Poetry is a language of melodies and art. The shuffling of cards, folding meanings into one. But most of all, poetry is dynamic. A single line can mean anything, put them together and you have a buffet of different flavors, textures, aromas. Calculating and deliberating each word. I’ve always been fascinated by how short and simple poetry may seem, hiding layer upon layer with each ingredient. As an orchestra blends instruments into one sonorous melody.
In school, we would read poem after poem, analyzing its contents, debating each meaning, dissecting every word. As I experienced each piece, I could never shake its intimacy. With a novel, you may project yourself as the Main character, experiencing their life as if your own, but in the end it’s not reality, pieces may resonate with you but ultimately there is some dissociation. Poetry is an open-ended puzzle you piece together, the vague specificity leaving you trembling. All you can think of is the story of your life.
Poetry’s impact is profound. Not just for the emotional resonance, but its melody, the art of each piece. Poetry is a timeless gift for all word lovers, and dreamers alike. From beginning to end, beckoning a reader to find its meaning. The purpose.
The Between is certainly a testament to that. Some of these poems are as open and transparent as the sun, while others a mystical riddle needing to be pondered and reflected, as the sorting and understanding of life. Which is exactly where this journey began for me.
Most beginnings are definable. When you are born, first days, first dates, firsts are markers for something new, much like surprises and big events. Then, there are those times, when it’s necessary to start something new. Without rhyme, nor reason, things just simply fall into place, like rippling water.
It would be a lie to say this book started because of something grand. In fact, it was the opposite. There was a need to make sense of things, to pull me back up from drowning. Writing is more than stories, it’s a way of understanding, connecting, empathizing. With each word I wrote, a confession was made, and truths revealed. This began as thoughts of a lonely teenager, wanting to understand her world, finding a place within it. I wrote continuously though most periods of my teenage years for this collection. Though at the time, it was just a poem doing nothing else but consoling myself.
I published solely because I believed there may be others who could find solace and understanding in my words. As a person who always struggled to form and keep relationships, this book was a testament to harsh times that I lived and overcame. In a world where everything is connected together, with everyone so isolated I wanted to remind others that everything has its season, beginning, middle, and end.
Read in order, sift through pages, my intention was to bring an experience to my audience. Life is a rollercoaster, with every experience bringing something into your life.