Bending Toward the Light

standing at the edge of a ravine,

I feel myself turn

and fall backward,

headfirst into you


the moon is tangerine

in the slow burn

I reach toward

and can taste her fruit


Through disorder and chaos, there is still love—if we challenge ourselves to see it.


In a debut volume of free verse, Mikayla Elias shares a glimpse into their heart while reflecting on the ways they and others see themselves. Within vivid reflections, Elias leads others on a journey of self-discovery while exploring nature, Mother Earth, love, and everything inbetween that includes a willow that bends tenderly under pressure, gold-plated yarn weaving through eternity, the heartache of lost love, the uniqueness in the paranoia brought on by isolation, the depths of love, and the well of devotion.


Bending Toward the Light is a collection of poetry that lyrically reimagines what it is to feel while building upon the precarious nature of existence.