Tikva

Tikva traverses more than a decade of poetry, from childhood homes and broken families, through mental illness, grief, and love. Kayla’s poetry explores the unexpected places we make our homes, the meaning of family, history, and where we come from, and how to find hope in a world that so often feels hopeless.

“This book has wings, as hope should.” – Rick Dove

“A beautiful reflection on grief, trauma, and what it is to struggle with mental health.” – Sara Hirsch

“This collection is suffused with a shadowy grief, from which life – in all its messy light – emerges.” – Dan Simpson

“It’s genuinely not terrible.” – Tyrone Lewis

"Breathtaking" - Elle Dillon-Reams

"From the very beginning, Kayla's voice jumps from the page, inviting you into a personal history that starts with her great-grandfather. There is something theatrical yet also cinematic about her poetry, loaded with vivid imagery and senses like 'singing Hebrew in a Texan accent'. I'm sure many will relate to the pieces in this book as I have, from the unique relationship between mother and daughter, the dislike for not answering a 'How are you?' with total honesty, to the anxiety of intrusive thoughts. Loss and grief are also dealt with in a way that hits hard, with the use of repetition and denial for survival, and the reasoning behind recording memories in photographs, and telling stories." - Carmina Masoliver

88 pages
Language: English
Dimensions: 12.8x24cm (5x8in)
Weight: 127g (4.48oz)
ISBN: 978-1-914584-00-8

--

SAMPLE POEM:

Sometimes
I think people avoid asking how I am
because they know I will no longer say
Fine.
I was not raised by British parents.
They were not stiff-lipped.
My loud New York mother
and my Detroit dad
taught me truth, above all else
(I was a bad liar as a child)
so I have learned to spell colour
and not to call it a fanny pack
but I would still rather say
Actually I’m awful because I’m depressed and the weather’s a bit shit and I’m not sleeping well and I keep having panic attacks