crash & bloom

mama, am I going to make it, is it going to be okay

will I lose my breasts, my hair, my eyelashes

will I lose my identity, femininity, my dignity

will I recognize myself in mirrors, in photos, in memories

who will I become if I no longer look like your daughter

mama, what do I make of this life that's not my own

Grief, loss, isolation, depression... what do you do when, as a young woman, a cancer diagnosis

crashes into your life, taking away your identity and your vision of the future? Crash & Bloom

charts the poet's personal cancer experience as a young woman, in the middle of the pandemic,

as she attempts to find her way forward. The poems in this collection are also a celebration-a

celebration of life at its bare bones and the strength and grace that it's possible to find in times

of extreme challenge.

Crash & Bloom is dedicated to those moving through the stages of grief, and as a validation of

young people with cancer, especially women, to show them they are not alone and there is

beauty, joy, and creativity on the other side.

when I was shaken

off my feet

I fell to the ground

looked up

saw the stars

the mountains

& felt the bliss

of absolute stillness

in my soul