Petals in the shadows

"It's easy to decipher that the thorns of a rose cause pain,

But what happens when the petals start hurting you, too?

When we get used to the thorns,

And hold the petals of a rose again,

We dig the thorns into our hands,

And hurt ourselves before anything else can.

The comfort of grief becomes familiar,

So, when the light comes, it burns and blinds us.

The petals and the thorns of a rose both bring pain and grief,

But they both bring comfort and joy, too.

Let's learn how to embrace our petals and thorns together."

"Petals in the Shadows" is a poetry collection that highlights the struggles which come with losing direction in life, experiencing adolescence and finding one's identity. It explores themes of platonic, romantic and unrequited love. It makes many kinds of pain feel seen and heard, the feeling of worthlessness, of losing ambition, and of accepting that not all relationships last forever.

It's clear that the thorns hurt us when we hold a rose, but the petals can hurt too. Bad times hurt, but letting go of the good times can hurt even more. When we suffer, we hope things will get better, and they do. But when we're amid bliss, and it so suddenly slips from our fingers while we were hoping for it to last forever, we don't get our expected happy ending.

A rose can't have just thorns or only petals; it needs both, and so do we. We require a balance, and so, through this book, I want to help you embrace your thorns and petals.