If you've read my previous poetry books, you might be expecting something similar here. While Still Growing Wildflowers, The Lovers, and Made of Earth take a journey through the dark to the light, I'm not sure I can say the same about this book. The Worst of Me is a departure from my previous work, meant to illuminate the darker aspects of healing and love (or lack of), and its profound impact on our sense of self. It is a collection that unearths our vulnerabilities and serves as a reminder that even the brightest flames can cast the deepest shadows.
Consider this book as your personal diary, a canvas - a space where you can freely write, draw, and add pieces of your own story. Press your favorite flowers between the pages, write your thoughts and prose in the margins, add photos and illustrations on the pages. This collection is more than just a book of poetry - it's an invitation to make this book truley yours, because if it weren't for you, these words would have never made it into a book.
Thank you.
Love you through hell and back,
dear reader,
alisha
ps. most of these poems were handwritten, typed on an old typewriter then scanned into this book to create a more personal feel than my previous books. they are not meant to be perfect. it is messy and still beautiful, jsut like humans are.
and as always, i hope you hate it :)
The Worst of Me
is hauntingly beautiful
& unashamedly tragic.
With the same raw writing and unflinching introspection, found in her previous collections, Alisha weaves together poems about love, lovers, defeat, and the demons we keep in an almost fairy-tale-like way.
The Worst of Me is a soul-stirring poetry collection that recognizes the strength it takes to confront one’s shadows and embodies the transformative power of self-acceptance; the good, the bad, and the worst. Put on your favorite dress, slip off your shoes, and step into The Worst of Me; a captivating collection of poetry that unearths the things we hide in the dark.
I wrote this book because honestly, I was tired of healing. I was tired of being “good” and being treated poorly. Tired of rumors circulating, tired of feeling like I would never get where I’m going, tired of waiting for “Karma” to give me justice. And by doing this, I realized:
Part of healing is accepting the ugly parts of yourself.
The parts of yourself that you don’t necessarily like.
The parts of you that other people don’t like, but you do.
I realized that part of healing is accepting your humanity.
And one of the most healing things I’ve done is live a wildly unsuitable life.
To disappoint everyone but myself.
To pursue pleasure in any form I choose.
Part of healing isn’t living like you or like anyone expects you to.
It’s living like you want to.
why i wrote this book...
about the illustrations & artwork
I grew up with a mother who was also an artist and this meant everything we did was heavily critiqued, whether it was writing, singing, playing an instrument, and especially, art, so I have always felt I’m no good at it because it didn’t meet the expectations of an artist. This book is also really special to me because, for the first time ever, I am publicly sharing some of my own little illustrations. I may or may not have gotten a little drunk in order to relax enough to create the illustrations, lol. I hope you hate them as much as my mother would 😉
This book also includes some public domain art (one of which is a religious piece that I made a little slutty )
I hope you use the pages like your own diary; press flowers into it, draw your own “shitty” artwork, leave love notes you’ll never send.
order on amazon
at barnes & Noble
"This poetry book is both heart breaking and heart strengthening. It gives words to the raw emotions that we feel on the roller coaster of healing. It's not linear and it's not always pretty. Alishas words are raw, beautiful and so relatable! The format of this book is amazing and adds to the realness and vulnerability of it all. There is room for YOU not just her words."
- Adelyn
"I’ve read every single one of the books written by Alisha and she never ceases to amaze me. The Worst of Me gives an honest look at the messy side of feeling and healing. This poetry collection will hold your hand through the darkest of times but instead of tugging you towards the light, it will stay with you in the shadows and say “me too.”
- Anonymous
"Alisha puts into words everything rough & beautiful about life that we all feel, but don’t talk about."
