Greetings! Today, I am hosting author/poet Forrest Robert Stepnowski on The Indie Spot.
Take it away, Forrest. . .
Blog Tour Day 4
Title: “Bounded by Chains” Tour
About the Book:
BOUND; The Lost Romanticism and Eroticism of Gay Men. Allow yourself to give in to your deepest fantasies, desires, and sensual dreams, BOUND is a collection of poetic works exploring the world of eroticism, romanticism, and fantasies of gay men of all ages. Walk through the mind inspired by fantasies, the hopes for romance, the desire to be swept off ones’ feet, and the longing to be touched through this anthology filled with lost romance and passionate memories. Escape into a world that allows you to be one with your desires, feel the heightened sensations and passion through random rendezvous and engagements.
Poetry Excerpt from Bound: The Lost Romanticism and Eroticism of Gay Men:
I never knew your name
I remember when I thought I knew what innocence was
I had recently come out after pretending of being something I was not
I examined the possibilities of where to meet hot guys
There were the bars of course
Bars that were swarming with hot men in the midsummer night’s heat
Meat markets for all to ogle and lust after
Could I not see myself caught up in the scene and becoming a bar fly?
Or could I?
I was not the pretty face or the guy with abs of steel
I was joe average, still am I suppose
We met randomly on a chat page the year prior
You remembered it well
You were my guru on gay.com
Your sweet face was so innocent
Cute little smile, beautiful eyes, full beautiful lips
But your words were infused with sexual anticipation
You said it was your first time talking to a guy like that
I had just come out
We would talk for hours
We decided to meet at the metaphor, a local coffee shop in downtown San Diego
I walked into the shop and I became breathless
You were angelic, sitting their reading your book
I felt like a stalker as I stood there frozen in my tracks
Admiring your beauty across the room, love at first sight
You looked up and caught me staring, you laughed
You put your book down and walked my direction
You gave me a hug and a sweet kiss on the cheek
You said you were relieved to see I was truly the handsome man you saw in my photos
I was puzzled
Apparently, you have met some trolls and impostors before
We sat together by the window, holding each other’s hands
Talking for hours, we continued to talk for 12 hours
Lost by the time, you invited me to come over to your place for dinner
You smiled and said, ‘we can continue our talking there’
I could not resist your charms
We were both naïve
So innocent
But the sexual tension continued to build between us
After dinner, you kissed my cheek again
I caressed your face gently and kissed your lips
Slowly massaging your lips with mine
You trembled in my arms
I said, I better leave before it gets too late
You looked at me with a sense of desire and asked me to stay
I accepted the invitation
I offered to sleep on your couch, you laughed
You grabbed my hand and lead the way to your bedroom
We kissed
More and more intense each caress of our lips became,
We began removing each other’s clothing
Touching each other, exploring each other’s bodies
We laid upon your bed in an entangled embrace
Your legs wrapped around my waist
We stared into each other’s eyes
You smile and asked me to be your first
I kissed you and held you tight against my body
We became one so effortlessly
My initial thrust made you moan passionately
At first, we froze like statues
Lost in time like a work of art displayed by DaVinci
I began to thrust into you more and more
You quivered, asking me never to stop
I controlled your body with every motion
Holding your hands down against the bed
Looking into your eyes
Kissing you
We were locked in this embrace for hours
We both began our passage to climax
Moaning
Heavily exhaling
Our orgasm was powerful and in sequence
My final thrust caused you to arch backwards with a final ahh!
