Imagine having every word said or unsaid, every thought to ever pass through your mind on display. Imagine having those things tattooed on your back and carrying them around but not knowing what they were, until you did. That’s what happened when I published my very first poetry collection “Blooming From Bones”.

I’m so glad to be disscussing it on Reader’s Magnet today! I have always loved poetry because I have always loved music, and if you think about it without the music or the melody, all songs start out as poems.  In the way every song starts as a poem or a story, each one comes at a specific time.

For me personally, each of these poems came to life as a result of a particular time or event or relationship in my life. The collection of poetry deals with the full spectrum of human emotions ranging from the deepest love to the deepest heartache and how one can cause the other.    

The title of the collection came during a time of deep grief after losing five members of my family in the span of one year as well as walking through several really emotional situations and many years of learning and growing through all of it. Similarly, In the book of Ecclesiastics, the Israelites are caught in a web of war, famine, death and despair.

In the midst of all of that despair they are taken through the valley of dry bones. Then God breathes on them, and they are brought back to life again. In retrospect, each situation taught me exactly what I needed to learn at that exact moment in time.

I learned that in order to grow as an individual, one must go through heartbreak. What comes after the heartbreak is beautiful, even if it takes a while to recognize it.  The beauty might come from a completely unexpected place, or may be in a shape similar to what we imagined in the first place. The unknown is what makes life interesting.

Each poem in my collection though inspired by real life events and people, became clearer as I was in the middle of those moments. These words and stories needed to be told, but their meaning and place in my life was not fully understood until after they were written. Now, I realize what all of those ‘tattooed words” mean, and why they exist.   This mirrors my writing process as well, because I choose not to write a poem or a story without first coming up with a mental image that inspires it.  

If one does not immediately come I take it as a sign that the piece is meant for another time, if at all meant to be written. Therefore, I ended the introduction to the book with “I hope these poems find you right when you need them’. I believe the themes of my poems are relatable for everyone, in their time.

My hope is that even if readers can’t relate to the exact situation or story in a poem, they know above all else that they are loved and never alone. Time will tell, and reveal everything, if it is meant to be revealed at all. I leave you with one of my favorite pieces from the collection, Exhale. It is a piece that I believe best demonstrates that there is hope out there, all we have to do is take the first step into the unknown. We might not know what our hope will take shape as, but every journey is different. So, even if we have the why at mile five on the journey it might take someone else sixty-five more to get their what, or why, or how. It will come in time. Just keep going, and keep believing in the greater things.

They are out there even when we can’t see them.   Exhale Heart pounding  Palms sweaty  Clinched fists Jaw feeling wired shut Something changed in the air that night  Stomach in knots  Wondering how or what you  just did might cost 
Heart Stops You exhale  Tears flow  They don’t stop  You wake up the next morning  Pillow soaked  Painted on smile  Weighs you down until you exhale  And learn to let go Moving forward into the unknown.  

https://www.amazon.com/Blooming-Bones-Kacee-Neria/dp/1985348047