
who seduced and stayed with you.

Though your kinship is rich,
dearest friend,
my desire spends your wealth.
Still seeking you as my
dearest friend,
think I'll siren someone else!

-Paul Whiting
(a.k.a., A Creative Writer)
"I maybe say too much about how life really is!"

My Writing Notes:

The reason that I wrote this poem can be summed up with the following statement: I had a huge crush on my first gay friend Greg, but he already had a boyfriend! And I wrote this poem as a way to express my romantic feelings for him—although he wasn't interested in me 'romantically.'

And "The Seducer's Song" is a reference to the way that I felt that I was treating Greg as an 'object of my affection' and how I was "secretly trying to seduce him," which Greg called me out on; so, I decided that I should "siren someone else," because I was making Greg feel really uncomfortable by trying to convince him to break up with his boyfriend—and to date me instead—since I was so attracted to Greg!

And this poem was also published on my "Small All White in the Forest" blog (please see the hyperlink below for the blog), since I feel that the message in this poem applies to the message that I am trying to convey through "Small All White in the Forest."

This poem was written in Salt Lake City, Utah.

-Paulee

https://smallallwhiteintheforest.blogspot.com

This "Paul Whiting — A Creative Writer" Post No. 028 was edited on September 6th, 2023.

"Poetry is using the fewest words possible in order to describe all that is possible to describe." –Paul Whiting [June 1st, 2022]

Post No. 027: My First Gay Friend, Part 3 — The Herbage

(Image from Gardening Know How)

The Herbage

I can see that you are
sensual, when combing
fingers through your hair.

My learned self (to me
essential) is an awkward
schoolboy when you're near.

Always conducting the
conversation, you lead
me to smile at your notes.

I feel midnight in situations
and pray your sunlight
I could know.

I am humored by the
herbage, who laugh at
your warped view.

How I love to engage in
deep philosophies
with you.

But sometimes my
thoughts are of how
you perceive me.

For, I am August
with a twist of
melancholy.

-Paul Whiting
(a.k.a., A Creative Writer)
"I maybe say too much about how life really is!"

My Writing Notes:

The reason that I wrote this poem can be summed up with the following statement: I had a huge crush on my first gay friend Greg, but he already had a boyfriend! And I wrote this poem as a way to express my romantic feelings for him—although he wasn't interested in me 'romantically.'

And "The Herbage" is a metaphorical reference to all of the houseplants that Greg had in his apartment, since the word 'herbage' actually means "herbaceous vegetation (such as grass) especially when used for grazing."

And this poem was also published on my "Small All White in the Forest" blog (please see the hyperlink below for the blog), since I feel that the message in this poem applies to the message that I am trying to convey through "Small All White in the Forest."

This poem was written in Salt Lake City, Utah.

-Paulee

https://smallallwhiteintheforest.blogspot.com

This "Paul Whiting — A Creative Writer" Post No. 027 was edited on September 6th, 2023.

"Poetry is using the fewest words possible in order to describe all that is possible to describe." –Paul Whiting [June 1st, 2022]

Post No. 026: My First Gay Friend, Part 2 — One (and) Two

(Image from Gleneden Beach Community Club)

One

You think I am
there—even
expect me to be—
as you extract
the lake from
sodium sand,
with your Keds
ultraviolet
in the moonlight.

Vainly, you look
for me—just like
you search for the
specter terns,
costumed by night,
whose crying
above you
hallucinates
into a noctural sky
of wailing stars.

Two

Moaning seagulls
mock my orgasmic
anthem, as my
exhausted knees
dig into
the gritty linen of
his cool bed,
succumbing to
my flailing muscles.

For, I am there—
just as I have been
the sixty-five times
before—rotting with
the brine fly pupal
casings, breathing
ripples in the water,
making love to
the beach.

-Paul Whiting
(a.k.a., A Creative Writer)
"I maybe say too much about how life really is!"

My Writing Notes:

The reason that I wrote this poem can be summed up with the following statement: The original "Saltair I" and "Saltair II" Resorts used to be located in Salt Lake City, Utah on the Great Salt Lake, which is west of the Salt Lake International Airport. And, in the late 1980s, it was just "a road," with some old pilings protruding from the lake and from "the road."

