Child of the Moon

By Jessica Semaan

A powerful debut collection of poetry reflecting on fear, shame, despair, suicide, and the unconditional love that leads to healing.

In between being your mother and father,

I forgot to be your daughter

And became the child of the moon

An illustrated poetry collection about finding light in the darkness. Set against the backdrop of the Lebanese Civil War and the author’s turbulent family life, Child of the Moon is a powerful reflection on her journey through fear, shame and despair, and the unconditional love that helped her begin to heal from childhood trauma. 

Praise for Child of the Moon

“In her debut collection, Semaan offers an upfront and moving glimpse into the true nature of healing: an imperfect, nonlinear journey.” —Amanda Lovelace, bestselling author of the princess saves herself in this one

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Jan 8, 2019
• ISBN: 9781524851859

Book preview

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child of the moon

copyright © 2018 by Jessica Semaan. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of reprints in the context of reviews.

Andrews McMeel Publishing

a division of Andrews McMeel Universal

1130 Walnut Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64106

www.andrewsmcmeel.com

ISBN: 978-1-5248-5185-9

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018951477

Illustrator: Nour I. Flayhan

Editor: Allison Adler

Art Director/Designer: Diane Marsh

Production Editor: Margaret Utz

Production Manager: Tamara Haus

Digital Production: Kristen Minter

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To my mother and grandmothers

contents

introduction

Blood Moon

Half Moon

New Moon

Flower Moon

acknowledgments

about the author

introduction

I packed an empty notebook, my comfy pants, and Pema Chödrön’s When Things Fall Apart, and I drove very far. Carrying the baggage of fear, shame, and despair, I took refuge at a writing retreat in the mountains of Santa Cruz. I traveled far to write this book, began it while battling with fear, shame, and despair, with no glimpse of hope.

For a long time, I have been on the hunt for their origins. I wanted to know why they had chosen me as their friend in sin.

I screamed why in every forest of California. I yelled why in every desert of Arabia.

Nothing. I got silence, and as I write this, I still have silence.

Bathing in tears of silence, I finally noticed the moon, who has always been there to soothe. Especially on the darkest nights of the year. For even a waning or waxing crescent moon, as thin as it is, is still there. The moon was the love that made the questions of why my life was like this, and why my pain was so overwhelming, wither away like autumn leaves.

Sailing in the sea of silence, I heard echoes of my whys. Other voices were screaming desperate whys. Whys from

every language, every continent, every ethnicity, every age, every place. I was screaming why with you, you who were hurting, too.

Sinking into the hole of silence, I heard her sobs. The child said: Love me please. She seemed indifferent to my whys. She seemed unfazed by the silence. She seemed unconcerned with my adult drama. She wanted love from her mama.

I write this book for her, the child of the moon. She is standing at the abyss of the unknown in the light of a full moon. She is ready to jump, but the fear is pulling her back.

I write this book for you, all children of the moon. Those of you who feel unloved, misunderstood, unseen. Those of you who are relentlessly seeking to know why, why you. Why fear, shame, and despair chose

Reviews for Child of the Moon

[pardamustang · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

‘In between being your mother and father,I forgot to be your daughterAnd became the child of the moon“In her debut collection, Semaan offers an upfront &moving glimpse into the true nature of healing: an imperfect, nonlinear journey"--Amanda Lovlace, bestselling author of the princess saves herself in this oneAn illustrated poetry collection about finding light in the darkness. Set against the backdrop of the Lebanese Civil War and the author’s turbulent family life, Child of the Moon is a powerful reflection on her journey through fear, shame and despair, and the unconditional love that helped her begin to heal from childhood trauma.’Child of the Moon by Jessica Semaan spoke to me on a deep, visceral level. Each poem is a snippet of soul, plucked from the author's deepest and darkest places. From a childhood steeped in war, and in familial trauma. The author turned to the ever present moon, a constant source of solace. Interspersed among the (hopefully) cathartic poems are drawings of the moon, and people in solidarity. These are poems of trauma and abuse, of guilt, anger, and shame, and of hope and acceptance. Many poems dealt with issues of self-worth and self-confidence, a dearth of which I suffer from. This collection gave me hope, a feeling of not being alone in my sense of shame for merely existing. Recommended for any who have ever found themselves feeling lost and alone. Seek solace in the moon and find a friend who will never abandon or judge you. ***Many thanks to Netgalley/ Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing an ecopy in exchange for a fair and honest review.