I look for you when the world is quiet,
When you aren’t waiting for their likes,
retweets, comments, reposts…
I look for you when the world is loud,
When their judgment condemns you,
When you want to travel to the end of the world and stay there.
I look for you because I find you in extremes,
So when you stop to catch your breath,
I hope then you will choose me,
You’ll love me not by their ratings or your desire to meet their expectations.
I await your embrace.
I feel like Summer.
Warmer, braver, lighter.
I feel like Summer,
so why do you act like it’s such a bummer?
I feel like Summer.
Lighter, warmer, happier.
Come to me.
No, run to me.
Come like thunder, blazing like lightning,
Set me ablaze, let’s burn.
I want you to keep coming,
At dawn, at dusk
In January, in November
With a pen in hand or a keyboard before me.
Come my way, won’t you?
Flow through me, come so I may write you down.
The Publisher’s take on this book: This collection explores love in all of its forms, from the darkest love to the love that makes you feel like you’re flying, love that holds you, and love that breaks you. To Love You To The Bone will chew you up and spit you out in all the right ways, but by the end of it, you will leave knowing that love is attainable and have your heart opened to all of the possibilities that love has for you.
He was the pen; she was the lighter.
He wrote his story. She set it on fire.
To be loved to the Bone by Beverly Maier
I love it when I am consumed by words, and this collection by Beverly is written in both long prose and short sentences and comes with simple artwork. She draws you in and releases you, more like giving you a moment to catch your breath before she drowns you in her hurt, elation, and sometimes anger- so you get it all in less than 200pages.
Verdict: 4 stars
I got to read this off Netgalley and I am glad I did.
Be gentle with the hearts that make their way into your hands.
Love doesn’t look the same on everyone and it is much easier to break things than it is to fix them.
To Be Loved to The Bone by Beverly Maier
About the Author: Beverly is a twenty-eight-year-old author based out of Central Florida. She is the author of two poetry collections, Detaching Roots and To Be Loved To The Bone. Read more about her here and buy her books: here
This month has breezed right past me and one thing I haven’t done as much as I had hoped to is to write consistently. However, I know NanoWrimo is two days away and I have already signed up and started drafting the novel I will be writing.
On reading: I am discovering new writers, reading more books as I hope to see to meeting this year’s Goodreads challenge, so far I have read 161 books and there are some titles I read on Netgalley that haven’t reflected yet, so it means I have a lot more worlds to explore.
I am currently reading The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova which is giving me quite some history on Dracula and I can’t help but wonder how this will end.
I love love and cannot resist romance, which led me to this Italian series on Netflix and with just six episodes, I am already rooting for Alice, wishing her the very best in what she does and waiting to see her gain more confidence in herself. What this series did for me was give me a couple of hours to laugh, immerse myself in astrology (the Pisces that I am) and improve my eye coordination-keeping up with subtitles!
On work: It’s more of a balance that I definitely need because this month has been involving because of work and classes- and like my friend June keeps telling me, if you can study or work or travel now- do it before you take on lots of responsibilities- the only thing she forgot to tell me was that I would need more sleep.
I also learned a phrase that now I associate with “no, we are not doing that,” when I took part in some collaboration and in one of the briefs mentioned some key areas of improvement and was told “we’ll take that under advisement,” and let’s just say that 3 weeks and 3 days later- no improvement has been acted upon.
On fashion: I love kitenge. There is something about buying that 6-yard fabric, taking in the colorful prints and discussing designs with the tailor to finally get something I enjoy wearing. The downside to kitenge of course is that you have to iron it after you’ve washed it and I for one, do not find that act enjoyable. So here’s a jumpsuit I got and can’t wait to wear.
On music: I have been residing in the K-Pop world for a while and the one album that I highly recommend as a mood/energy booster would have to be No Easy by StrayKids.
And that’s it for October, 2021 is almost coming to an end and the curfew was lifted in Kenya, and a huge part of me hopes that we stop acting like we are out of the woods when it comes to the pandemic.
Have an awesome weekend, this girl has got an assignment on Strategic Management to submit before her class tomorrow.
I thank the Heavens for you,
For the nights I wept,
For the days I smiled,
For the secrets I kept.
The dreams I had.
For the hope I lost.
I thank the Heavens that I still have you,
Yes, you…the one staring back at me, who holds this body, who sways this mind.
The one who is both dark and light.
Self.
Me.
Nine days into October and this is a reflection on what I’ve done so far:
Read 4 books
Started compiling a short story collection
Bought two sets of gym wear and installed the 30 Day Fitness Challenge app, but I haven’t worked out even for a single day.
Completed watching the K-Drama: He is Psychometric
Changed my phone ringtone.
I’ve had a serving of chicken flavored noodles every day since 3rd October.
Started drinking tea every morning
Prepped and ready to take part in NanoWrimo 2021. By being ready it simply means that I bought new stationery, a tote bag full of colorful notebooks and new set of highlighters.
Love this quote by Dorothy Parker:
I will be on the road tomorrow looking forward to an activity filled week, so until then, have a lovely weekend. PS: If you haven’t been watching Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha on Netflix, check it out, it’ll make your weekend swoonworthy!
Some events can turn a day into the longest day making you wonder just how much more you can take before you lose it. I have lost my cool on some days and my colleagues have never stopped calling me ‘apilo matindo.’
Over the years, I have found these five things to be of help.
Taking a warm bath
Setting my phone on ‘airplane mode’ or ‘switching it off.’ This way I cannot be reached until I am ready or in the right set of mind to engage someone.
Sleeping. I love sleeping because in a way I get to recharge and every time I wake up from such naps I am always hungry.
Listen to music.
Writing. I have been keeping a journal since I was twelve, and those stacks of books hold memories of many life experiences.
I am in awe of how fast time flies. We are 10 days to October and I went out and about today doing things I love.
I came across these five insights on writing that I absolutely love and I hope you do too.
Step into a scene and let it drip from your fingertips.- MJ Bush
Write until you surprise yourself.
You can’t blame a writer for what the characters say.- Truman Capote
What would you write if you weren’t afraid?- Mary Karr
A drop of ink may make a million think. – Lord Byron
Have a great week and I hope you surprise yourself too!
nilichoandika 