If you were to ask me what took the longest to complete in this book, it would have to be what you are reading right now. Maybe because I've said all of my thanks. Wrote my dedication. Introduced myself in my author bio. Bore my soul in every single poem. In my eyes, the only thing left to talk about is what this collection of poems means to me. This collection represents my life for the last four years. Crazy, isn't it? In a grand total of 36 poems, I have encompassed my adolescent years and what they meant to me. While I didn't write a specific poem for each of those four years, you will see that this book reads like a timeline. A timeline including what I have healed and grown from, and what I have not.
Poetry, for me, is the difference between keeping calm and going insane. Every word, every thought, every question, every answer, every little thing that has been on my mind for the last four years is laid out in this book before you. In these last four years, I have kept my head down and bit my tongue. I never said too much or spoke too loud, just for the simple reason that I didn't want to take up space.
Society tells us that we should take what we're given. Like that is enough for anyone. That we should be grateful for that little space it gives us. But in this book, I've decided to say no more. It is my right to take up as much space as I like, and if someone has a problem with that, that's not my issue.
I deserve so much more than anyone was willing to give me. Than I was willing to give myself.
In this book, I want to inspire the girl or guy that was just like me. Who thought they didn't deserve to exist. Who thought no one was listening. Who thought no one cared. This book is a love letter from the one who listened. From the one who cared. Thank you for reading this little piece of me. To many more.
