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Yes, it’s a bit of a wild ride.
HOMEMADE SHRINE is a collection of poems centered on themes of love and loss, the emotions evoked by memories, and the beauty found in everyday life. What inspired you to write this particular collection of poems?
HOMEMADE SHRINE has honestly been in production for over six years. It’s a collection of raw poems and journal pages that I’ve written in response to some impactful places, people and events throughout my life. I had toyed with what a full collection of these random writings would have looked like many times and I even still have a note on my phone laying out a far more epic version of the collection with over fifty poems sorted into twenty different chapters!
I sort of wanted it to document my early twenties and I wanted it to be an accurate as possible snapshot of each of these seminal feelings and moments in my life on a page where they could live forever and where they could connect with strangers in a way that no one was alone in life’s strange and sometimes confronting experiences.
It’s also an ode – or shrine – to one prominent soul-shattering, high-art-inspiring, car-wreck relationship, as is very clear from the dedication page onwards…
Do you have a favorite poem in the book, and if so, why does it hold special meaning for you?
This is like forcing me to pick my favorite child in front of the others, incredibly difficult. But, strange as it is, I’d have to say Beer-Boleyn is my favorite. I don’t find it to be the most creative writing in the collection but it’s one of those poems that just radiates a certain time, place, feeling and a dream I had. It’s also funny. It’s making light of the downright ridiculous yet troubled and entirely complicated relationship it’s describing. It references cult weddings, home-wrecking, the execution of Anne Boleyn and the person you love drinking beer they originally detested possibly due to the unseen forces of one of your irrelevant dreams you’d have to pay them to listen to… Yes, it’s a bit of a wild ride.
I find that last point particularly fascinating however, how dreams so often intertwine with a reality that you haven’t experienced fully yet and when dreams do come true in front of you it makes you feel special and like everything you’re currently doing – no matter how morally questionable or unhealthy – is a cosmic step in the right direction. These are just the places this poem takes me to…
Do you think there is a particular mindset or environment that a reader should be in to fully appreciate your work?
The reader should be ready to dive into this collection with some herbal tea (or some hard liquor), a pen and a mind ready for some serious introspection. So… it may not be the most “casual” read for many. The words are written so as to hook themselves and dig deep into heavy subjects and feelings. It also offers the reader the opportunity to participate with interactive prompts spread throughout.
I do think there’s something for everyone in the collection, however. There’s eco-poetics, there’s addiction, there’s occult references, there’s sex, there’s pressed flowers and pinned butterflies, there’s complicated relationships… It’s all a personal experience for me and for whoever reads it as they can transform and transcend it with their own mindset, experiences, feelings, etc.
Just don’t forget the pen…
What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be available?
My next project is still in its early stages of life but it’s frighteningly ambitious. It’ll be another collection of poetry but with some memoir passages, fictional and metaphorical short stories and even some horror elements mixed in… It contemplates escaping a darker past that feels like home into a much brighter present and future that feels so unfamiliar and strange but you ultimately know it’s a better place for you to be.
I’m hoping to have it finished and looking for its inevitable home by the end of 2025, so stay tuned.
Author Links: GoodReads | Website | Instagram
HOMEMADE SHRINE
Danii Jasmine’s collection of poetry is an evocative exploration of love, loss, and identity filtered through the lens of surreal nostalgia and unfiltered introspection. Each poem feels like stepping into a dreamscape—full of vivid imagery, shadowy emotions, and fleeting memories that are as unsettling as they are beautiful. From suburban settings steeped in twilight gloom to the intimate mundanity of a whispered phone call, Jasmine builds a deeply personal shrine to a fractured but deeply felt life.
What struck me first was Jasmine’s ability to tether seemingly mundane details to existential depth. In “Sunshinelater”, for instance, the suburban setting of “empty houses” and “flower-embroidered pillowcases” morphs into a melancholic reverie, turning ordinary imagery into a commentary on fleeting happiness. Her writing radiates a blend of resignation and quiet rebellion, making the familiar feel alien.
Another standout is “Brandy Melville”, where Jasmine captures the turbulence of toxic intimacy. Lines like “I wrote five paragraphs about neglect” and “the people around me…recognize this resigned sad version” reveal a raw vulnerability. Yet, the poem avoids outright despair, weaving in a dark humor that feels both defiant and self-aware. This complexity—pain wrapped in sharp wit—is one of the book’s greatest strengths.
I also loved “The Common Emigrant”, where Jasmine meditates on the fragility of beauty through the imagery of a butterfly trapped in a killing jar. It’s a delicate yet chilling metaphor for human relationships, artistic capture, and the cost of preserving beauty at the expense of life. Her descriptive language, like “the overwhelmingly sweet stench of ethyl acetate,” lingered with me long after reading, a testament to her skill with sensory detail. The collection’s relentless introspection might not appeal to readers looking for lightness or clear resolutions. But for those who crave poetry that pushes boundaries and reflects raw human experiences, this is an unapologetically visceral offering.
HOMEMADE SHRINE is perfect for anyone who enjoys emotionally charged, visually rich writing. It’s for readers who are not afraid to sit with discomfort, who seek beauty in the jagged edges of life, and who relish peeling back the layers of language to uncover the raw, pulsing heart beneath.
Pages: 102 | ASIN : B0DJLBCSTH
LITERARY TITAN 