Open Flames

As an African woman, I search to find meaning in a space that often does not embrace my differences. Through pain and anguish, I learn how to really love myself. This book of poems hopes to capture the attention of people around the world who have endured hardship in all forms. Suffering and loss have worked to make me a better person. The poems are my journey songs that influence the ways I see relationships and people. I have experienced abandonment and rejection from individuals that I love but gained power through accepting the things I am not able to change. My poems reflect the ways in which I try to navigate my life in a world that is often unkind, unjust, and unfair. These poems were written in times when I fell under tremendous pressures in life. They reflect how I view the social, religious, and political structures in our world. I beg to see a world that demands equality for all. My poems encourage my brothers and sisters to know themselves because acceptance must first come from within. They touch upon painful memories that lingers as we seek justice and equality for our community. These poems also speak to the condition of love and its ability to heal the world. The joy of knowing oneself must always be followed by the ability to know what we have endured in life and be ready to forgive those who trespass against us.