And my first gay friend Greg introduced me to Saltair Beach in Salt Lake City, Utah, where the original "Saltair I" and "Saltair II" Pavilions both stood—before fire and fortune destroyed them both! And that is how I came to know and love this place "away from civilization," where I could commune with nature. [Please see "Saltair Beach-Inspired Poem (in Salt Lake City Utah)" in labels for my poems about Saltair.] You can still see the pilings from these once magnificent structures, along with the cement shell of the old power building.

And, way back in the late 1980s, Greg and I used to walk along 'the road' that lead out to the lake where the original "Saltair I" and "Saltair II" Pavilions once stood—and we would go there during storms in order to watch how the weather would interact with the Great Salt Lake!

And so, Greg told me this one time that he had been at the beach and he said that he could feel my presence there—as if he practically expected to see me there too! So, I wrote this poem with the "One" representing the time Greg was there (and expected me to be there also) and with the "Two" representing that time that I was actually there "relieving sexual tensions," so to speak, at the beach, while I was fantasizing that I was making love to another male.

And this poem was also published on my "Small All White in the Forest" blog (please see the hyperlink below for the blog), since I feel that the message in this poem applies to the message that I am trying to convey through "Small All White in the Forest."

This poem was written in Salt Lake City, Utah.

-Paulee

https://smallallwhiteintheforest.blogspot.com

This "Paul Whiting — A Creative Writer" Post No. 026 was edited on September 6th, 2023.

"Poetry is using the fewest words possible in order to describe all that is possible to describe." –Paul Whiting [June 1st, 2022]

Post No. 025: My First Gay Friend, Part 1 — The Road To...

(Image from Gleneden Beach Community Club)

The Road To...

At the beach in a night-time
storm, we lithograph
sand with our formerly-white
shoes and travel the fossil
of Saltair Resort toward
shaking gray waters.

Wisdom pours forth from
two Socratic men—with
no less fluidity than the
deluge—spawning the surf
to surge against the rocks
in resounding appeasement.

You—defying the ebony abyss—
and I—longing to dilute into it—
simmer to wishes of Earl Grey tea,
as we a cappella that Simon and
Garfunkel theme, delighting the
brine fly pupal casings beneath us.

Of coconut incense taste your
words—spoken warm and swift
as the ivory tern slicing
through the sable rain, yet
certain like the waves coursing
toward us in the wind—

when you call me your friend.

-Paul Whiting
(a.k.a., A Creative Writer)
"I maybe say too much about how life really is!"

My Writing Notes:

The reason that I wrote this poem can be summed up with the following statement: The original "Saltair I" and "Saltair II" Resorts used to be located in Salt Lake City, Utah on the Great Salt Lake, which is west of the Salt Lake International Airport. And, in the late 1980s, it was just "a road," with some old pilings protruding from the lake and from "the road."

And my first gay friend Greg introduced me to Saltair Beach in Salt Lake City, Utah, where the original "Saltair I" and "Saltair II" Pavilions both stood—before fire and fortune destroyed them both! And that is how I came to know and love this place "away from civilization," where I could commune with nature. [Please see "Saltair Beach-Inspired Poem (in Salt Lake City Utah)" in labels for my poems about Saltair.] You can still see the pilings from these once magnificent structures, along with the cement shell of the old power building.

And, way back in the late 1980s, Greg and I used to walk along 'the road' that lead out to the lake where the original "Saltair I" and "Saltair II" Pavilions once stood—and we would go there during storms in order to watch how the weather would interact with the Great Salt Lake!

And, after Greg and I had been spending time together for a few months, one night along "The Road To..." he told me, for the first time, that he considered me to be one of his closest friends! It really meant a lot to me, since I am such an introvert, which is why I wrote this poem.

Anyway, that particular night, during a storm, we were singing the song "Bridge Over Troubled Water," by Simon and Garfunkel, for obvious reasons... And we were also fantasizing about being back at his apartment drinking Earl Grey tea. (I still lived with my parents, since I was in college, which is where I met Greg.)

And this poem was also published on my "Small All White in the Forest" blog (please see the hyperlink below for the blog), since I feel that the message in this poem applies to the message that I am trying to convey through "Small All White in the Forest."

This poem was written in Salt Lake City, Utah.

-Paulee

https://smallallwhiteintheforest.blogspot.com

This "Paul Whiting — A Creative Writer" Post No. 025 was edited on September 6th, 2023.

"Poetry is using the fewest words possible in order to describe all that is possible to describe." –Paul Whiting [June 1st, 2022]