Musings From My Notes App by Becks Lauren

This poetry collection intrigued me by the title, simple and gripping in the way it was simply casually born through everyday time we spend typing and tapping away into our phone's notes section. Some stand out poems to me were: Drive By Healing, was such a relatable poem about reclaiming the places you once shared with the one you loved and how you then make new memories to try erase the old ones from revisiting them solo. That's Why I Warn You, was again really relatable in the way you can let people in, have them hurt you, cut them off yet then they to come back into your life and how you're a one chance and you're cut off out of your life type of person not willing to give endless chances Love Is Meant To Be Light, was a simple poem about the joy of love feeling light right and erasing the past hurt you knew before Little Toes was a beautiful poem of the big joy a little life can bring to you. Groceries, was relatable about the title of the book and how our notes app can be used everyday for the mundane life tasks and art too inspired by life. A poetry collection written casually but nonetheless impactful, meaningful and thoughtful.

Reach by L.Q. Murphy

This book was a fun collection of poems, some even a couple of lines, stating facts and truths about what you learn growing up and growing through life. From advice about people, friends, pets, happiness, work life and jobs, being honest to who you are and making time matter, it has something here in the collection relatable for everyone.

I AM TRYING: A collection of poetry and prose by Sofia Romulan

This was such a relatable collection of poetry, as the title says, on the way as humans we are always trying, in life, love, friendships, relationships etc and especially the one word balance, the delicate tip between getting along and starting an argument, finding safety in silence rather than stoking the fire of an arguement. Forever lonely, was a poem about safety in being alone and unable to disappoint anyone in life too, that really stood out for the relatability of keeping to yourself and not wishing to burden anyone else with your problems. The collection also had a part talking of the walls we build to protect and hide our true selves, unable to pretend to be someone somewhere else, the way we can talk negatively and hurt ourselves talking down about ourselves instead of treating ourselves with caring, kindness and compassion instead pushing on to achieve or feel, or chase the next emotional high instead of being content where we are with what we have as enough, we always keep trying, as the title says.

What Their Voices Left Behind: Poems on Hurt, Survival, and Finding Your Own Voice by DORIS NDUNI

This poetry collection focuses on the way people can effect our lives and how their presence and essence alters the way we think, feel and observe. Some stand out poems of this collection to me were: Dinner Table Weather, about reading a room and person's mood and knowing what to expect served up to you. Mirror Lessons, how other people can distort our self view with harsh words that criticize rather than encourage. Report Card & Quiet Child, were two utterly relatable poems, how you become silent and observant of everything around you happening and learn how to go along with getting through. The Family Photograph, how everything can be unseen yet lingers in a frame only your eyes can read the scene knowing the truth within the frame. When Compliments Hurt, about how words from someone supposed to love you, can cut you deeply instead. Hunger, all about the way you crave to be seen and accepted for who you are with no judgement. Weather Report, was such a brilliant poem how our own emotions can mimic the weather. It was such a beautifully written poetic telling of life and the leaving and the aftermath of a relationship ending.

The Weight Of Soft Things by Apple Ram

This poetry collection focuses on the moments that can be heavy, from the weight of judgement and when you meet your love, how the small things feel so big in the way they care for you but also in the way that breaking up after years together is a different heavy weight to carry in the way they can become a stranger knowing all your secrets and also the way you lose a community you existed within happily too. It discusses the way we change and adapt after facing tough situations in life and love and how they impact us long term, especially putting ourselves before others who wouldn't choose us back too.

The Rose Of Winter by Samantha Chang

The title poem of the collection was about the beauty of resilience despite whatever alike a rose in bad weather striving to survive. It was a tender poetry collection of the fragility of life and the depth of grief around us, the feeling of being lonely when not alone too as is a hugely relatable topic these days especially I feel.

My Brain Is A Garden by Morgan Solis

This poetry collection focuses on the way life plants seeds that grow in our mind of thoughts and opinions collected and cultivated over time. Some stand out poems of this collection to me were: Temporary Love, about loving before finding the one who will stay forever. The Things We Carry, about the way things hold us down and back in life and the way they effect us long term too. A beautiful collection of how we grow through life and situations that make us feel deeply, reflect quietly in writing our way through what we face.

The Last Time I Waited for You: Words for Letting Go of a Love Without Leaving Yourself Behind by Matias Sebastian Gemelli

This was a beautiful poetic prose telling of how life remains continuous after heartbreak, the mundane way of life continues but how to you, everything that was your normal has altered. Some stand out poems to me were: The Phone Face Up, was such a relatable poem of hoping, wishing and waiting for the text or call from them that may or may not arrrive. Bargaining With The Past, about revisiting old messages as if evidence to trawl through of when things changed was again, so relatable. Your Name In Other Voices, was another poem of the easy way names can trigger thoughts, feelings, memories and alter your mood. Breadcrumbs, how a simple little sentence, a question, can make you crave more, not receive more nor the proper commitment you desire. Online, about the way digital presence can feed us slivers to stay hooked until no contact becomes solidly and silently the way the connection remains. A real, honest and raw account of life loving and losing the one you adored most.

The Shape Of What Stayed by Cassandra Jaye

This poetry collection focuses on the way that a parent can shape your life, positively or negatively and in this case too, how a narcissistic mother can affect a child growing up into adulthood. The collection also discusses how grief of your beloved can affect you forever in every day life from mundane shopping habits daily to the inevitability of you growing older and aging which they never got to and the future you never got to have together either and the ways life remains the same but altered forever beyond that moment of deepest loss and lingering grief.

Broken Scabs by L.Q. Murphy

Some fun rhyming poetry of ideas of bad things that could happen and ways to heal and adapt from them as well as trying and relying on only yourself in life, trying and failing multiple time but keeping going. The book was also illustrated with simple little drawings to bring each poem more to life vividly.