Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Don't Tell Me Not to Ask Why: Poetry & Prose
    Don't Tell Me Not to Ask Why: Poetry & Prose
    Don't Tell Me Not to Ask Why: Poetry & Prose
    Ebook115 pages48 minutes

    Don't Tell Me Not to Ask Why: Poetry & Prose

    By Samantha King Holmes

    4.5/5

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Don’t Tell Me Not to Ask Why, Samantha King Holmes’s second solo poetry collection following her bestselling Born to Love, Cursed to Feel, is a mirror that reflects our honest truths. Holmes’s poems are like little stories, hooking readers while navigating issues like body image, family relationships, loneliness, failed relationships, and finding belonging. Don’t Tell Me Not to Ask Why is a call to introspection, a demand for honesty, and an affirmation of second chances.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAndrews McMeel Publishing
    Release dateMar 19, 2019
    ISBN9781524852467
    Don't Tell Me Not to Ask Why: Poetry & Prose

    Related to Don't Tell Me Not to Ask Why

    Related ebooks

    Poetry For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Letters to Mum

      Mar 24, 2021

      Dear Mum, There are still times when I go to call you. It seems inexplicable to me that you actually died. I used to wonder how it would feel, and after 16 years, I’m still not sure. The main thing I want to tell you is that I get it now. I understan

      5 min read

    • Article

      Shape of You

      May 6, 2019

      Shape of You
      7 min read

    • Article

      A Letter To My Son.

      Jun 3, 2021

      A Letter To My Son.
      7 min read

    • Article

      By Liz Petrone

      Jun 3, 2020

      Maybe it’s the slightly crazed and manic expression I wear on my face when I go out with all four children in public, or maybe it’s the way my shoulders droop towards the ground with exhaustion like an elderly but equally dishevelled and flat-chested

      4 min read

    • Article

      A Letter To My Loves

      May 1, 2019

      A Letter To My Loves
      7 min read

    • Article

      Help yourself HEAL

      Aug 30, 2022

      Help yourself HEAL
      4 min read

    • Article

      Rewriting the Story of Your Life

      Apr 8, 2024

      I once heard John Irving describe how he came up with his novels this way: “I think of a character I love and then imagine the worst thing that could happen to them.” This is a pretty good description of any story, which is always going to be driven

      5 min read

    • Article

      The Most Powerful Words

      May 28, 2021

      The Most Powerful Words
      6 min read

    • Article

      Feeling Myself

      May 27, 2022

      Feeling Myself
      4 min read

    • Article

      Kate Baer Poet Author Mother

      Jun 2, 2022

      Kate Baer Poet Author Mother
      6 min read

    • Article

      Queen Of Common Sense.

      Dec 10, 2020

      Queen Of Common Sense.
      9 min read

    • Article

      Sabrina Cohen-Hatton

      Sep 20, 2021

      Sabrina Cohen-Hatton
      5 min read

    • Article

      Honest PARENTING

      Sep 24, 2020

      Honest PARENTING
      4 min read

    • Article

      Family Ties

      May 2, 2021

      Family Ties
      4 min read

    • Article

      Run Your Own Race

      Oct 27, 2023

      Run Your Own Race
      4 min read

    • Article

      Me Myself , & My Son

      Sep 6, 2019

      Me Myself , & My Son
      5 min read

    • Article

      Heart To Heart

      Jun 17, 2021

      Heart To Heart
      5 min read

    • Article

      A Letter To My Son

      Mar 5, 2020

      A Letter To My Son
      7 min read

    • Article

      Here To Help

      Jan 25, 2023

      Q I’m 87 and reasonably healthy. I’ve always been careful about what I eat. There are lots of things I cut out or eat less of. I’ve now decided that I can eat what I want and no longer need to worry. I also like an alcoholic drink and see no reason w

      3 min read

    • Article

      The Fear Of Loneliness

      Jun 2, 2020

      The Fear Of Loneliness
      5 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Don't Tell Me Not to Ask Why

    4.5/5

    10 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Don't Tell Me Not to Ask Why - Samantha King Holmes

      Also by Samantha King Holmes

      Born to Love, Cursed to Feel

      We Hope This Reaches You in Time (with r.h. Sin)

      To my husband, thank you for always seeing me

      Let the Children Speak

      Let’s not talk about it

      Let’s not address it

      The lump under the rug still has more room

      As a child, I was taught not to speak

      I was young, what did I know

      As an adult, I was still told not to speak out,

      it’s disrespectful

      Didn’t I turn out fine despite the circumstances,

      wasn’t that enough?

      You said your best was given

      That’s a lie I’m no longer able to accept

      I was the one who had to live with the

      consequences of adult decisions

      that didn’t have my best interest in mind

      You should have just listened

      You defend yourself, you justify,

      where you should apologize

      You treat me as if there is still milk on my breath

      while expecting an adult to grow from the ashes

      of my adolescence

      Expecting no tears to be shed over the desolation

      of my childhood

      I think we’ve created a reality

      where we just don’t talk about what came before

      We avoid the potholes of our bonds

      We stopped trying to fill them in long ago

      So little hope for recovery

      Is it a shock I’ve kept my mouth shut so long?

      Endured, suffered quietly

      As if my pain, my anguish had no place

      in this world

      Didn’t deserve to be spoken, acknowledged

      What power I gave everyone over me

      with my devoted silence

      I think my childhood died there

      That’s what dire circumstances do to you

      You’re a child seeing life through a child’s eyes,

      being called to be mature enough to handle a

      situation, but not have an opinion

      How confusing that our maturity should merely be a

      convenience when called upon but struck down the

      minute it’s pointed out the hand they’ve played in it

      They never want to hear the truth

      even when we’ve aged and deserve answers

      How hard it must be to face the product of your not so

      well thought out decisions in a living, breathing form that

      continues to ask questions that you don’t feel the need to answer

      It’s easy to point out my mistakes without taking

      into consideration how you contributed in making

      me who I am

      I’m not looking for perfection here

      or even an apology

      I’ve wanted the truth for so long

      and now must accept that’s not something

      you’re willing to give me

      If Only

      Guess we should have talked more

      Guess you should have listened

      I guess you should have taken the time

      to make more of an effort

      I guess things would be different

      if that were the case

      My feelings are valid

      My truth is loud

      I’ve somehow learned to drown out

      the past with the beat of my ambitions

      Guess you made me stronger

      Guess I should thank you

      Truth is though

      you should have just loved me

      Wet Blanket

      I remember our house was big

      So big, in fact, that I trapped myself there

      I don’t think I ever quite forgave you for all that

      we lost or

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1