Human Nature

By Kari Highman

For fans of L.E Bowman's What I Learned from the Trees and Sophie Diener's Someone Somewhere Maybe comes Kari Highman's debut poetry collection about exploring not only our hearts, but the world around us.

 

Human Nature delves into how our emotional expressiveness can be challenged or bettered by the environment. This book looks at the literal definition of its namesake while examining the figurative language of those words through poetic diction, metaphors and similes.

 

Written in a relatable, thoughtful and very honest way, these poems speak to readers in every stage of life, whether they need a healing reminder or a universal understanding of the human experience. The hope is that it guides you through any storms or emotional turmoil to discover brighter days ahead.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kari Highman
• Release date: Mar 20, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224896592

Kari Highman

Kari Highman is a writer, reader and dreamer residing in Ohio. She graduated with a BA in English Creative Writing from Otterbein University. Kari currently works at her local library and freelances for a digital entertainment magazine. She also co-hosts Shop Talk Podcast, the first fan-run podcast about ABC's The Rookie, which has over 50,000 downloads and is now streamed in 45 countries. When not working or podcasting, she's more than likely rewatching a dramatic TV show, spending way too much time on social media, or trying out different makeup looks. Human Nature is her debut poetry collection.  You can follow her online at: @karielizz on Instagram and @KariHighman on Twitter. 

Book preview

Part One: The Elements

The Memory of Water

Stepping into the safe place

I feel the heat

from the water as it hits my face

the burn seeps into my skin

underneath to my very core

erasing all my sins from the hours before.

––––––––

When the pain fades inside

I know there’s nowhere left to hide

So the cold sets in

the temperature cool as ice

freezing my mind

leaving me to find

the truth I’m scared of knowing.

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Soon I’ll be cleansed

Left exposed for all to see

And maybe, just maybe

I’ll like being me.

Drive

And they drove

through the town 

and through their lives, 

not waiting for their minds to catch up, 

for if they did their memories would burn out 

faster than that sole lightbulb dangling from the roof 

of the wooden balcony she had stopped to admire 

and told you that it’s crazy to think 

that one day, 24 hours and 3,000 miles

in your grandfather’s old car would

no did change everything.

A Violet End

Eyes wet either by

rain or tears

one doesn’t know

since that unfortunate desert storm.

––––––––

Some say tears,

others say rain

Who am I to guess

what caused this rage?

––––––––

Blackened mountains cut

through a pink champagne sky

allowing a small sliver of light to shine once again

––––––––

Waves of lavender ripples wash over the lost souls

Taking away the troubles of the world

and giving them all a moment of peace

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Jagged violet plummets through the air

Leaving behind small streaks and strokes of plum

The sentiments of before, of what was there

Before the storm hit and the waves roared

Before the anger poured out into the land.

Viral    

Beats pulsing through your veins

at the height of chaos

Minds race and hearts stop

only for a moment

to see the light.

––––––––

But before the dawn,

there must be darkness.

Another day passes by

as the virus spreads.

––––––––

Each thought is time ticking by;

Every move is a game of chance.

The disease is potent, it’s real:

obsession thrives inside of you,

Only to be seen by viral souls.

Uptown

Pale blue

lights up the day

Navy forces

invade the sky

––––––––

Wandering, wandering

all around

Nothing to look for

No one to be found.

––––––––

Lost memories

or an illusion of dreams?

Creating a character

or who I’m supposed to be?

––––––––

These are the things I think

while I walk in this uptown space

These are the thoughts I ponder

while the cold air hits my face

These are the things I wonder

while I try to find my saving grace.

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Antiques and baubles

Boas and stones

a rare mix to encounter

all on my own.

––––––––

A walk into Uptown

is a chance to reminisce

about what could have been

and what I might have missed.

––––––––

As the navy pool grows deeper

I see my path.

I slowly walk along it,

not looking back.

Fire & Water

A burn on your skin

Like a pain below the surface

I remember the first one I got

A small burn on my hand from my curling iron

The blister didn’t come up as soon as