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ORCID
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9956-3185
Document Type
Open Access Thesis
Degree Program
English
Degree Type
Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.)
Year Degree Awarded
2021
Month Degree Awarded
May
Keywords
innocence, trauma, nature, survival, healing, exploration
DOI
https://doi.org/10.7275/22252791
Abstract
This collection addresses the exposure created by a missing personal boundary. The confusion of psycho-personal interactions is explored as is the damage created by living without a protective shield. These poems explore emotional, physical, and social emergence, with nature as a silent, yet sentient witness. This exploration culminates in an awareness that natural life has stepped in to enable healing. The duality of a fractured upbringing between the New York City center and the isolation of farmland, as well as the paradox of extremes created, lead to a need to find solace in safe spaces. The gentle canopy created by outstretched branches act as a surrogate for the arms that did not protect or embrace through childhood. This collection of poems is a celebration of natural healing. Peel in the Garden is a deep dive into what was a forbidden area for so many years. The landscape left by trauma becomes a tangible experience that readers can hopefully grasp, digest and savor.