I write the words on the wing
of a butterfly flapping rings 
around the world, speak them through 
sliding doors I always miss 
as the train zips, rushed away, they 
exit two stops down, tucked into a purse 
pocket, plucked out weeks later
with a tissue and tumble
down, sidewalk bound, to be tripped
over, kicked like a curb, rolling
tumbleweeds with autumn leaves, 
until the words, catching the eye
of a day-dreaming passerby,
are picked up, caressed and pressed,
a salve across a songless heart.

©Skye Nicholson 2021 (originally published in iPoetry on medium.com)

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As I prepare for the release of my first book of collected poetry, Unexpected Alchemy: Poems of Addiction and Awakening, I feel the tension between the tenderness of my own creativity and my aching, egoic need to be seen. The poem above came to me in meditation this morning: a message, I feel, to TRUST the process and allow the words, once written, to go forth and do their will in the world.

Unexpected Alchemy by Skye Nicholson
will be available for purchase on Amazon after January 7, 2022!!

I started writing after finding sobriety because there were stories inside of me that needed to get out—gritty stories, haunting stories—stories I had spent years drinking into the shadows. Stories that peered up at me in fragile longing, begging to be seen—and forgiven. Stories who, when they finally shimmied to the surface and blinked in the searing sunlight, released me from a heaviness of soul I had been carrying for most of my adult life.  

As I began healing from my two-decade addiction and the trauma I collected along the way, my poetry evolved into an awakening awe of the present. This book is my transformation story—as told through poem. I believe in the therapeutic power of art in all its forms. Writing has helped me to process my past, sort through anxiety, and embrace my emerging inner strength. My hope is that my words may settle themselves into someone else’s soul and make them feel less alone. My hope is that my words offer permission for others to shine light upon their own shadows and evaporate shame.

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To connect with me or stay up to date with details of the UNEXPECTED ALCHEMY Book Launch, visit unexpectedalchemybook.com or send an email to skye@soulstruthcoaching.com

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Skye Nicholson is a certified This Naked Mind Recovery Coach with Soul’s Truth Coaching. She offers empowerment coaching services to women looking to regain control over alcohol use. Find out more at soulstruthcoaching.com