I have always been captivated by the beauty of poetry; the elegance and clarity with which such pain and intensity can be translated. Identifying with a poem is different than relating to plain words, it connects you not only to someone's inner self but also to their creative ability.

I started writing poetry in elementary school (I should probably burn those poems) and mostly wrote about nature, since as a kid I did not have many troubles. As I grew older, though, my poetry transformed into a channel for my painful experiences and trauma. At 17, my twin brother, Christopher, committed suicide. I found bleeding myself dry onto paper with the feelings and thoughts I could not comprehend inside my own mind helped me to sort through the shock, the pain, and the regret. Four years later, my father died in my arms from a heart attack. Again, I was faced with internal anguish, boiling under my skin and reverberating off the walls of my consciousness.

Poetry has always been my outlet. I am not talented at drawing or really any other art form. Translating very dark, personal pain, into rhythmic, flowing stanzas allows me to open up in ways I cannot otherwise.