Reclamation

Here, survival becomes restoration. The speaker doesn’t just get out—he begins to return to himself. We see the reemergence of faith, reimagined as something softer and more authentic. New relationships form. Fatherhood deepens. Healing is claimed without apology. These poems do not rush. They rebuild. They restore gentleness without giving up strength. Peace no longer feels foreign. It begins to feel like something that belongs.

Order of Poems & Prose: False Prophet – Inherited Ruin – Nicotine – Late Night Drives – Sentencing (courtroom prose) – Bullshit – No Contact – Panic – Faithful – Sanctified Silence – Psalm for the Unseen – God Doesn’t Cheat, So Why Did You in His Name? – Letters I’ll Never Send – Embers – Man Enough – The First Time I Didn’t Flinch – Teach Me Love

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

Reclamation

The First Time I Didn’t Flinch

Jonathan Valania

She let the quiet happen.And in it,I began to feel human again.

The First Time I Didn’t Flinch

Jonathan Valania

She let the quiet happen.And in it,I began to feel human again.

Man Enough

Jonathan Valania

It’s brushing my son’s hair without flinching.It’s crying during a movie without shame.It’s choosing not to yell,even when I could...

Man Enough

Jonathan Valania

It’s brushing my son’s hair without flinching.It’s crying during a movie without shame.It’s choosing not to yell,even when I could...

Embers

Jonathan Valania

Embers dancing in the wake of a flame,Lowly nights and subtle heartbeats remain...

Embers

Jonathan Valania

Embers dancing in the wake of a flame,Lowly nights and subtle heartbeats remain...

Teach Me Love

Jonathan Valania

I should’ve left sooner. I should’ve screamed louder.But I didn’t. And that’s on me.

Teach Me Love

Jonathan Valania

I should’ve left sooner. I should’ve screamed louder.But I didn’t. And that’s on me.

Read Letters I'll Never Send

What began as court documents, voicemails, and text messages became something more. It's a story about survival, truth-telling, and the long, sacred work of healing.

Letters I’ll Never Send is a raw, autobiographical collection of poems and prose written through the aftermath of emotional abuse. It speaks for the moments you couldn’t. It says what was never safe to say out loud.

Ordering the print edition includes exclusive poems and reflections not available online—and directly supports outreach efforts for survivors of domestic abuse.

This book is for the ones who made it out, and the ones still finding their way.

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Click here to view all the poems in Letters I'll Never Send