Having published a selection of poems previously, I've found that a lot of their subtle messages were lost to lack of context. For example, the choice of titling, and imagery in the previous two anthologies were chosen to convey two wildly different stages in my life, and what they eventually led to. The cold river led to suicide, it led to self-degredation and the thought that self-punishment and infliction of pain was my only fitting ending. The beach, which reflected a different version of myself, and a different love interest that that came with, led to a similar, yet vastly different ending. It once again led to self-hatred, but this time with a sober outlook. Instead of viewing myself of evil, and thus deserving of suffering, I, instead, viewed it as an opportunity for growth.

Thus, I have chosen the title "warmth" for my newest collection. I will not spoil the reasoning, but I will set the scene. All the poems that are within the collection were written between January 2025 to July 2025. They began to be written immediately after the publication of the anterior anthology, a sandy beach, and, so, were a continuation of the desire for growth that I had painted at the end of 'a sandy beach'.

So, with this desire for growth, I grew. That is what I want you, the reader, to keep in mind as you read the following poems. That between their writing, I felt deep shame for my past actions, and an absolute desire for growth.

I grew. 
I grew.
I grew,
and found warmth.