Metamorphosis

I’ve recently noticed that social media has evoked a lot of its users to promote being stagnant or unchanging. I want to encourage you to partake in healthy rest and seasons of patient pauses, but to continue in the velocity of internal growth or the pursuit of it. With that, this string of consciousness was born: Metamorphosis.

---

You don’t need a sign to awaken and self reflect to want to rebirth from your present self and remain in a state of humility becoming a patiently learning larva that sheds its skin through the consumption of truth to build yourself a hidden chrysalis where you grow without all eyes watching and the world may see you as dormant but you’re growing wings and will emerge with an undeniable transformation and you don’t need a sign to encourage this growth in another or to make this metamorphosis cyclical within yourself

Self's Reflection

In light of the Morning Air, Morning Light book sale, I wanted to share a couple poems. These poems can be found on opposite ends of the collection. I often tell friends and readers that the story of redemption found within Morning Air, Morning Light wasn’t a one-time occurrence. I continuously go through cycles of the darkness of Nightfall, and the glory of the final chapter.

These poems reflect my struggle with self-acceptance. It’s not something that I have fully conquered, rather a healing process that gets better daily, with minor relapses. I’m still learning how to wholly and fully accept and love myself. I think I’ll be forever be a student to self-acceptance–digging into deeper and deeper levels of this self-love, seeing myself through the eyes of my Creator.

---

At least once a day

Hypersensitive, 
with every mirror, 
I stand in front of myself, 
staring eye-to-eye, 
mind racing rapidly–
its prominence paralyzes my physical being.

Slumped over, sunken eyes, 
lips slightly open.

Seeing this face, it isn’t my own–
cheekbones pronounced, they lost their color– 
which echoes the void in my voice.  

Eyes embody the outline of my pupil; 
they don’t smile anymore. 

Hair on the floor, 
and collecting between my fingers– 
short, brittle nails, 
bitten to mask their cracks. 

Tiny arms, too wide, 
I don’t remember a realistic size. 

Wondering how the wood would frame my face, 
or what color velvet, would match this
pale skin, hollow mind.

• • •

Breathing Spell

I catch my visual echo.

My eyes slowly scan a tired,  
yet trying, face.  

The in-between. 

Midnight hair, daylight skin. 

A balance, 
tipping at the weight of emotion. 

 But feelings are fleeting, 
and right now does not last forever. 

I can force the proportion to lean into progression–
if I keep trying, 
identifying and extracting, 
an endless pursuit. 

A pinch of peach, returning to my cheeks.

I bridge between this duplicate of my being–
as foreign as an old photo. 

Resemblances begin to arise. 

I remember these eyes, 
lining of my face, 
fuller hair.

I am slowly slipping into my skin, 
rather than an onlooker’s third-party perspective. 

I rub my hands together, 
hearing the gentle friction
of palm-between-palm. 

My skin, my body, 
a temple.

---

If you haven’t yet picked up your copy of Morning Air, Morning Light, it’s currently on sale for $10 w/ free shipping (and comes signed and with a Morning Air, Morning Light bookmark)! This sale ends 6/1 but you can order your copy here. If you’re local to Nashville, I’d love to hand-deliver!

If you have read Morning Air, Morning Light please leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads!

Waxing Crescent

Truly a soul of sunshine, I met Peyton online through connections that I can’t fully recall, but am incredibly thankful for. She is an astounding creative and connecter, and is reckless with encouragement–it spills out all sides solely from her existence. She’s currently working on her debut poetry collection, which I was incredibly tickled to find out this week. Her work and bright personality can be further explored through her Instagram.

---

waxing crescent

by Peyton Elise

i haven’t seen the moon in three plus weeks,
my heart had nearly sunk. 
tonight when i saw that waxing crescent,
my soul felt so much luck. 
then i realized it wasn’t luck at all,
but a status i hoped would be met. 
now i’m full of grace and truth and light,
my longing - i crave at sunset.

---

i live in colorado, where the mountains swoon me in and have been a huge part of this story of mine. i began sharing my writing a few years back when my heart felt more ache than it could handle - writing has been this sense of release for me ever sense, an escape for my feelings to make sense, and a connecting piece in so many ways! writing is now a ministry for me and i am making my way toward self publishing this year - all for love, with love, and because of love.

Strongholds

Marya Layth is an author I stumbled upon through an acquaintance. She is the author of More Than Bread, stunning poetry collection that I acquired through a free Kindle promotion, and then promptly ordered a paperback for both me and my sister. She is a creative of several mediums, words being one, but also illustrations. With a myriad of talents, we welcome Marya Layth to share her beautiful words that will be included in her upcoming poetry collection, releasing 2019, Hadal and the Daystar.

---

Strongholds

by marya layth

Hail Marys rain from my mouth
as I write about the storm
I was born to bear.

It drowns the parts of me
still learning
how to swim.

So, I hold on to this poetry like driftwood,
because it is stronger than I will ever be

and carries this twin tempest with a grace
I always seem to just fall short of.

---

Marya Layth is a writer and artist driven by the desire to fill empty spaces with meaning—an obsession that leads her to the blank page and canvas time and time again. Marya has found refuge and strength in creativity since childhood; using it as a means to combat chaos and a tool to express the power of love.

Her words can be found on her Instagram, with her art soon to be accessible through her environmentally-friendly shop, The Poetic Forest.

Update No. 3

Morning Air, Morning Light is officially available for preorder! 

For the past three years, a bevy of my creative attention has been devoted to the collecting, writing and editing of this piece. Morning Air, Morning Light is a poetry collection with words stitched together depicting a sequence of events: memories recorded, experiences documented, restoration tangibly read. This tiny book holds all the moments I felt pulled to press to paper, the words that saved my life.

Revelation embarked while writing and healing was tangibly held in the palms of my hands, though conceived through simple obedience—placing my pen to paper. 

The collection is comprised of four chapters: Nightfall, Lavender, Golden Gaze, and the title chapter, Morning Air, Morning Light. In anticipation for the book’s release, a poem from each chapter has been paired with a film in collaboration with Elizabeth Miller, with music created by my talented husband, Ricky Smith. These videos will be released throughout the progression of this month, leading up to the launch. 

Morning Air, Morning Light can be preordered here and will be released on September 5, 2018. On this date, I will be performing several of the collection’s poems at a Listening Party and will be selling and signing copies. 

I haven’t kept a regular cadence of updates–rather relaying a sporadic script of status regarding my debut poetry collection, but you can find the other posts regarding its progress via Update No. 1 and Update No. 2 (you'll find that I was wildly off my timeline). 

To help spread the word of the Morning Air, Morning Light movement, join our Launch Team or preorder a book for you and a friend! The ultimate vision is to be able to share this simple healing and hope to those that find themselves within a void, offering a small drop of tranquility to exponentially expand into overflow.