Lovers Exes Soulmates: Poems

by Elison Alcovendaz

Overview

Embark on a journey through the poignant depths of heartbreak, where shattered dreams give way to the magic of love's embrace; this is a tale of resilience, hope, and the transformative power of taking chances.

Our entire lives are dictated by love. Love creates our brightest joys and our deepest aches. Love cures and love scars. It brings out both the best and the worst in us. Through the highs and lows, we learn and grow, preparing ourselves to find enduring love.

Lovers Exes Soulmates is a testament to those who take our hearts, break them, and make them whole again. From the intensity of our first loves, through the despair of heartbreak, and to finding 'the one' and beyond, this collection of poetry and prose captures the essence of humanity: to love, to lose, and to love again.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781771684101
Publisher:	Central Avenue Publishing
Publication date:	06/03/2025
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	5.25(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Elison Alcovendaz is a Filipino-American writer whose work has appeared in many acclaimed magazines and journals. His short prose was selected as a Best Small Fictions 2020 winner and has been nominated for Best of the Net. When he isn't writing, Elison collects books, shops at thrift stores, builds Lego, and chastises himself for indulging in these activities instead of writing. He lives in Sacramento, CA, with his wife and two daughters.

Read an Excerpt

Rain
If you feel like shrinking,
if you feel afraid,
I will be like the rain –
no matter how many coats you wear or
how many umbrellas you hold or
how small you make yourself –
I will be there until you let me in.
 
It might start with one drop
finding a space on the nape of your neck,
reminding you that you have a body,
a body meant to be touched,
a body meant to be held,
a body meant to be treasured,
until you raise your face to the sky,
umbrella down, coat off,
ready to let love in.
 
How I Love
Art is the act of making the unseen, seen
(I will love you artfully)
 
Music is the act of making the unheard, heard
(I will love you musically)
 
Poetry is the act of making the unsaid, said
(I will love you poetically)

All You Have to Say
I will eat your music
and bathe in your voice
and heal your childhood
and drink your skin
and smoke your skeletons
and hug your memories
and dance in your lips
and v palms
and kiss your fractures
and burn your anxieties
and wear your breath
and kneel in your light
and sing your soul
and write poems in your scars.
You just have to say,
“I’m ready.”
 
October
I will love you like:
the first sweater you put on in autumn
warm apples
blankets and books
well-fitted boots and pumpkin patches
crisp air and piles of leaves begging to be jumped in
we’re falling
 
But I will not forget to love you like we’re
hanging onto summer, like no matter
how cool the world grows, there’s always
room for heat, for wanting, for bare skin.

Editorial Reviews

"Every fresh insight on love and intimacy in Elison Alcovendaz’s Lovers Exes Soulmates is like a kiss that undoes us in the best of ways. These wide-open and vulnerable poems show us how to slow down and appreciate each other, taking us back to a time 'when love and lust/were one movement . . . dreams to be pressed/into flesh by the heat/of divine hands.' Buy this book for yourself, then share a copy with a friend, a lover or ex, and see how these words help us all 'glue ourselves back together again.' " — James Crews, co-editor of Love Is for All of Us: Poems of Tenderness & Belonging

“When it feels like everything has already been said about love, desire, and heartbreak, Elison Alcovendaz’s vulnerable, healing, and honest debut reminds us that we will always discover new ways to describe these emotions. Lovers Exes Soulmates shows readers that the best way to honor your love is to be loud about it. To practice sincerity. To write it down. Most importantly, Alcovendaz reminds readers that finding oneself is just as—if not more—important than finding your person.” — ari b. cofer, author of unfold and paper girl and the knives that made her

From the Publisher