@raeganspoetry: lover girl -charlotte lin

There’s this account on Instagram called @raeganspoetry that I follow. She’s pretty well-known on TikTok too and maybe you know who I’m talking about or have stumbled across one of her videos before, or maybe not. But I like watching her short reels, they always fill me with comfort and at least a temporary sense of joy. She films almost everything on what seems like her bedroom’s floor. It’s often dark and the camera quality isn’t great. Not terrible though, just enough to create a casual and lofi ambiance. The audio quality of her recordings isn’t extremely crisp or professional sounding either. It’s just a teenage girl, sitting in the corner of her closet, using her phone to record the poems she wrote, wanting to share them with the world.

^raegan's book

^raegan

Raegan recently published a collection of about 200 poems, neatly packaged in a petite book, full of simple doodles and aesthetic designs to match each story. My mom bought it for me a few weeks ago after I had expressed my interest in it. She deeply appreciates poetry and often writes short, sweet verses in English or Mandarin. She’s also recently posted a few of her works on a website she collaborated with her colleagues on and asked me to make some drawings to go along with them. I find it wonderful how pieces of art and literature can work together to add a creative touch that further brings a story to life. 

The book Lover Girl has about one poem per page, sometimes dedicating two pages for a longer piece. But even if a poem is only three lines, it gets a whole page to itself (often with extra doodles to fill the space). It is divided into four sections that share the feelings of a heartbroken girl, trying to navigate her life and journey to healing. The first section is called “1: A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO HEARTBREAK”, eventually leading to the last section which rounds off with “4: THE STARS IN THE SKY”. Beginning from a standard 101 guide kind of title to a hopeful, artistic name about stars is one way Fordemwalt shows the shift throughout the book and the emotional recovery and growth of the author. Each poem is different, all linking to phases and feelings throughout the experience of falling in and out of love. Some are complete emotional wrecks, filled with hurt and devastation. Some feel almost numb as if she felt empty when writing. Others are reminiscent and sentimental. A few (mostly towards the end) are more hopeful, focusing on self-love, care, and worth. Even though the stories aren’t long, the author is able to create special atmospheres and convey strong emotions for each poem by being raw and vulnerable. 

Lover Girl is a beautiful portrayal of the emotional roller coaster almost everyone will experience a version of at some point in their life. It’s a lovely little book that I like to carry around in my bag and pick up once a day or a few times a week, either to read for a while or just to take in a few verses to ponder and have something to think about. That’s something I like about these kinds of poetry books- they aren’t exactly page-turners but they aren’t boring either. It’s a perfect balance that accommodates any length of attention span. The flexibility also makes reading feel a lot easier and more convenient. If you are ever unsure about what to read and are looking for something easy to start, I’d recommend trying a poetry book such as Fordemwalt’s. It’s comfortable, low-commitment in a sense, and hopefully enjoyable. There is such a diverse variety in art and literature, and this small book is well put together to create a comforting harmony centered around the bittersweet beauties of human love.