Submerge

A special thank-you to the readers. I would not be here without you holding a space in your hearts and bookshelves for me. I’m forever grateful. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

She has loved words pressed against pages since childhood and has been chasing them ever since.

She received a B.A. in journalism and M.A. in history from Texas Southern University.

I want to thank my poetry family for their encouragement, advice, and support. Words aren’t enough to express how much I admire and respect you Amanda Lovelace, Cyrus Parker, Gretchen Gomez, Caitlyn Siehl, Iain S. Thomas, Nikita Gill, Trista Mateer, and Pierre Alex Jeanty. I wish I could list everyone I’ve met along the way, but please know that you are appreciated.

I am eternally grateful to my editor, Melissa Zahorsky, my publisher, Kirsty Melville, and Andrews McMeel Publishing. Thank you for believing in my art and giving my books a home. It has been a life-changing experience!

you must build one
brick by brick.

when i house the hurt
as if the creaking doors
and cluttered rooms could
somehow bring me peace.

when i embrace ache
like an old friend
instead of realizing it has
overstayed its welcome.

when i enjoy exhuming graves
to find new bones to blame.

i want to shed
this part of myself
and unravel the resentment
to mend the tattered hem of my heart.