Uncharted Waters: A sneak peek at a poem in my upcoming book!

I’m now on poem 7 of “Uncharted Waters” Here’s a glimpse of where “you” is in the journey—teenagehood, transformation, and fire. This is my first Villanelle.

(Note: This is an archived first draft on this Villanelle. Subject to change in the final product.)

Phoenix Burn

It was a pleasure to burn

Hormones override all rational thought

But still the new world must turn

There’s so much to learn

Too many classes; too many feelings caught

It was a pleasure to burn

Go ahead, scream it out, don’t be taciturn

Set it on fire, be a chariot of flames you’ve wraught

But still the new world must turn

You are a phoenix making a return

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust–emerge from what you have fought!

It was a pleasure to burn

Get back on that horse, be stern

You are renewed, go forth with lessons taught

But still the new world must turn

Puberty’s a drag you had to earn

But you’re a grown-up now, like it or not

It was a pleasure to burn

But still the new world must turn

The Phoenix (2025) Watercolor and Colored Pencil on Watercolor paper

A villanelle uses two repeating lines throughout—perfect for capturing the circular, repetitive intensity of teenage years.