Abandoned Breaths : Poems - by Alfa (Paperback)

About the Book

Review Quotes

5.0 out of 5 stars
Abandoned Breaths took my breath away

By Nicole Lyons - Writer. Advocate. Columnist

May 6, 2017
Format: Paperback

This is a verified purchase, I preordered and purchased Alfa's book ABANDONED BREATHS but it hasn't been released in Canada yet. I have read the book twice already as I was able to see an advanced cop

Alfa's debut book Abandoned Breaths took my breath away and then breathed it back in through my soul. There are few writers today who can weave words as artfully and authentically as Alfa can. She has a rare gift for revealing the deepest feelings and skilfully writing them into her gorgeous prose; feelings we have all felt, sometimes without knowing we felt them until a certain word flies off the page and slaps us across the face. I expected this book to be good but it has exceeded every expectation. Abandoned Breaths is classic Alfa; amped up and full of delivery. This book is unflinching in its honesty and gorgeous in its vulnerability, but the message carried throughout the book is a message of hope, resilience, and strength. Alfa's work is timeless, and Abandoned Breaths will go down as a literary masterpiece.

Each poem is placed perfectly throughout this book into four different parts. A few of my favourites are:

From Squall:

NOCTURNAL

You have lived in the dark
for so long
that you have forgotten,
a soul needs light
in order to grow.

EMPTY

How do you explain

the absence of a person

to your soul?
How do you
break the news
that it may never
be whole again?

From Monsoon:

An excerpt from TESTIMONY

"You were not singled out in the womb for despair.
Roll those shoulders back and puff out that soul.
You were carefully stitched together with breathtaking intention."

From Zephyr:

BURIED ALIVE

I hope you never have to do it.
I hope you never have to bury
your soulmate,
knowing they still walk upon this earth.

From Exhalation:

GRIND

My soul has teeth,
and there are maddening
nights,
like tonight,
when the sound of
the grinding - trying to
obliterate the taste
of you, and of what
remains...
is really just too much.

Voted as one of "17 Instagram Poets you need to follow for daily inspiration"

Feb, 08 2017 - @alfa.poet

-- by Sydney Rappis, Bustle Magazine.

Featured in "20 Quotes to live by" - TheOdysseyOnline

"She's been through more hell than you'll ever know.

But that's what gives her beauty an edge.

You can't touch a woman who can wear pain

like the grandest of diamonds around her neck."

"Abandoned Breaths took my breath away" - Nicole Lyons - Writer. Advocate. Columnist

May 6, 2017
Format: Paperback

Reviewed by Vernita Naylor for Readers' Favorite 5 stars!!

With chapter headers like Squall, Monsoon, Zephyr, and Exhalation, you know that the emotions depicted within them are going to take your breath away. In Abandoned Breaths: Poetry, Quotes, and Poetic Prose (First Edition) by Alfa, the author exposes some of her most profound, painful and rawest work to excise negativity and embrace self-healing. As you read the quotes, prose and poetry pieces, you too will experience changes that will help to create a new you. Words in written form can heal and if you are feeling bruised, misused or seeking to overcome any elements of emotional highs or lows, you are not alone. This book has something for everyone, no matter where your journey may lead you. Like a cat licking its paws for connection within and comfort for itself, you will be able to feel the oneness with Alfa's work and not only feel but experience several layers of self-discovery.

I have read many works of poetry throughout the years and I must say that this collection is amongst my top five favorites. My attention was grasped, engaged and settled as I read some of Alfa's work, from 'It Was A Gift, ' 'Artist, ' 'Conquest, ' 'Mask, ' 'Miniscule' and 'Leaving' to 'Crawling.' Look at how Alfa holds you captive: "He was a window shopper, .....but my heart was tired of being peeked at. It didn't want to be the reason for buyer's regret, it wanted to be the reason. All his reasons." (Window Shopping). Depending upon which chapter you begin with will determine which parts of your emotions will be touched. When life happens, don't stop breathing; force out the negative emotions, circulate your thoughts, embrace the soft touch that the universe gives you, and release it all to God because only He can provide you with the serenity, comfort, and answers that you need.

"Abandoned Breaths took my breath away" - Nicole Lyons - Writer. Advocate. Columnist May 6, 2017

Format: Paperback

Book Synopsis

An exhalation of love, loss, and heartbreak, Abandoned Breaths is a poetic work of catharsis. From the acclaimed author of I Find You in the Darkness, Alfa's writing is at once deeply personal and universal--resulting in an emotive force that stays with you. This new edition of Abandoned Breaths includes an updated introduction and a brand-new chapter of modern poetry. Find respite, resilience, and rejuvenation from the moving poetry of Abandoned Breaths.

There are words
that need to be said.
Buried beneath pride and fear.
Rejection has suffocated
their tenacity to bloom.
So, they stay dormant
and fester.
Dwelling in the darkest
and dusty corners of a crying soul.
Unseen, yet felt.
Not alive, but not dead.
Abandoned breaths.
Words that need to be said.
-Alfa

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