Welcome, dear reader, to the threshold of emotion, where love and pain intertwine like vines in an enchanted garden. Within the confines of these pages lies an odyssey-a journey through the labyrinth of human experience, guided by the words of poets who have dared to confront the complex tapestry of love. In this anthology, aptly titled "Love is Pain," we embark on a voyage of discovery-a pilgrimage through the valleys of ecstasy and the peaks of despair. For love, as these poets remind us, is not merely a fleeting emotion but a force of nature, capable of stirring the deepest recesses of our souls. Through verse and rhyme, meter and prose, these poets weave tales of passion and longing, heartache and redemption. They lay bare their vulnerabilities, inviting us to bear witness to the raw, unfiltered essence of the human condition. As you immerse yourself in these pages, prepare to be captivated by the sheer breadth and depth of emotion on display. For here, amidst the cacophony of voices, you will find solace in the shared experience of love's triumphs and tribulations. So, dear reader, take a deep breath, steel your heart against the inevitable tide of emotion, and surrender yourself to the transformative power of "Love is Pain." For within these words lies the essence of what it means to be human-to love fiercely, to hurt deeply, and to emerge, battered but unbroken, on the other side. From the foreword by Stevie Flood

Contributing Authors:

D.M. Takeshi, Martin Byrne, Aren Esperanza Goodwin, Gina Carrillo, Gary S. Watkins, S.D. Kilmer, Joshua Robinson, Blue Carrisole, Valerie Lorraine, Michelle Chermaine Ramos, Diane Lipton Gollub, Elizabeth O. Ogunmodede, Caroline Derbes, Kheneil Black, Daphne Lane, George Oberg, Jimmy Broccoli, Julie Ann Keleher, Anila Bukhari, Brandy Lane