「 WATTYS 2019 WINNER 」 the failings of a surgically healed heart, is a series of autobiographical poems arranged into six thematic parts to form a collection which examines the idea of the collective and how that informs individual. i. family an exploration of my relationship with the men and boys in my household and how that has worsened, whilst the opposite is true of the rest of my family ii. immigrant an exploration of the immigrant experience and how as the first child of igbo parents; i was the intermediate between the east and west iii. spirituality an exploration of growing up in the catholic faith and an examination of all its faults and hypocrisies. iv. loving an exploration of friendship, artistry, sexuality, failed romance, but most importantly self-love and all it entails. v. womanhood an exploration of how in many ways puberty was a bitter sweet reality check along with everything that it entailed. vi. catharsis a reflection on the worst period of time in my life where, with hindsight, i come to terms with harsh and lovely realities of life and death.

virtues are for fools, darling.

"don't you ever want to steal from life what it stole from you?" two grieving people desperately fill gaps with each other, and occasionally, with petty thefts. PLAYLIST: http://8tracks.com/laamiaa/a-a (working title)

❝some things you can't put into words... so you make them into poems.❞ ➢ a WattPad Poetry featured collection Words have power. Power to explain emotions, to make you feel, to make you believe. They tell of every tear and every smile. They show you love and hurt. This is everything I couldn't find the words for. What I wanted to tell you but what didn't leave my lips. When I couldn't find an explanation and just kept quiet. Everything you made me feel, everything we had. The things that kept circling in my mind after our conversations, the things I wanted to scream when I nodded instead, the things I eventually had to let go of. This is everything I wanted to say but never did. * * * #99 in poetry (October 18, 2018) #35 in collection (October 8, 2018) 1st place in wallflower_r weekly writing contest #27 2nd place in wallflower_r weekly writing contest #28 2nd place in The Coffee and Cake Awards "This is so so so beautiful and amazing I can't even explain! You really have talent!" - she_made_echoes "This is gorgeous. So poetic: gave me the shivers" - iamnotanastronaut "This poetry piece made me cry you're so great!" - itisdangerouss

stitching storms into lovers' thighs (poetry #1 / prose #1 - 061120) © VANGOHS, 2017