We peaked in a rage of passion like Mt St Helen’s erupting over and over again
I kiss you softly
I am still inside of you, throbbing inside of you
You looked into my eyes and began to move your hips side to side, enjoying the feeling inside of you
We began to make love again
You were utterly speechless and out of control
Our dance embattled, and intense
You sang out a song that put sirens to shame
We were at another apex in a passionate duet
Another moment of heightened sensation
We both exhaled, kissed, and then laughed
We continued to stare into each other’s eyes
Our coffee date became 20 hours of pure exhilaration
We embraced for the rest of the night
We fell asleep in each other’s arms
We dreamt of the intense Kamasutra we performed
Later that morning, we arose a warm embrace
You made me promise to never forget you
I laughed saying this is only the beginning
You began to cry
You told me how you were being deployed at the end of the week
You were in the middle of your tenure in service to our country in the navy
I reassured you I was not going anywhere and would wait for you to return
You cried and kissed me over and over again
We showered, dressed, and went to the coffee shop where our initial date started
We spent every available minute we had left that week in preparation of your leave to the middle east
You even introduced me quickly to your family, whom I still talk to this day
My heart both full and broken simultaneously
I kissed you with the sentiment I will be here when you return
Neither of us could say the words, goodbye
We wrote each other for four months
Your letters stopped coming
I waited for four more months, and your letters stopped coming
Your parents called me daily to see if I had heard from you, as their letters had stopped coming as well
Until the day you were pronounced missing in action
Your parents fell silent to everyone
March 25, the phone rang
It was your sister
She had been crying
I tried to console her, but she stated she wanted to know if I was ok
She called me for your parents whom I could hear crying in the background
I asked her what was wrong, even though I had a sense I already knew
She cried inconsolably and told me you were found dead in the field
I lost my identity, my joy, and my reason for living in one statement
My first true love ended in tragedy, like a Greek mythological play
You were part of my soul, my being, my treasure
The day of the funeral, I was left in shattered pieces
Like a broken stain glass window with the colors of life you gave me
They were fragmented into several pieces upon my feet
I read your full name in the memorial
I shed tears as I realized I never knew your full name
I continued to weep
I never knew your name
About the Author:
Forrest Robert Stepnowski is an advocate, a writer, a social worker, and a performance artist in the Pacific Northwest. He has been writing poetic works and prose for most of his life. He realized how important is to share his work with others who have dealt with similar pathways of self-hate, self-deprecation, and self-loathing in the hopes they find they are not alone, as well as help them realize they are not deviants, nor are they against “human nature.” They are part of a collective of misfit toys on an island where being different is beautiful. We all have a voice, and the world should hear it. Forrest is a proud member of Rave Reviews Book Club.
Social Media Links:
Website/Blog: https://www.forresttakesajourney.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/forrestrobertstepnowski
Twitter: https://twitter.com/frstepnowski
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/forreststepnowski
Amazon Purchase Links:
Paperback
E-Book
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07S1MLFGD/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1
Thank you Beem for hosting Day 4 of the “BOUND’ED BY CHAINS” Blog Tour! I appreciate it. Thank you for the sneak peek! Welcome all who stop by today. I appreciate the support and feel free to comment or ask questions as well!
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I am honored to have you as a guest on The Indie Spot, Forrest. I wish you only the best.
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That was a beautiful and tragic love story, Forrest. I was really moved.
Thanks for hosting, Beem.
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Thank you Denise! And thank you for following this week! I appreciate it!
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Thanks for stopping by, Denise.
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Sensual, descriptive and explosive are the words that describe this post. Wow! Great job, Forrest! Thanks for hosting, Beem!
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Thank you Jan for your kind words! Thank you for stopping by to Day 4!
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Thanks, Jan.
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Forrest, but I’m speechless!
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Hi Shirley,
As you already know, my poetic style tends to push the readers into a mental state of social dissonance.
I expected many people to be a bit speechless. This poem, let alone the collection that made “BOUND” was meant to push the soul a bit emotional as well as describe love as love. We all have had heart break. We all of suffered grief and loss. This collection not only discusses the eroticism most people feel, let alone gay men, but also the emotional connections we make. Thank you for stopping by and hope you enjoyed today’s excerpt.
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Forrest, all I can say is WOW! How intense, and yet, so very sad.
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Thank you so very much! And as you can see in my response to Shirley above, I explained a bit about the goal of this collection, and this poem directly. I hope you are enjoying this tour! I am completely in awe of the response I am receiving thus far.
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Wow, this excerpt was deeply moving, Forrest. A powerful piece. Thanks, Beem for hosting.
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Thank you John! I appreciate your warm words. Thank you for stopping by.
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Thank you, John.
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Oh my! This pulled on my heartstrings for sure. It began as a sweet romance and ended so tragically. I was touched by this post, Forrest. ❤ Thank you for hosting, Beem.
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Thank you Vashti! Hope you are well my friend. Thank you for stopping by
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It’s my pleasure, Forrest❣️ I’m doing great. I hope you’re fine too. Thanks for asking.♥️
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Thanks, Vashti.
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You’re welcome.😊
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This really helps me to know you better, Forrest. Thank you, Beem, for hosting.
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It’s always an honor to find your comments on my blog, Joy. Thank you.
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Thank you Joy. I have been blessed in getting to know you and the other members of RRBC’s family.
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Hi, Forrest. I’m sorry I was late to this stop, but John was in town, and you know how that goes. Lol Great post, as always. *Hugs*
Thanks for hosting Forrest, Beem. You’re the best! 😀
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Thanks for the visit, Rhani!
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Heart-breaking.
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