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Making Peace With Our Imperfections
Clouded Thoughts is a collection of poetry about the celebration of loving and accepting yourself. Why was this an important book to write?
We live in a world where almost everybody is looking outside themselves for validation rather than embracing their authenticity. We discredit ourselves when we constantly seek stamps of approval. I penned this collection with my own vulnerabilities & flaws, hoping to inspire readers to accept theirs. Making peace with our imperfections is another level of freedom. After all, we only have this one life. Why not celebrate all the rarities and idiosyncrasies that make us who we are? We can’t spend our life living on our knees with our hands out for a thumbs up.
But if I were to give you a self-centred answer, it would be that writing a book has always been a dream of mine since I was a teenager. So this debut book was important to me to prove myself right. More times, we’re so motivated to prove other people wrong, but this “in-your-face” mentality can only bring you so far. In a subtle way, this book is a testament that you can turn a dream into reality when you believe in yourself enough.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this collection?
Self-evaluation was one of the primary themes I intended to highlight in this collection. We’re so quick to turn a blind eye to our flaws and magnify someone else’s imperfections. The age-old advice of knowing yourself has been tossed around for decades, and the truth is we’re often all guilty of being ignorant by our way of thinking. And with that in mind, I aimed to incorporate humour within the pieces when I sifted through matters of sorrow, healing, peace, and doubt, all of which we are bound to experience during our time here on earth. And, of course, what good is a poetry book without love?
What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your collection of poetry?
I hope this book inspires readers not to let life pass through their hands. I hope it stands as a reminder never to lose focus on what’s truly important while they piece together a meaningful life. When all is said and done, all that counts is profound peace & love – whether it stems from family, significant other or anything that strengthens you. Because in the end, everything else falls away.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
My third collection is still up in the air—all in divine timing.
Author Links: GoodReads | Amazon
These poems are written to be easily understood and absorbed. Phrases could be pulled from many of them and would be perfect pinned on mirrors, written in diaries and used as mantras repeated daily to remind ourselves to focus on what our life truly means to us.” – Clarissa Pattern, Author of Airy Nothing
Here’s to flourishing in a world where becoming the best version of yourself is frowned upon.
Here’s to breaking through barriers and exceeding expectations, including your own.
You will discover a fistful of engaging well-versed themes within the pages bound to empower you, uplift you, and remind you of your truth.
More importantly, this book goes over and above to emphasize the importance of looking up when confronted with intimidating setbacks. Because this understated act is the keystone to overcoming the stumbling blocks life throws and rising above our shortcomings.
Clouded Thoughts
The hassle of a daily commute, the often delayed appreciation for our parents, the danger of defining yourself by others’ standards- all of these subjects and more are tackled by author Michael Froilan in his poetry collection Clouded Thoughts. Froilan hits the ground running from the first page, jumping headfirst into poems that display a refreshing honesty, not to mention more than their fair share of vulnerability. While some of the poems read quickly and then float away with the breeze, some stay with you well after you’ve turned the page.
Clouded Thoughts has its pages filled with almost as many styles as it does subjects. Froilan writes poems that read like a paragraph, ones with a rhyming pattern, and some as short as a single thought. His shortest ones are, in fact, some of the strongest and are reminiscent of daily affirmations, words to be spoken in the mornings as intentions for the day. Likewise, the tone of the poems is all over the spectrum. There is no shortage of “chip on the shoulder” cynicism to be found here, but in equal turns are the many that are uplifting and inspiring.
Froilan manages to find the balance between social commentary and political statements, a precarious line that not many can navigate. Many of his poems bring current events and societal issues to light but never once does he beat you over the head with them, preferring, it would seem, to make his points with a degree of subtlety.
Although many of the poems in this collection are written with a sense of level-headed realism, a few employ imagery and analogy to elevate them to an another level. Lines such as “My pillows are covered in dreams and anxiety, What a surprise, I can’t fall asleep” paint such a vivid picture of the writer’s struggles at that moment and does so in an artfully entertaining way. These moments shine and show Froilan’s writing at its best.
Clouded Thoughts is a thought-provoking and engaging collection of poetry. Even through the cynicism and the angst, the resounding message is to love yourself, trust yourself, and define yourself on your terms only. The urging for self-confidence shines through even in the poems that don’t address it, making the book an unexpected comfort.
Pages: 102 | ASIN : B08WP8N2GN
LITERARY TITAN 