Held

"For the ones with shattered hearts

and fading hope.

"For the ones with sculpted smiles

and dangling shame.

"For the ones with burning secrets

and silent screams.

"You are loved."

From the beginning, R.M. thought that their body was silent. They knew of no other way to proceed in life. When emotions flared, they were usually volatile and destructive to relationships. What were they to do if they didn't want to be alone? How were they going to survive?

This collection of poems depicts R.M.'s journey to become more embodied, release the pain, feel alive, and answer questions that had been lingering since childhood. Readers will follow as R.M. explores different emotional parts of themself, and how their body responds to love and compassion instead of dissociation and fear.

R.M.'s relationship with words was at first a fractious struggle with dyslexia that left R.M. in tears on more than one occasion. As time and skills developed, a love for poetry, creativity, and story overthrew many fears and led to an imperfect and courageous life. From their original secretive spy journals to their current work in progress, their words often explore the power of healing and connection through compassion, truth, and nature.When they are not writing, they are usually reading, hiking, and playing with their family in the parks and woods of the PNW.