TITLE: Eighteen Inches: The Distance between the Heart and Mind
AUTHOR: Mirtha Michelle Castro Mármol
PAGE COUNT: 224 pages
PUBLISHER: Andrews McMeel Publishing
PUBLICATION DATE: 15 September 2020
GENRE: Poetry
SYNOPSIS: These poems explore the distance between the head and the heart—and all of the pain, beauty, and hope in between.
This book is one woman’s account of her longing to know herself fully. Her mind, body, and soul. This book might make you cry, fill you with nostalgia, empower you, or even give you hope. You might not see eye to eye with every idea inside, but with any luck you’ll see your soul reflected in its pages. You will question things. You will remember your past. You will be thankful for your present. You will dream a new dream. Above all, you will feel. Welcome to the journey of Eighteen Inches, a battlefield between a woman’s beat-up heart and her complex mind.
Many thank yous to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing me with an eARC!
I requested this one on NetGalley a while back and was so delighted to have received a copy. This poetry book is quite a long one and it took me a few days to get through it but I really enjoyed it and some of the poems touched my heart.
The themes and poems were a bit difficult for me to get into because of all the detailed personal experiences the poet wrote about. This books has eighteen parts/chapters with a few poems about the theme of each chapter. I really loved how they were arranged and found it interesting.
Eighteen Inches is about loss, love, relationships and hardships. I admit, it was quite inspirational, emotional, raw and touching. There were a few times where I caught a tear rolling down my cheeks. I love poetry books that make me think about the deeper meaning of life and this one did a great job at it.
If you are looking for a touching read that will leaving you thinking about life and the decisions we make, I would definitely recommend this one!
He grew frustrated and began to yell, “Eighteen inches, eighteen inches, eighteen inches!” I had no clue what he meant, and I said, “Daddy, I’m sorry, but I don’t understand.” Then he said the words that changed my life: “Baby, walk your fingers from your heart to your head; the average distance is eighteen inches. Every decision you make in your life is based on eighteen inches! You have always been the girl to think only with your heart, but I know you want to be successful, so you must start thinking with your head…” His definition of eighteen inches marked me, and since that day, I have tried to find a balance between my heart and mind.
I don’t expect people to understand me anymore.
My mind has been stretched far too wide.
Love has made me understand
that I don’t need to be understood
to possess the ability to understand others.
When I developed empathy
The past is not the past
if it continues to live with you.
To the emotionally damaged:
don’t let the strength you built
block your heart from the ability to love.
What is it with us humans?
We must first experience loss
in order to understand love.
Forever
is a dangerous word.
How can a mortal
offer eternity?
Wretched is the person who first said
too good to be true.
Someone must have
stabbed his heart.
The bitterness spread
across the seas,
surviving centuries,
affecting all our lives.
Generational curses
Humans take everything and corrupt it.
My brokenness
became
my breakthroughs.
Painful realization
It took some time,
but now I can say
that I am all mine.
Accept yourself
before seeking belonging.
People feel empty because they search for purpose
in all the wrong places.
Listen to your soul,
it always knows
where you should be.
When you seek, you will find.
Mirtha Michelle Castro Mármol is a Dominican born actress and poet. At the age of five her family migrated to Miami, Florida. She wrote her first poem at the age of six and since then cultivated a passion for poetry. She currently resides in Los Angeles, California. “Letters, To The Men I Have Loved” is her debut as an author. It consists of profound letters and poems directed to various men during different milestones in her life. Her work expresses loss, love, pain, growth and hope.
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