Hi everyone,
Welcome back to 365 Days of Poetry & Honesty! I hope you're well <3 It's been a while and I'm a bit nervous coming back but it's the last month of the year and I've missed spending my Sundays putting the newsletter together. I think I’m nervous because returning means reflecting on where I am now and it's painful to reflect on a year that broke you and to wake up and still feel yourself breaking. It's partly why I stopped. It started feeling like I was taking weekly stock of wounds and the poems were sad and life just hurt tbh. That being said I'm here and I've got poems to share always.
Also now I hold two names! The one my parents gave me and the pen name I chose for myself. I like my first name, it's who I am entirely, but Phoenix Yemi, it's Oyinda the poet, and I needed that separation. Sometimes the content of my poems, it frightens me, how exposed I feel. Plus when you start to publicise your work, and and you let go of it, it feels like I'm giving myself away and it can be painful. And though I love the honesty in my poems, the pen name gives me a mask, it protects me I think. It's also for the sake of seeing as myself as a person whose worth is not determined by my poetry, and because it's a beautiful name. Phoenix Yemi.
I chose it -Phoenix- because I think about death a lot, and while it's something that troubles me, the flip side is rebirth, endings and beginnings and I think of a bird rising from the ashes. That image is how I soothe myself into wanting to live and it's a symbol that I include in my work often. So that's me! Phoenix Yemi.
Here are some songs that I’ve been listening to this week <3
I hope you like the poems!
Wednesday
The beginning is a bit morbid but the bottom half is quite soft and I like it, I like the contrast.
Thursday
I rewatched Little Women and I haven't read the book so when I first saw it I didn't know about Laurie & Amy, but this second time, I knew, and watching their first introduction, I was thinking about Amy seeing him and maybe falling but Laurie's only really looking at Jo.
Friday
I was listening to ‘Rosyln’ by Bon Iver & St. Vincent and it made my heart feel fuzzy so I started writing this poem. I think it's one of my favourites, and I like how it sounds out loud! I hope the soup makes sense but I just had a particular image in my head.
Saturday
I don't think I was fifteen in this moment, but it's a vivid memory
Sunday
With Love,
Oyinda
P.S. Here's my top song this year! It's what I go to when I’m looking for peace.
Also here's my paypal if you wanna show some monetary support! Anything is appreciated. Thank you ❤️
Welcome back Pheonix Yemi! Grateful to see your powerful words again , your newsletter was greatly missed. Sending love and blessings to you 🦋✨