The creative journey
The evocative imagery and emotional depth found in poetry have always captivated me. In poems, a full tale unfolds, capturing raw emotions and fleeting moments of life in succinct verses.
Here, I’m delighted to share the fruition of my writing, a long work in progress completion, my debut poetry chapbook — a little more time — with the world. It is a collection of short poems that reflect my journey in life, with the central theme of love and grief.
The first chapter, hiraeth, was written in 2017, in loving memory of my mother who departed the world much too soon. I had finally found the courage to sit down, ruminate, and further refine the verses I had composed so many years ago.
As mentioned in my epilogue, I didn’t think of self-publishing (or even publishing) at all. It was my dream to become an author, still is, but I have never thought that I’m good enough to do it. What had changed my mind, perhaps, was the desire to reify my love for a dear one in this chapbook — and, in a way, to do something nice for myself too.
Camellias and Spider Lily
I’d like to thank Atnis Studio for the book cover. The concept of time has always intrigued me; all the possibilities and limitations time has over our life. Then, symbolising my longing and love for people no longer in my life, I requested for pink camellias. While spider lily embodies death, it also signifies rebirth and the afterlife — and here is my wish for all my departed loved ones to be in a place without any pain and sufferings.
If fate has brought you to me, why did you have to leave?
Love and loss are subjects that often occupy my mind. As I ponder endlessly so, words weaved themselves into somewhat coherent lines in my head. Then, as I delved deeper, there were also other memories — this gnawing fear that came with the twisted sense of love and societal expectations I experienced in my life.
I penned these strange coalescing verses down — along with the final chapter titled hope. Hope is such a simple four-letter word, and yet the power it holds is nothing less than love.
A glimpse into my chapbook
“the soft breeze blows, yet my skin burns,
i stop in my tracks to watch the dandelion scatter
its tiny white wings flying into the vast yonder
it is autumn; the season has changed,
the soft breeze blows, yet my skin burns,
i remain still and lost, living in a blunder”
My personal favourite is titled heartstrings. It was in autumn when we received news that my mother had passed away in the hospital. I remembered the overwhelming shock and grief that submerged me, and how time continued to flow as we returned to our life after the funeral rites. It had been tough pretending to be fine, because deep down, it wasn’t. And everything had changed since then.
I have always enjoyed writing since I was a child, and writing these poems soon became a way to navigate these bewildering, overwhelming emotions.
This chapbook is for me, and for you
This chapbook is written for everyone — be it a seasoned poetry lover, a book reader, or a lover of life. It’s for anybody who is navigating through this stormy sea of life, and I hope my words can be of solace and inspiration, and for my readers to know that we are all never alone.
Available on Amazon
a little more time is now available on Amazon in ebook format.
If my poetry chapbook resonates with you, I’d love to hear your thoughts! Share your review on Amazon, your favourite lines on social media and tag me @snowchockie.
A promotion will start on Wednesday, 15 January, to Sunday, 19 January 2025.
My Heartfelt Gratitude
Thank you all for being part of my poetic journey. I hope a little more time finds a special place in your heart as it has in mine.
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