Poems From My Musty Book

Breathtaking is a tender, deeply human exploration of love — its beauty, its ache, and its quiet rebirth after loss.In this luminous debut poetry collection, Nhlakanipho Bhengu traces the arc of the heart: from first kiss to farewell, from grief to grace, from longing to freedom. Told in four movements - Openings / Light, Longing / Distance, Loss / Healing, and Renewal / Freedom — these poems capture the intimate pulse of love in all its shifting seasons. With imagery that feels both celestial and grounded, Bhengu writes of lovers who become prayers, memories that echo like music, and the fragile power of hope that insists on surviving. Each poem is a window into vulnerability and strength, a conversation between pain and peace. In "One Kiss", love begins softly, like birdsong at dawn. In "Out of Reach" and "Hopeless", the ache of distance and disillusionment unfolds. Through "Heavenly Letter to My Little Sister" and "He Withered Me, Yet I Burgeoned", grief finds language — and healing finds its breath again.By the time the reader reaches "I Am Free", the heart has been undone, examined, and made whole once more. Then, in a final bonus piece — "Certain Things | Adore" — Bhengu leaves us with a gentle reminder: love endures not just in grand moments, but in the smallest certainties we hold dear.With its lyrical voice and emotional honesty, Breathtaking invites readers to feel deeply and remember softly — to see that even after heartbreak, the soul can bloom again. Themes: Love, Heartbreak, Grief, Healing, Hope, Faith, Renewal. For readers who love: Rupi Kaur, Lang Leav, Pierre Alex Jeanty, Atticus, Yrsa Daley-Ward.