Inspired by William Blake’s two famous works, Songs of Innocence and of Experience and The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, this collection contrasts the raptures of passionate attraction and romantic euphoria with the actual experience of marriage.

Just as Blake’s Songs of Innocence evokes the pure joy of childhood, the romantic, passionate love in my poems represents a state of unblemished trust and delight. My songs of experience bring out the realities of marriage, describing it as a challenging journey rather than a bed of roses. Yet it is common belief that God creates both deep affection and holy unions. Blake’s profound theological and philosophical question that challenges the conventional idea of a benevolent creator—"Did he smile his work to see? / Did he who made the Lamb make thee?"—echoes in my poem Sacred Gift? —"Did they who ordained our love story / really intend for our marriage to end this way?"

My poems of experience go beyond exploring the darker, more critical perspectives of life—such as disillusionment in marriage, holding on, maintaining perspective and strength, scars rooted in unmet needs, past traumas, and a fear of vulnerability—and move into healing, the acknowledgment of brokenness, and intentional actions to rebuild safety and trust.

Some will still choose to maintain an open, loving, and untainted heart. Blake calls this “second innocence.” It is a necessary, evolved state of being for human life to truly flourish.