If you’ve been reading my work for a while, you will have noticed that I don’t shy away from writing about highly personal, and often painful, experiences. I suppose my urge to write has come from a need to get a handle on situations that have uprooted me and have sent me on a journey of self-discovery.
This essay, that was just published for the first time by fellow poet Jai-Michelle Louissen in her Substack magazine The Winged Moon, tells the story of a woman who was set adrift by a creeping chronic illness and a disintegrating relationship. Having grown up on the Belgian coast, I was compelled to use the imagery of a submerged land, called Doggerland, to build a poetic mindscape that mirrored my emotional state during these hard years.
This essay means a lot to me, because of the subject matter, and also because it’s my first proper lyrical essay (in a braided form, to use technical language). It would mean the world to me if you could go to the magazine and read it.
You may be asked to sign up with your email, but it’s free to do so!
I hope you like what you read there! (The other poems and art are absolutely wonderful!)
Tender Rebellion 