crash & bloom

mama, am I going to make it, is it going to be okaywill I lose my breasts, my hair, my eyelasheswill I lose my identity, femininity, my dignitywill I recognize myself in mirrors, in photos, in memorieswho will I become if I no longer look like your daughtermama, what do I make of this life that's not my ownGrief, loss, isolation, depression... what do you do when, as a young woman, a cancer diagnosiscrashes into your life, taking away your identity and your vision of the future? Crash & Bloomcharts the poet's personal cancer experience as a young woman, in the middle of the pandemic,as she attempts to find her way forward. The poems in this collection are also a celebration-acelebration of life at its bare bones and the strength and grace that it's possible to find in timesof extreme challenge.Crash & Bloom is dedicated to those moving through the stages of grief, and as a validation ofyoung people with cancer, especially women, to show them they are not alone and there isbeauty, joy, and creativity on the other side.when I was shakenoff my feetI fell to the groundlooked upsaw the starsthe mountains& felt the blissof absolute stillnessin my soul