The Red Book of Poems

Dedicated to my mum. For everything.

I used Japanese stab binding to hold the pages of this hand-painted book together. It is full of poems. More importantly, it is full of love.

It is red because my mum emanates the vibrancy of red. She loves poems the way her mother did, and I do, and I hope my daughters will come to do.

My early memories were formed around my mother's lap where she would read beautifully illustrated poems aloud to us. Her voice strong and lyrical as it captured our imaginations.

I asked my siblings, all five of them, to contribute their favourite poems too. Thus, the poems in this little red book range from Emily Dickinson, Langston Hughes to Tupac Shakur. We all loved 'The Highwayman' by Alfred Noyes. I can still feel the undulations of her voice as I recite it to my children.

I also have her mum's favourite poems nestled within. My Nana died recently. I intend to gift this journal to my mum on my Nana's birthday as an acknowledgement of the circle we all share.

I hope that she will love it.

Love and light,

Zinnia  💜