Look closely. Closer.

Do you see the cuts? It's not just this writer, they're on everybody. Tiny little slashes of pain from being ignored, forgotten, rejected, overlooked, called out, betrayed, victimized, demoralized, humiliated, afraid....

Through Cuts on Me, Adrienne Ijioma reports on her assemblage of wounds bitterly formed by events experienced navigating through Life. Part 1 opens the case on sexual molestation, assault, & the writer's self-evaluations; next come the losses, the deaths, & the trauma of having to endure it with no ability to change circumstances but going through the motions. Later, the bitter viewpoint of the world through the lens of a person learning to process pain; and finally, the reality of today made better by new beginnings, hope, faith, & acceptance of oneself with love.

"I've always worn sweaters in the summertime.
No matter if cloudy or skies full of shine.
Sweating down my back, I smiled like I knew it
was cool. Walking down alleys, crossing streets,
neutral, just to get through it.

Some summers before, when I was still a girl,
I only got kind waves when I passed by.
But when bodies start changing shape,
men start silly grinning and bold approaching,
wanting more than a simple Hi. I wondered,
Why?

I wondered what I did wrong; when was the day
that I stopped being momma's little girl
and started becoming prey?
I lost something learning that that's how it goes
with innocence gone and blood flows..."

So goes the opening lines of title poem, "Cuts on Me." This rich collection of poetry takes the listener on a progressive emotional journey ending in a place that is good, satisfying, and full of self-discovery, faith and hope. Forty outbursts of poetic release poised to inspire and touch many, delivered in an evocative array of rhythmic, lyrical verse or straightforward prose by Detroit-born African-American author, novelist, poet, & creative writer Adrienne Ijioma.