Narratives painted in the art of poetry

Then Til Now, A Decade of Words, a poetry book which gives a message that ‘the art of poetry is not dead’ as its author, Latoya ‘ToyaLacam’ Campbell, describes.

The inspiration to publish Then Til Now A Decade of Words, Campbell says, was to provide a source of relatability, possibly ‘touching others’ souls’ – as Maya Angelou, Louise Bennett-Coverley and Edgar Allen Poe touched hers. The poetry collection has been created by handpicking her journal entries from the last 10 years, which is reflected in the title.

Campbell says that over the years, her journals, affectionately called her ‘secret keepers’, overflowed with teenage angst, feminine wiles, the journey of adulthood, society’s inequality, heartbreaks, loss of loved ones, self-evaluations, and the daily highs and lows of life. She admits that she had tremendous anxiety about sharing her words with the world.

The reminder that “you’ll never know until you try” resonated in her mind daily. Eventually, many sleepless nights and ‘morning-mirror speeches’ convinced her to go through with self-publishing the book.

The opening poem, Kissing Paper, conveys how writing is therapeutic. “My words are what keep me sane. What empties my sorrows. Untangles my brain, and soothes my soul. Detaches me from this world. As this pen glides along the paper. Leaving its blood on this sheet.”

VIVID STORYTELLING

The book has liberal sprinkling of vivid storytelling, which takes the readers on a journey of forgiveness, spirituality, losing a loved one, facing inner truths with a sprinkle of fantasy, love and motivation. The light read is geared towards young and mature adults whose love language is words of affirmation. In the structure of the book, poems are segmented into different stages of life, coming to the climax that self-love is most important above all.

Campbell says one of her favourite poems, Within, has the perspective that our inner torment is due to the devilish desire we succumb to. “On their past traumas they put the blame. In the Bible he was hurled down to the earth. But what if? What if, what was really sent, was he, she, them, us. The grandmaster of all sin. Desire without care of consequences.”

Those seeking love will have beautiful manifestations spoken to them with the poem titled May You Find Love: “May you find what God and Goddess were made from. May it define the very realm of Time. May it hold fast to truth and honesty... .

“The one love stories were made from. Better than Romeo and Juliet. Tangle-free as Dante and Beatrice. Longer than Cleopatra and Mark Anthony. Intentful as Deigo Rivera and Frida Kahlo.”

SOCIAL ISSUES

Some of the poems touch upon prevalent social issues, as well as offer insight into the other side of the American dream, as narrated in The Immigrants: “Our American Dream is only for us. Blue-eyed and blue-blooded. Pointed hats and Klu Klux-ed… With H2B, H1A, J1. This will never be your place. It’s our American Dream. Your American Nightmare”.

Writing, Campbell says, was always an escape. It was a means to express her thoughts, feelings and imagination in the form of poems, short stories and song lyrics from the age of 12. Although growing up with a lisp, “words weren’t always my friend,” she says, and she found bliss in writing. “Even worse, my brain seems to have a knack for misspelling simple words, even though English language and literature were my favourite subjects,” she says. The book takes the readers on an emotional journey which is dotted with twists and turns, as narrated by this young poet.

Copies of Then Til Now A Decade of Words are available both digital and print formats on: Amazon: https://amzn.to/3vwINDm and Etsy: https://camtengcollection.etsy.com.