oh monsters
oh monsters
come to me
and show me
the secrets that
lurk beneath
oh monsters
oh monsters
in the dark
we sing
about ghost
who haunt
our dreams
oh monsters
oh monsters
come to eat
we have plenty
to share
and the sorrow
you need
oh monsters
oh monsters
i have in me
they scream
and shout
begging to be
f r e e
Hey all!!! I am still trying to get into the swing of things with coming back to blogging. Life’s been a little hard and just out of the loop. Having family here from PR amongst other personal things, I feel like stability isn’t quite by my side. Anyways! I’ve read poetry in October and I don’t really have much to say but READ IT lol. All of these are 5 star reviews! So without further ado, let’s get started!
Title: soft in the middle
Author: Shelby Lafreniere
synopsis: Warning: these poems contain soft subject matter. About love, heartbreak, body image, how absolutely breathtaking girls are, flower blooms and starlight.
This is a small sampling of poems from my larger collection called ‘soft in the middle’, available for free download here.
Currently, soft in the middle is a small sampling of poems from shelby’s larger collection that is to come. This sample previews 25 poems filled with self-reflection, heartbreak, family, darkness, stardust, and other topics. I cannot wait for the full collection because this sampler was amazing. I felt like Shelby really put her feelings and emotions all on paper. Her poetry reflects different parts of her and I can’t imagine what else she has in store with the full collection. here’s one of the poems (format changed a little because of the blog):
THE LANGUAGE OF STARS
she looks up at the night sky
and often finds that what she sees
is what she feels inside
when the stars float brightly
she thinks
breathing is like swimming
the water holds me so gently
the weight of everything
is easy to hold
when the clouds cloak the world in darkness
she thinks
it’s getting harder
to dream
of possibility
Title: the sun and her flowers
Author: Rupi Kaur
synopsis: Divided into five chapters and illustrated by Kaur, the sun and her flowers is a journey of wilting, falling, rooting, rising, and blooming. A celebration of love in all its forms.
this is the recipe of life
said my mother
as she held me in her arms as i wept
think of those flowers you plant
in the garden each year
they will teach you
that people too
must wilt
fall
root
rise
in order to bloom
Trigger Warnings: Rape, Harm
OMG THIS COLLECTION HAD ME A BALL OF TEARS!!!! I loved this one more than Milk and Honey to be completely honest. the sun and her flowers is a poetry collection divided into 5 different sections and each section is dedicated to a certain theme. This book has poems filled with heartbreak, self-love, immigration, family, culture, friendships, growing, learning, and on and on and on. This collection is raw and simple. Her poems go straight to the point. I connected so much to the heartbreak poems, immigration poems, and family poems. As a woman of color myself, the poems where Rupi talks about her family coming here from another country really hit home for me. It made me cry but smile at the same time because to see that a woman of color is talking about these things, our struggles here on a land that doesn’t really want us made me feel like “wow someone other than me gets it”. here’s a poem:
they have no idea what it is like
to lose home at the risk of
never finding home again
to have your entire life
split between two lands and
become the bridge between two countries
– immigrant
Title: Pillow Thoughts
Author: Courtney Peppernell
synopsis: Make a cup of tea and let yourself feel.
Pillow Thoughts is a collection of poetry and prose about heartbreak, love, and raw emotions. It is divided into sections to read when you feel you need them most.
Trigger Warnings: Self-Harm, Suicide Ideation
Another favorite poetry collection added to the list of favorites that keeps piling up. This collection is divided into 10 different sections: if you are dreaming of someone, if you are in love, if you are heartbroken, if you are lonely, if you are sad, if you are missing someone, if you need encouragement, if you are soul-searching, if you need a reason to stay, these are for you. I was moved by so many of these poems, I felt Courtney’s emotions through each section which all flowed beautifully. Her poetry is filled with love, sadness, despair, loneliness, and positivity. To me, her words were simply pure. I cannot wait to read more by this author! here’s a poem:
Of all the important things you must do today, there is none
greater than showing kindness to your heart. For even the
brightest make mistakes and the wisest do not have a thing
to say. Be gentle with yourself, forgive yourself, even on your
darkest day.
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i take a few steps
back to look at the
scenery before me.
i wonder if maybe
i should spew the
words my heart
so much desires.
the scenery looks
like a wildfire filled
with disastrous
complications.
the scenery looks
to be filled with
more problems
than peace.
the scenery looks
like pain and
heartache.
the scenery looks
like a dead end
leading to absolutely
n o w h e r e .
these words will
only add more
fuel to a fire that
can’t be put out.
– my silence has always been the loudest conversation in the room
i have walked these
dreadful feet through
mud filled with agony,
hate, hurt, burden, and
loss. at the end of
the hard walk, i’ve
still found myself
standing in a dark
tunnel of madness.
the best times for me
are always in my
silence wondering
about nothing. yet,
still figuring myself
out all at the same time.
feeling some type of
comfort after a breath
in those times of needing
myself rather than
anybody else.
because i am loner with a soul and a heart of stone
hi hello hola! i am back!! i missed you all and it feels great to be back after a month of me gone. a lot has happened and i’m not sure i’m ready to talk about it. september was a really hectic month with everything i spoke about in my hiatus post, my birthday, and hurricane maria..it’s a lot to deal with at the moment but i’m happy to be back in my element again. it’s been a little over a month and i just wanted to come back so bad *cries for ever*
if you are wondering why i mentioned hurricane maria or if you don’t follow me on twitter, then know i am Puerto Rican. although i have my immediate family here in the states. i want to say 98% of my family is in Puerto Rico. ever since the hurricane hit, this has been one of the toughest times. with not knowing about my family for a few days, to then us finding out that yes they are okay and alive but there’s no food and water. being over here and feeling so helpless. it’s a lot to take in. my family also happens to be on the west side which is always forgotten. the town my family is in isn’t even receiving supplies. this whole situation just sucks..let’s not even talk about the president *eye roll* therefore, i wanted to use this platform and let you know that there is a way to help by maybe donating here:
i didn’t read much these past two months due to everything that has been going on in my life. i read 3 poetry books and 2 YA novels.
