Bending Toward the Light

By Mikayla Elias

standing at the edge of a ravine,
I feel myself turn
and fall backward,
headfirst into you

the moon is tangerine
in the slow burn
I reach toward
and can taste her fruit

Through disorder and chaos, there is still love—if we challenge ourselves to see it.

In a debut volume of free verse, Mikayla Elias shares a glimpse into their heart while reflecting on the ways they and others see themselves. Within vivid reflections, Elias leads others on a journey of self-discovery while exploring nature, Mother Earth, love, and everything inbetween that includes a willow that bends tenderly under pressure, gold-plated yarn weaving through eternity, the heartache of lost love, the uniqueness in the paranoia brought on by isolation, the depths of love, and the well of devotion.

Bending Toward the Light is a collection of poetry that lyrically reimagines what it is to feel while building upon the precarious nature of existence.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Archway Publishing
• Release date: Sep 22, 2022
• ISBN: 9781665729468

Mikayla Elias

Mikayla Elias is originally from the golden metropolis of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. By day, they produce music and radio shows. By night, they pen reams of poetry. They currently reside within the glimmering steel pastures of Nashville, Tennessee.

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Copyright © 2022 Mikayla Elias.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

Archway Publishing

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Bloomington, IN 47403

www.archwaypublishing.com

844-669-3957

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

ISBN: 978-1-6657-2947-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6657-2945-1 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6657-2946-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022916214

Archway Publishing rev. date: 9/22/2022

Contents

Acknowledgements

of heaven

rosy

supple

green carnations

eden

less

the goddess

just right

why

morning dew

Venus

differenceindifference

cursive

gold-plated

opalescent

colors

divine intervention

in treaty

darling

midnight sun

daylight

fair, part two

phantoms

Virginia IV

stars

saccharine

celestial beings

Kentucky III

oceania

oh, sister

accident

sun and moon

perforated

helium

holy burden

puzzles for the

end of time

lemon

taxidermy

Ohio II

compartmentalizing

the end of all things

of earth

eleven thirty-one

salve

rain in july

window open

forgiveness v. 2

use me

isolation

for what it’s worth

waiting

the birds

september

afterglow

chapped lips

rose