The Shades of Missing You

"...one of the most beautiful books I have ever seen...If there is one book of poetry you purchase in your lifetime, The Shades of Missing You should be the one ... and I would recommend purchasing the paperback." -Aaron C. Yeagle, Book Review Universe


"Vironika's poetry gently sweeps over your consciousness in a way that is both surprising and enlightening. This collection echoes with the longing we all feel, whether for spiritual connection with oneself or for a faded romance. Her work has lasting power Many of her lines have stayed with me long after I finished the poem." -David Silverberg, artistic director of Toronto Poetry Slam, author of As Close to the Edge Without Going Over (ChiZine)


"Vironika's poems take us on a voyage through the landscape of the human mind. She is a writer with the rare ability to capture the nuances of thought, unflinchingly revealing her own life while reflecting back to us our own nature - full of wisdom, contradiction, longing and love." -Andrea Thompson, award-winning writer, spoken word artist, activist & educator


FROM THE INTRODUCTION: "For years, I was having dreams about my first love. He would smile at me, forgive me, be my friend. I would wake up longing for closure. I figured the dreams would fade over time, but almost twelve years later, they became stronger. Instead of friendship and forgiveness, the dreams filled with passion. I would wake up yearning for the magnets that had pulsed so powerfully within me all those years ago.


I decided to write a poem every time I missed him. So, I did. I expected it to help. I didn't expect it to have as much of an impact as it did.


If there is anything I can hope to inspire in readers of this collection, it is this: if something hurts, make art from it. You never know where it might lead you." -Vironika Tugaleva