I Dance with the Dragon: Poems of Chronic Illness, Trauma, Faith, and Reconciliation with Self

"Life broke me all the way open, and my soul spooled out like chaotic loops of audiotape wrenched out of a cassette . . ." Author's description: "The poems of I Dance with the Dragon grapple with the "dragons" of my chronic illness, depression, and trauma while testifying to the reconciliation with myself that the gentleness of Christ has enabled. Interviewing the tensions of growing up a child of missionaries, the dramatic burnout of my young adult years, and the re-learning of identity necessitated by chronic illness, this collection witnesses grief become prayer and protective reactivity resolve into agency. Through these poetic explorations of embodiment, I invite you to recognize that bodies hold stories and I encourage you to hold your own stories compassionately and know that you are seen." A Review: "Jacob writes amidst his own pain and weakness, revealing that God's love for His children is not dependent on their striving. Readers may find Jacob's poetry acts both as a knife cutting away the ropes of self-reliance and a light revealing the Lord's gentle embrace. I would recommend this book to those pulled under by a perceived inability to earn God's approval, those weighed down by the rocks of pain, and to those who long to understand how they look through the eyes of a loving God. These are poems you will want to come back to for the rest of your life." - Kaleb Barkman