Confession

Two of the most complex emotions revolve around love and loss, and Teresa Leo’s Bloom In Reverse is a collection of poetry that confronts both. Instead of starting off in the future and reminiscing about the past, Leo’s poems are told in reverse order and revolve around the death of a close friend and the end of a very turbulent relationship. The poems begin with the soul-crushing grief that surrounds the loss of a loved one, and in her depression, the narrator makes the conscious decision to try and work through the devastating losses in her life by visiting local bars and attempting to heal her heart’s wounds by giving online dating a try as well.

As the poems move from soul-crushing grief to the heartache of having to learn to live without a loved one, this burgeoning desire to heal and start over is the catalyst that allows her to finally find a true love connection in another person. At the end of the collection, the readers are able to watch as the narrator comes to terms with her losses and is able to start a healthy, sustainable relationship with their new significant other.

From the deepest grief to the joyful start of a new relationship, Teresa Leo’s Bloom In Reverse takes readers on an incredible journey via poetry through the best and worst emotions that life has to offer.

Top image by Ervins Strauhmanis