Author(s): Sabreem Islam

Poetry

spring clean is a collection of poetry about self-love and growth, and the journey to finding the best version of yourself through the balance of holding on and letting go. Divided into winter and spring, spring clean begins with the bitterness of winter, and ends as it melts into the delicate flowers of spring, addressing themes of adolescence, bullying, abuse, self-love, mental health and healing. The anthology is beautifully illustrated by Alice Waldow, painting imagery of the seasons of grief and love for those who cannot help but live by their hearts, even when they guide them wrong.

These poems view the world of loss and emotion through the eyes of a teenage girl, and will appeal to poetry fans of all ages. Together, they combine to tell the story of a tumultuous adolescent relationship in all of its visceral heartbreak and grief. Sabreen takes readers on a journey of self-discovery, which is where she shines; providing a sense of daylight at the end of the impossible. Through its honesty, rawness and unabashed hope for a better world, spring clean is sure to make a splash in the world of poetry with its gentle empathy for the heartbreak that shapes who we become.

This is a story of love and loss, breaking and healing, winter and spring. This is spring clean.