what is the point of living if we cannot be true to ourselves? to fully trust our hearts to lead us in the right direction? on my death bed, I want to know that I gave my all to the people that I love. that I chased after my dreams relentlessly and fearlessly. that I showed up as my authentic self, day in and day out. I want to say that love was my best friend. I want love to lay with me when I take my last breath. I want to be love. I want to give love. and I want to be loved. Caution: the subject matter discussed in this book may be too intense or disturbing for some of the book’s readers. These include the following: I’m sorry that I am so apologetic during sex. I’m just not used to someone being so patient with me. I guess I am insecure because it’s hard for me to get out of my head sometimes. so instead of saying sorry, what I actually mean is thank you. thank you for being so patient. thank you for being so dedicated to me and my pleasure. thank you for never making me feel uncomfortable or shameful. thank you for being the most beautiful, kind, and caring soul. sex with you is something so powerful, we send ripples into other galaxies. my girlfriend has changed my life entirely she has taught me how to embrace everything that I feel and to love all that I am and if somehow forever doesn’t happen for us I will always be so grateful to have known her so a LOT has happened since my friends and I moved into an apartment together (Aleyah being one of them). She told me that she has feeling for me after we had a drunken night of going a little too far. and it’s been a wild ride. we’ve made out a few times, and I’m definitely not straight (which never actually needed physical confirmation, but I have it). we have decided to just “vibe” and see where things go. I still struggle to make moves on her because I have spent so long trying to move on. I am terrified of myself and my sexuality. I just wish I could stop caring about what

permission to love by Karlee Rose North | The StoryGraph

As one queer poet to another, this is an absolutely beautiful collection of poetry. I love the way that this book takes you from being friends with someone to slowly falling in love and being happy in your relationship. I love the way that the author unapologetically talks about sexuality. Definitely a good read! this is for you. in the moments you spent curled up in a ball on the floor of the shower, waiting for your lungs to catch up with your need for oxygen. on the nights when all that you felt was sadness, when even being numb was too hard. on the nights you felt so unimaginably alone, so disconnected from yourself. on the nights you needed to be held, but laid on the cold floor instead. on the nights when your only companion was the pain in the voices of those who sang the sad songs ringing through your headphones. karlee rose is a twenty-three-year-old queer poet looking to connect to the world with her poems. she has been writing poetry since she was a little girl and has been enjoying the bliss of sharing them. she has a science degree she probably won’t ever use. so for now, she shares her words with you. the ultimate goal of her poetry is to be a safe haven for the queer community, as well as bring representation to the poetry world: especially in regard to queer love. Queer poetry about unrequited love and hopeless pining sounded right up my alley, but a lot of the book is filled mostly with short, bite sized poems that sound more like shower thoughts and journal doodles. Lotsa platitudes and dull prose. Despite that I did like that it read more like a story and had a sense of continuity. The bits about anxiety and overthinking if someone feels the same as you were nice, and the last chapter was cute as they wrote more about everything working out and being in love and accepting their queer identity.

permission to love is a heart wrenching look at coming out in the modern day. It follows the author’s journey, but anyone who has experience as a queer person should be able to relate on some level. It isn’t the best poetry I’ve read, but I am glad I read it and I feel like it is a necessary work to be put into the universe. together (virtually) after and it helped. I have some introspection to do, and lots of self-care. I’m less afraid to be alone with my thoughts. they have calmed, no more anger. no more frustration. I still have questions, but I’m coming to terms with leaving them unanswered. she said no, there is nothing more that I can do. I said what was on my chest, and she gave me the answer I need to move on. I have to trust the timing of my life. I’m so proud of myself.

permission to love (permission to feel) : north, karlee rose

additionally, the content in this book is intended for a mature audience. this book discusses sex explicitly and often. please do not read if you are not mature enough to digest the sexual content (notice how I didn’t write an age, if you are a full-grown adult who is embarrassed by sexual content, please put this book down and do some introspection). this is a collection of poetry about love, loss, vulnerability, and connection. this book walks you through my personal journey of falling in love with my best friend and embracing my queer identity. this book talks about intimacy and teaches queer love and acceptance, through poetry. i got this book because tiktok would not stop giving me videos about the poems and what it is about. with it being about friends falling out and then becoming loves, i related to this. i annotated this for my girlfriend and it was so easy to annotate the relatable content. There are poems in this collection that discuss topics such as heartbreak, intimacy, and the relationships that we make with other people. My coming out as homosexual and my falling in love with my closest buddy are both stories that are told in this book. The author raises awareness and teaches readers about LGBT love and acceptance via the medium of poetry.

I haven’t been crying as much as I did last year. my heart isn’t something that I have to drag around anymore. I no longer cry myself to sleep or long for the things that I cannot have. I am so much more content now. and sometimes it scares me to not cry. because two years ago, the tears felt like they were keeping me alive. when I cried, that was the only time I felt anything. I lived a numb life. and I survived. now I smile when I open my eyes. I remember to look up at the sky. I sip my coffee with gratitude. I let my emotions ebb and flow, and every. single. moment. I feel so alive.