each of these poetry books were 5 stars
titles will take you to goodread page
today so happens to be the 6 month anniversary of love, and you…which i can’t quite believe and i wrote a thing for all of you ❤ if you want to check more on my poetry book, click here.
and that is all for now. sorry i’m a little all over the place lol. it feels great to be back and i cannot wait to blog hop, check what all of you have been up to. i plan on doing a book haul and book tag soon. maybe post a poem later on this week about my island puerto rico. my heart lays heavy. love you all!
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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature with new topics every Tuesday, hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. If you would like to participate, the link provided will lead you to the feature and upcoming topics for the rest of the month.
Today’s topic is: Ten book recommendations for ______________
I will be splitting this meme into 5 book recommendations for modern poetry and 5 for fiction readers. basically a faves list that everyone should read.
*titles will lead you to Goodreads
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Twitter: @chicnerdreads
i would never
suggest you
trying to be me.
for it is tiring
and sometimes
i cannot wrap
the things that
happen in my
brain.
for i always
feel the sense
of loss and
dream of it
often.
i hurt myself
with my own
thoughts.
i hurt myself
with every
moment i
think about
my past.
and when things settle,
there are times that i
don’t know who i am.
and how i got here.
Always late to the monthly wrap-up party but heyyyyy I’m here!!! This month was slow in the reading department. I had family from Puerto Rico and we went out a lot plus I was getting ready for my first live reading event (I’ll get into that later in the post)!
Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening by Marjorie M. Liu ★★★★
Genre: Graphic Novel, Adult
Finally picked this graphic novel up after it being out for like a year and OMG it was great!! The detailing, the story, the illustrations, the dialogue, the poet references, yessssss!!!! I have a non-spoiler review here.
maroon daydreams by Cheyenne Raine ★★★★★
Genre: Poetry
Filled with beautiful vivid imagery, this collection of poetry will have you feeling love and light by the end of it. I have a short review with some of the poems here.
A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic #1) by V.E. Schwab ★★★★★
Genre: Fantasy
After a few years, I finally read this fantastical book and it was amazing!!! I have a non-spoiler review here. I cannot wait to read the rest of the series in September! I miss Kell and Lila Bard, plus all the Londons!
Black Bird of the Gallows by Meg Kassel ★★★
Genre: YA Paranormal
This book releases September 5th and I wrote a non-spoiler ARC review here. This one was a disappointment to me, I was really looking forward to it. However, if you miss reading books like LUX and Twilight, then I would definitely recommend this one for you.
I HAD MY FIRST POETRY READING EVENT AND IT WENT GREAT!!!! It was at Bluestockings Bookstore located in New York City. This even was hosted by an amazing group called La Pluma Y La Tinta. This organization is all about helping PoC writers/poets. They dedicate their events to PoC and I think that’s so great because our voices should be heard just like any other. I got to read alongside other writers!
Special shout out to my twin Lilly @ LairOfBooks for pulling through and showing her support!!! SHE DA BEST!!!!! Check out her super amazing diverse book blog! Why did i just notice that we were both wearing stripes?! *cries laughing* TWINNING!
If you want to check out clips from my reading, I did a full thread on Twitter, click here ❤
Poetry Postings:
– my love poems are ghost stories
Instagram: @chicnerdreads
Twitter: @chicnerdreads
Title: maroon daydreams
Author: Cheyenne Raine
Publisher: CreateSpace
Format: Paperback
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Synopsis:
maroon daydreams is a collection of poetry that dives into experiences of healing, living life, daydreaming and all the aftermath of decisions we make and wishes we chase after.
loved this short poetry collection! i thought it was vivid with imagery and the words flowed together beautifully. cheyenne raine divides maroon daydreams into four different sections which are healing, experience, daydreaming, and aftermath. each section has poems centered around the sectioned themes.
what i love most about this collection is the way i felt while reading it and how i felt afterwards. cheyenne raine left me with feelings of hope, love, and self-reflection. she took her emotions and wrote them down with every ounce of her soul.
i thought this collection was very dreamy and magical. i cannot wait to read more by this author!
some of my personal favorites from the collection:
pressed flowers have dried up in between the journal
entries i created, they have the faintest scent of life. i
once wrote about you and how you managed to create
a resounding echo of bliss in my life. i once found the
words that embodied your untamed spirit and
described your captivating smile. once. now, there
are dead flowers that smell like the rain and small
entries that cannot grasp who you are.
– scent of life
i choke on cigarette smoke. i want to leave these
strangers, yet, their stories are so wild and unique.
so, i stay and listen. their eyes close as they
remember who they were and why they were rebels.
my eyes are wide with curiosity, waiting to hear their
words fabricate a tale of good and old times.
– they were rebels
i will rise,
my fists full of flowers
and my soul full of light.
isn’t is the gentlest of things
that show the most strength?
where the blossoms push through dirt
and the sun illuminates the dark–
there, you will find me.
– fists full of flowers
you make it easy to
believe in magic and light.
your smile is a million
ocean waves crashing
into my small soul.
– easy to believe
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Twitter: @chicnerdreads
chicnerdreads 