Bloom for Yourself is a beautiful collection of poetry with a softness and a kindness that pulls readers in from the very first page. The writer is refreshingly relatable. She uses nature as a symbol for so many of the elements within ourselves: love, self-worth, pain, and healing.
A quick favorite poem of mine is called “Seeds of Dreams”. The poem reads:
“’But how do I grow with all of this sadness planted in my bones?” I asked. ‘You grow the way some of the strongest flowers grow,’ she said. ‘When the darkness is most upon them; amongst the silence of stars—each one like a prayer pressed into the sky.’ “And then?” ‘And then, in no time, they awaken in the very earth they used to dream about breaking through.”
The poem does not deny the presence of pain, but paints a picture of hope amidst adversity, a message that we all need to hear.
The author promotes authenticity and vulnerability. Her writing encourages and inspires readers to be honest with themselves and what they are feeling. She also speaks so beautifully about how art can be used as a tool to cope with the pain and hardship we often face. In a poem called “Art”, Green writes:
“When things, I used to cling to, no longer feed my soul—I turn them into art. And all the empty, aching spaces they carved out of me become full again.”
There is such insight in this piece, as the writer does a beautiful job of describing how we can often take our most challenging obstacles and create something beautiful out of them. How we can take back the narrative of our story and harbor beauty and renewal in even the most weathered hearts.
In “Wild Orchids”, Green touches on the topic of self-identity and self-worth. Many of her poems touch on this subject and promote self-acceptance. She talks about how important it is for us to be genuine to who we are, because it will only hurt more if we try and live in illusions of what we think people want us to be.
The underlying symbolism of nature throughout the book seems so fitting, as it couples so many of our emotions with different aspects of the world around us: “wilderness in your hair”, “salt moving through your bones”, “the sun smiling at you”. These are just a few of the references Green makes in a beautiful poem entitled “Loneliness” which discusses all of the ways that the world takes us under its wing and includes us in its immensity.
In “Heartbreak”, the author discusses with profound intuition the pain we often feel when our heart shatters but the world keeps spinning: “The most startling thing about heartbreak is in the looking back and noticing that the world didn’t actually end.”
The tender reminders section of the book provides the reader with more of what we have already grown to love about this writer: her soft and eloquent voice providing us with inspiration for our day. “I am beautifully broken open (and this is how the sky must feel after a storm).” The author’s perspective of what it means to rise up from pain is rooted in healing, hope, and renewal.
The truth is I could highlight so much of Green’s writing in this review because each time I turn the page I fall in love with another one of her poems. Her writing is consistently authentic, soothing and insightful. She writes “and if you’re not ready to bloom for them, (to show them who you really are) then bloom for yourself. Bloom internally. Bloom so much that buds fall from your bones and earth breaks beneath your feet.”
This piece, which inspired the title of the collection, is a beautiful representation of what this book is going to mean for so many people. It is a book about healing, self-worth, strength, heartbreak, and the beauty that often follows our biggest hardships.
I wholeheartedly recommend this book. It was a refreshing and lovely collection that will not disappoint.
