A Heart on Fire by David C. Weiss includes poems derived from his near-death experiences as a young boy, which, as an adult, he has come to believe were imbued with the numinous presence of the Divine.  Some of his poems express warmth, playfulness, and a heart open to love.  Other poems convey loss, grief, forgiveness, and healing. His poetry uses earthly images to give voice to his passion and gratefulness for life, as well as his awareness of aging and death. David hopes his poems will ignite a healing fire in the heart of the reader.

An Excerpt from A Heart on Fire

God’s Furnace

Your command erupts from the fire
like molten steel surging from a foundry furnace:

“Step into the flames.
I will set your heart on fire”

As I take the first step, the inferno begins
to dissolve the armor around my heart

like lead transforming into gold
in the alchemists furnace.

Endorsements

“These poems by David Weiss express a spirituality that is born of his life experiences and is lodged deep in his heart. They reach deep into the life of the reader and awaken there an awareness of connection to a kindred spirit.”—William Boyd Grove, Bishop, United Methodist Church

“A heart of love and faith of soul of David Weiss are brilliantly captured by his poetry. His poetic human experience brings courage and hope to us as pilgrims on the journey of life.” —Merle Jordan, Retired Professor of Pastoral Psychology and Counseling, Boston University School of Theology

“In A Heart on Fire David Weiss reveals a young boy’s vulnerability and a mature man’s wisdom. If a poet can be said to rest inside his writing, David resides within these poems. One line describes the book best: ‘Here rests a man touched by God who lived in the world with a heart on fire with love.’”—Rev. Colleen Myers, Chaplaincy Institute of Maine

After closing his practice of 37 years in 2011 as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and with the publication of his first collection of poems, “A Heart on Fire, Poems from the Flames,” in 2014, David has been devoted to writing poetry and leading workshops for new poets.  He is also a presenter and workshop leader in the area of spiritual development. David is a student of the Shakuhachi, a Japanese bamboo flute played in Zen meditation, and performs combining flute music with poetry reading. He has a Master of Theology and Ph.D. in Pastoral Psychology degrees from Boston University. David is on the faculty of OLLI College at the University of Southern Maine and a visiting instructor of poetry at Sera Jhe Tibetan Buddhist Monastery in South India.  Contact David at dcweiss@maine.rr.com.