ABANDONED GARDENS STILL GROW
Abandoned Gardens Still Grow is a poetry collection rooted in healing, identity, queerness, and transformation. Through honest storytelling and vivid imagery, the book explores what it means to grow through pain, reclaim your voice, and bloom in the spaces that once felt broken. Divided into four parts — The Soil, The Seeds, The Water, and The Light — the collection guides readers through the stages of breaking, becoming, nurturing, and rising. Each section uncovers a different layer of the journey, offering reflection, truth, and hope. This is a book for anyone learning to rebuild themselves and discovering that even the most abandoned places can bloom again.
PART I: THE SOIL
Soil is such a critical element in any garden. It's the foundation for everything we want to grow. Early in life our soil is tended by those who care for us when we can't care for ourselves—parents, guardians, family and others. They do their best with the tools they have. They plant seeds of hope, nurture our growth with water and light, and cultivate what they believe will flourish. Over time, as we develop our own identities we gain the ability to shape our gardens in ways that reflect who we truly are. But how do we do that? How do we begin to nurture our own inner garden to resemble the vision we hold for ourselves?
PART II: THE SEEDS
As someone who knew fear all too well, I found myself eagerly searching for love. I felt it was the antidote to my fear, something I craved deeply. I searched for love with an open heart but I often wondered, what would I do with it if it were ever planted in my garden? Would I overwater it or provide it with enough light? Would I plant my love so deeply in another's soil that our roots would suffocate?
PART III: THE WATER
Embracing change can feel like stepping into uncharted waters, where the currents may swirl unpredictably, and the depths are unknown. Navigating the difficulties that often accompany this journey requires a significant amount of trust—and even more faith. How does a river care its own path through and unknown landscape? How do we learn to flow with the unpredictable currents of our lives?
PART IV: THE LIGHT
We all have our own stories about how our gardens came to be. No matter how those stories unfold, there will always be a mention of light. Light is a necessary and transformative component of every garden, enabling seeds to convert water into energy, which is essential for growth. Similarly, light plays an essential role in our personal gardens, allowing us to transform fears, tears, negative thoughts, and discouragement into joy, laughter, positive thoughts, and encouragement. These uplifting feelings provide the energy we need for our gardens to flourish.
