Pictured is the cover of local student JRM’s new book, “The Sound of a Severing Soul.”
PHOTO PROVIDED
LOCK HAVEN — A local student, writing under the pseudonym JRM, has recently self published a poetry book written from the heart titled “The Sound of a Severing Soul.”
The book is centered around healing through trauma the author has experienced, and JRM hopes to help those who can relate to their experiences with their poetry.
The descriptor for the book on Amazon states, “I’m only 15 but I always felt things very strongly. When I began to feel more, I began to write. Writing helped me in so many ways and now I hope it can help you. This book is a trip into the mind of someone who’s been hurt, and of someone who’s begun to heal.”
A few of the poems are titled, “What Difference Does it Make,” “Feelings I Just Can’t Flick,” and “Everything But You.”
“This poem book depicts my journey through the pain I felt in my life, and how I found pen and paper to be my savior in the times when I had no one to hear me. I hope that my poetry will be your savior, too, just like it helped me through the difficult phase in my life, and help you heal and do the things you’ve always desired to do,” the description continues.
Though they prefer to remain anonymous, JRM has taken the initiative to publish their works in an attempt to get through to people in their community and beyond.
“I think people don’t really realize healing takes time. A lot of people are scared to ask for help, and that’s definitely one of the things I tried to emphasize. I think people think that asking for help is giving up but it’s not, it’s refusing to give up,” said JRM.
They have been writing for around a year, and according to them, once they got started the poems practically wrote themselves.
“Writing really helped me get all (my feelings) out. I hit a tough spot in life… Writing kind of helped me out of that. When I started reading my poetry to my friends and family I realized there’s a lot of people who can relate to what I’m going through,” said JRM.
According to their mother, the poetry appeals to people of any age or background.
“The feedback we’ve been getting from those who bought the book… It’s almost like a tool to help them deal with a narcissistic personality,” said their mother.
“I thought it would be relatable for people. I wanted to reach people and let them know they’re not alone in things — so they know what they’re feeling isn’t foolish or irrelevant. Teens, young adults, older people. Everyone goes through heartache,” said JRM.
Their biggest supporters through this process were their mother, their grandparents and their best friend.
To fellow students who aspire to write, JRM’s advice is to just jump in.
“Go for it. It’s kind of scary and nerve wracking — (wondering if) it’s actually good or if the people I love are just saying it to feed into me. I definitely think it’s something you should go for — don’t second guess it. You can’t test the waters with it, just jump into it,” said JRM.
JRM noted they might write another poetry book in the future, but also has plans to write a chapter book published under the same pseudonym.
They also have an instagram page, @j.r.mpoetry, where they post quotes they come up with on their own.
The book was independently published in mid-April, and includes around 21 poems across 34 pages; it can be purchased on Amazon for $13.
