The Sensitivity of Poets
I am a poet.
I write stories of hope and renewal from my own story of my transformation, out of the depths of finding my way from darkness to light. I know well what it means to shine a soft light in the pitch-black night, even if it’s only to find my own way through.
In this world of bigger and louder is better, the soft and sensitive voices are often overlooked or dismissed through all the noise. Amid the deafening death rattle of the old order, I have stared down threats of destruction— even of my own self, and chosen to bravely lean into trusting my own (seemingly foolish) intuition to continue on. I’m not alone, and I recently asked my husband to knock sense into me if I start wailing in despair, the way Gandalf does to Denethor, shouting, “Prepare for battle!”
Steady Devotion
But battle in this sense is not muscling or hustling my way through the way we’ve all learned. It’s not beating myself into submission to obey someone else’s agenda for my life. It’s a quiet, steady devotion to what I believe is true. It’s walking through a raging battlefield the way Moana calmly walks toward the lava monster Te Ka, knowing fully that she is really walking toward the goddess Te Fiti.
When the world makes me feel stupid or silly for being kind, for being soft and sensitive in the way only an autistic woman could be, I remember what I know. I remember who I am.
When I want to hide away my new book to protect it from the harshness of the world, I remember that the stories I write may just be a balm for an aching reader’s heart. And I decide to keep writing, and I say with courage and a tremble in my voice, “I have a new book coming out soon.”
So yes, I’m still writing. I’m still mothering my four children as I write. I’m still pursuing my MFA in a world where the arts are devalued and defunded.
A New Book
And yes, I have a new book coming in September.
It’s called Heirloom Rose, and it’s a middle-grade novel that’s about a family’s heartbreak and healing. I’d love to share it with you. Pre-orders will be open before long, and when you pre-order the book, you get a special gift. Pre-orders really help boost the book’s visibility and support yours truly as an author.
Be sure to subscribe to my monthly newsletter to receive updates on the book— that’s the best place to keep up with my goin’s-on. Subscribe below, and thanks for being here!
And, I hope you lean into your own strengths, whatever they may be. I hope you offer your own love to this beautiful, hurting world. As for me, I’ll be over here, still writing my books.
