To C~ From G.

Men are known for being non expressive or impassive when

it comes to matters of the heart, but in Teddy Bell’s book,

“To C~ From G.,” readers will experience not only expression,

but also different shades of male sentiments. With an ex-lover

Candace (“C”), as his muse, Griffin (“G”), poetically expresses

his hopes and dreams, his heart’s fulfillment, as well as his hurt

and pain. Readers not only see G’s passion for love, but also how

some women are very capable of hurting men who thirst for it.

Lori Bryant Woolridge’s best selling 2004 novel, “Hitts & Mrs.,”

is where Candace and Griffin were originally conceived, but in

“To C~ From G.,” Poet Teddy Bell expounds on their relationship

and the male emotions that developed within it. G’s feelings are

let loose and set free. However the question still remains…Are

Griffin’s poems a constant reminder that he is still in love with

Candace, or can he truly let go of her memories and move his heart

forward?

Review

It Hurts So Good

Poet Teddy Bell provided the moving poetry in Lori Bryant-Woolridge's Hitts & Mrs. and has now graced fans who were clamoring for more with his own collection, aptly titled To C~ From G. In this compilation, performance poet Bell reveals Griffin's most intense feelings for the flighty, elusive Candace. She loves him, she loves him not.

In Naturally, G asks the question, "Are you the one for me? Was I meant for you?" He goes on to talk of bathing C "in the warm waters of the red seas." In Daydream G is mesmerized with C's physical attributes. Imagine is a surreal titillation of scent and taste that leaves one panting. Candace #3 is a medley of delicious sweet treats; "...bleed love drops of strawberry lemonade….", "I yearn to float on cotton candy clouds swimming in her lake of chocolates…" My favorite is Steps, a soulful, intense telling of a woman who is in command of herself and her man. But alas, it all comes to an end and in Stolen we learn she has left behind fingerprints on the windows of his soul.

There is power and a litany of emotions packed in this slim volume. Makes one wonder about C; how she could dis a brotha like G who can write such sensuous, compelling verse baring his soul, body and spirit. Hopefully, we will hear more from Bell in the future.

Dera R. Williams
Marcus Book Club
September 13, 2007

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