cry with me sister, we rise at dawn

Dear Reader,
For over a decade, I kept my experience of sexual abuse a complete secret. I needed to disassociate and pretend it didn’t happen, because if it did, it was real. And I had no idea how to face that truth.
As my physical health declined and I exhausted every avenue for a diagnosis or root cause, my family and I packed up and moved far from my home province to a little sanctuary on the ocean.
It was there—on the land by the Bay of Fundy, with the highest tides in the world—that every stitch of every seam began to unravel.
My body had been screaming for years under the weight of what I had stored. It finally burst open. The latch had unlocked.
Poetry began playing in my mind—one line, then two, then three—arriving mid-conversation or on a walk, revealing my secrets page by page.
It was during this time that I broke.
What I didn’t know then was that after years of hiding, the best version of me would follow. That if I could allow myself to crumble—to sit in my feelings, face my fears, lay down my perfectionism, part with my people-pleasing tendencies, and reclaim my story—I would find not only my voice but also my self-worth, self-love, and courage.
It was the hardest and the most rewarding season of my life.
This is a collection of the poems that carried me through, allowing me to process my emotions, lift the weight, and unveil the goddess within.
And now, these poems are yours.
Love,
Krista-Lee