A Blessing And A Curse

These poems invoke waves of emotions, pulling you in before spitting you out – exhausted, and never the same as you were before. They will open old wounds and help to heal new ones. They will force you to confront your own experience and that of those around you. These poems helped repair my soul and regain my spirit through heartbreak, abuse, mental illness, and loss. I hope they can do the same for you.

In a sea of darkness, know that you are not alone, and that it’s okay to not be okay.

My name is Jenna Lalor and I am a 25-year-old teacher from Canberra, Australia.

I have always had a passion for writing and began using poetry as a medium for my emotions and feelings from an early age. The poems in this book were not initially written to be published, rather to help me process the events that have taken place in my life.

The title for this book came to me after reading a quote, “It is both a blessing and a curse to feel everything so very deeply.” This really summed up my work for me, as I have always been a person with intense emotions and feelings. I have struggled with mental illness, abuse and loss, which is evident in my manuscript. These are the overarching themes that come through when you read my poetry. It is raw and personal, and frankly it scares me to have others read my work, but I think it’s important for anyone who has been through similar experiences to know that they are not alone. To put words to feelings, they may not be able to do on their own.