Surviving Darkness: Laura-Marie Jenks’s New Poetry Book Shines Light on Abuse and Healing

Exploring Trauma Through Poetry

In her powerful new collection, From The Ashes: Poems From Poisonous Love Affairs, Laura-Marie Jenks delves into the raw and painful experiences of abusive relationships, mental health struggles, and self-healing. Through her poetry, Laura-Marie, a model and author, expresses the journey of confronting darkness and reclaiming her voice. “My truest form of expression lives within these pages,” Laura-Marie shared in her announcement, adding, “I hope that my words can help those who feel alone in what seems like a never-ending darkness.”

The 180-page book takes readers through intimate reflections on her past traumas, including sexual assault and toxic relationships. As Laura-Marie describes, “I wrote these poems to heal from the illness that has taken over my entire body from all the hurt and pain they have caused me.” The book does not identify those involved but instead focuses on her inner healing.

Poems of Pain and Survival

Among the collection, Laura-Marie’s poem The Crime Scene vividly portrays the aftermath of a traumatic relationship. In it, she writes: “One eye open, he lays at rest/his back tensed holding no regrets/the crime had been committed/thunder outside lit up the room, him deeply inhaling my perfume.” She continues to describe her abuser as “a damaged man with a young boy’s integrity,” ultimately concluding, “He loved me like his crime scene.”

Other poems, including White Knuckles and Locked In A Stone Wall Prison, highlight the bruises left by physical and emotional trauma, while Cigarettes uses biting sarcasm to depict the objectification she endured: “I was one in a pack of many for you to light at your own pleasure.”

In The Cover Up, Laura-Marie captures a painful moment of acceptance, describing how she faced each new mark: “I wash my face in cold water/not wanting the heat to sting/I look intently at the new mark placed upon me/blinking as I look away.”

Healing and New Love

While much of From The Ashes explores past trauma, the book also touches on love and healing with her fiancé, David Weeks. In the poem Intimacy, Laura-Marie writes, “Unfolding like petals of a rose, my fears took over/as you looked upon my fragile skin and bones.” She further explores the experience of vulnerability and self-acceptance, adding, “you witnessed the parts of me I called unloveable/unravelling each one like a scar.”

The collection opens with a letter where Laura-Marie reflects on the challenges of using her voice. “I was cursed out, striked for using my voice out of term,” she begins. She continues, “My silence was not enough…these poems that pour out onto the pages show I’ve not fallen.” The book offers solidarity to those suffering from similar experiences, noting, “This book is my inner healing, for me because I never deserved any of this.”

Spotify Playlist and Book Launch Event

Alongside the poetry, Laura-Marie curated a Spotify playlist, From The Ashes: Poems From Poisonous Love Affairs, to accompany the themes of her work, adding a personalised touch to her readers’ experience.

Laura-Marie will host a launch event at the Torpoint Library on 15th November, partnering with First Light, a charity supporting victims of domestic and sexual violence. Illustrated by Hannah Giles, From The Ashes is available on Amazon.