Peel in the Garden

• Main Author: Lapinel Spincken, Jennifer L
• Format: Others
• Published: ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst 2021
• Subjects: innocence; trauma; nature; survival; healing; exploration; Poetry
• Online Access: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/englmfa_theses/138; https://scholarworks.umass.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1157&context=englmfa_theses

This collection addresses the exposure created by a missing personal boundary. The confusion of psycho-personal interactions is explored as is the damage created by living without a protective shield. These poems explore emotional, physical, and social emergence, with nature as a silent, yet sentient witness. This exploration culminates in an awareness that natural life has stepped in to enable healing. The duality of a fractured upbringing between the New York City center and the isolation of farmland, as well as the paradox of extremes created, lead to a need to find solace in safe spaces. The gentle canopy created by outstretched branches act as a surrogate for the arms that did not protect or embrace through childhood. This collection of poems is a celebration of natural healing. Peel in the Garden is a deep dive into what was a forbidden area for so many years. The landscape left by trauma becomes a tangible experience that readers can hopefully grasp, digest and savor.