This is chapter two of creative writing major Jasmine Taylor’s poetry collection “Maybe the Beginning of Me.” This collection consists of eight original poems surrounding love, identity, relationships, and family through the lens of a young Black woman.

A sincere poem about heartbreak and self-love.

“This poem is about a moment I shared with my lola (grandma) that changed the meaning of ‘morena’ for me. She didn’t remember this conversation when I asked her about it years later, but this specific interaction was the start of self-acceptance for me.”

This is chapter one of creative writing major Jasmine Taylor’s poetry collection “Maybe the Beginning of Me.” This collection consists of eight original poems surrounding love, identity, relationships, and family through the lens of a young Black woman.

“The biggest shift for me since the pandemic began was not being able to see anyone in person outside my immediate family. As we’ve moved into the first full year of this pandemic, I wanted to reflect on how I’ve changed from needing to see others, to finding peace in solitude. Here are some ways I’ve been making use of my alone time…”

“…I’ve always related my emotions to different colours, and these poems were meant to showcase that without our emotions (including both good and bad) we would be living in such a dull, black and white world as well as robbed of the duality each colour holds.”

“This prose is called ‘Interlude’, and it is a self-loving piece. I wrote this with the purpose to connect with myself on a deeper level, in order for me to release unwanted energy given by others for the sake of my own sanity.”

“Imposter’s syndrome is something I’ve battled a lot through my life. There’s this existential fear that weighs on you every day, that everyone will experience this a-ha moment and realize that you’re not as great as they think you are. You watch other people at your job doing the work and you think to yourself that it’s only a matter of time before they discover your secret and kick you out to the street.”