"A Thousand Lives to Enlightenment" is a collection of poems that exemplifies the difficult and rewarding process of healing and growth. It is divided into three categories: The Struggle, Death & Rebirth, and Enlightenment. The Struggle depicts the difficulty of trying to stay afloat as darkness creeps in, the fight to keep your head above water, by using personal experiences and raw, authentic emotions, I've experienced. Death & Rebirth is composed of the majority of poems in the book. Slowly, this stage eases the reader into the metaphorical death of growth, the emptiness a person who is healing experiences and feels. The purpose is to exemplify the re-opening of improperly healed wounds and cleaning them out; what it feels like to hit rock bottom. Then comes Rebirth with a slow ascent upward, describing the emotions in vivid and graphic detail; the beginning stages of acceptance and forgiving but not forgetting. The third and final stage is Enlightenment. This stage encompasses the emotions and sensations one encounters after rebirth and represents being grounded and centered with oneself. The freedom and gravity that comes with healing. 

​

This book is a reminder that growth is not linear, healing comes with ups and downs but once you make it out of that pit of darkness, greatness waits in the light ahead. Look for the faint glow of hope in the darkest of places, and follow it. This is dedicated to our younger selves, our inner child's, for everything broken can always be pieced back together. 

​

*Trigger Warning: Mentions of sexual assault and child abuse*