Inner Radiance

The photo is of my oldest son, Jonathan. When he was in high school, his English teacher encouraged him to submit some poems in a contest. I'm fairly sure it was a contest for young poets sponsored by the American Poetry Society. Two of his entries were chosen to be published. One of the entries is below. In his notification letter, they said a copy of the book had been given to Hillary Clinton, who at that time was the First Lady.

Inner Radiance
By Jonathan Arlia

I wasn't looking for what I found,
but it made me turn around.
It made me stop, think, and question,
in what things I put my attention.

It is love that I am in.
This love of mine has never been.
Flowers die and fade away,
but my love is here to stay.

Though if one thing is amiss,
then it must be you’re absent kiss.
For my love I must admit,
that although my romantic candle's lit,
your feelings for me I do not know,
and rejection from you would cause me such woe.


I've known a lot of girls in my life,
but only your inner radiance cuts to my heart like a
knife.

You have a heart with the warmth of the sun.
Your light over my darkness has won.
All I know is that when I'm near you,
my passion for life is again new.

Your smile can melt a heart of stone,
and your face is the most beautiful I’ve known.
If your soul could merge with mine,
then my life would be just fine.