Charles M. Stokes

I was born in 1980 in Baltimore, MD. I joined the Army in 2000, serving in both Iraq and Afghanistan. I have one daughter. I definitely fall in the hopeless romantic category. I have made mistakes that inspired this title. I fall in Love, it causes Pain, so I write Poetry. I love target shooting, fast cars and big houses. I love writing poetry because it allows me to capture a lengthy story with few words. I love rhyme, but only when it fits my flow (It always fits.) I write to entertain. The lyrical poems in this book only need music. Preferring free verse over structure, I want to take the poem where my emotions are. I started to take poetry seriously in 2009 for this really attractive girl. I did my first open mic in Afghanistan where I allowed the pen name "short and sweet" to stick after a performance. I have penned over 200 poems since then. 100 have been completed since May 28, 2017. The day before, I had no idea a book was coming. I write daily. I also created a website lovepainandpoetry.com for the readers enjoyment. You can find blogs, writing prompts, music, contests, photos and courses. I just want to encourage everyone to write for life.