Poetic Stitches : Beauty for Ashes is a memoir detailing some of the identity "defining" moments of my life combined with an exploration of my poetry written at that time and present day as I have been reflecting and healing. Growing up and within many of my relationships I felt as though my concerns were falling on deaf ears and there was a need to be heard. Being rejected made my identity synonymous with feeling invisible and made me feel like I didn't "belong" in which poetry became my refuge. What I have found is purpose, healing, and identity are all connected. There is a space /lane carved out that you have been created to occupy. To occupy that space and to live beyond your pain and potential there must be an exchange.