With this April marking the 30th anniversary of National Poetry Month, as well as being an avid poetry reader and writer myself, I wanted to share with you my most recent read. Bellyache by Brianna Pastor is a book inspired by a poem in her original collection, Good Grief. Released on February 24th of this year, it stands as a collection of poetry and prose, focused around her experience growing up as an empath, before she knew what that could mean. It is full of emotionally intelligent pieces and complex trains of thought, while also being compelling and relatable; even if you don’t have any experience as an empath, I guarantee something about this book will strike you. I found Pastor’s work to be incredibly moving, as I can relate to a lot of the same feelings held in her poetry—it is powerful.
Poetry has always held a special place in my heart within the realms of writing. I believe it is the perfect in-between of music and literature, and follows these special rules that are made to be broken. There is beauty in that. Poetry is healing, almost medicinal in a way. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that doctors’ diagnoses were originally written in Latin verse. Pastor does an incredible job of not only conveying her emotions and experiences, but doing so in a way that allows you to take it therapeutically, and apply it to yourself. Her words are encouraging and at times heartbreaking, but I don’t believe I’m alone when I say that can be the most motivational of all.
As Your Eldest Daughter, I cannot recommend this book more to anyone who is struggling to find peace with their sensitivity, their isolation and their openness to feeling as much as they can, even when they don’t want to. You don’t have to make your emotions smaller for anyone else, and you don’t have to be sorry for feeling deeply. At the same time, you don’t have to carry the weight of the world’s demise on your two shoulders. You can let someone carry you from time to time – I know I just called you out older siblings – and you should, the world will keep spinning just the same. This book is a wonderful reminder of finding that balance of acceptance, kindness to yourself, and release of burden.
When I began writing this review I thought I would have much more to say, but I honestly believe that Pastor’s artistry speaks for itself. Happy National Poetry Month to all who find sanctuary in this art form. While I’m sure I could come up with a nice little way to wrap this up and express the immense power of poetry, I’ll leave Pastor to do it.
Right now you are reading words,
and when I write them,
all it takes is letters to words to lines–
and because you can read them,
you understand.
You understand what you have been taught.
At the beginning of everything,
someone created meaning for what you are seeing.
If we were to strip away all that we know
about words and their meanings,
there would be nothing to interpret.
Nothing to read, just an observation
and a feeling.
And isn’t that what poetry is for, anyway?
– Page 64 of Bellyache
About the Author and Bellyache
“Bellyache: Poems for Sensitive Souls is an apology to myself, a love letter to fellow empaths, a really close hug for those who feel to a capacity that not many can comprehend. It is for the people hurting in the world, waiting for things to get better, wondering how they can be part of the change from hate to love.” – Brianna Pastor
“Brianna Pastor (she/they) is a queer writer, empath, advocate, and author of the poetry collections Good Grief and Bellyache. Dedicated to helping others recognize their worth regardless of circumstances, Pastor centers her poetry around mental health, childhood trauma, and what it means to heal – with sensitivity and love at the root of all things. Brianna resides in New Jersey with her spouse and their cat, Boogie.” – Author Bio of Bellyache