Illusion

This section explores the earliest days of the relationship—the sparks, the vulnerabilities, and the subtle conditioning that masquerades as intimacy. What begins as love soon reveals undertones of control, insecurity, and emotional manipulation. These poems document the slow and almost imperceptible erosion of self. They show the early compromises mistaken for connection and the dangerous myths we hold onto when we are desperate to believe in love.

Order of Poems & Prose: Letters I’ll Never Send (to My Younger Self) – Insomniac Psalms – First Date – Birthday Exodus – Speak – Relate – Vagabond – The First Fight – Mirroring – Shapeable – I Wasn’t Waiting to Fail – Floodlight – 2018 (prose)

*Please be advised: This book contains references to physical and emotional abuse, child abuse, gaslighting, suicide threats, and domestic violence. Reader discretion is advised.