*Poetry by Ashe*

Poetry has always been a part of who I am as a writer,
and as a person.

From angsty poems in a high school lit. mag. to an MFA in POETICS, it is something that has constantly been part of my existence.

While I have had a handful of poems placed in anthologies around the world, in recent years I have recently decided to take my practice more seriously.

In 2022, I self-published my first collection under the pseudonym Ashe.

Missing the Mark is a collection of deconstructed haiku exploring what it means to grieve.
From anger to release, Ashe delves into the heartache of loss with concise, yet elegant verse,

elevating pain into poetry.

Read as both personal and timelessly universal, Missing the Mark is a love song, a tender eulogy, and an homage to the human experience at its best, and worst.

Missing the Mark was born of deep sorrow.

The poems were written to house the pain of loss and were never intended to be shared with an audience.

However, as the project grew, it became clear that these poems spoke, not to an individual understanding, but to something greater than a single "self".

Anguish, while fiercely personal, is also a shared experience, an intimate knowledge we all carry.

This collection is a reflection of breaking, of being broken, and of the long, trembling silence before the damage can begin to mend.

These poems are for all of us.

Summer Rain

Conduit

Abandoned

Deliverance

Half the profit after production from Missing the Mark will be donated biannually

to international grief and suicide-prevention organizations.

Early Reviews of Missing the Mark

"This collection wrecked me in the best way. Visceral. Powerful. Wrenching, yet all the while I couldn't help but feel encouraged. It was an experience, like wading into a recreation of life's darker moments, yet in way that I could safely stand at arm's length to better understand them."

- Craig Randall, author/poet

"The poet paints an image of resistance and strength in these verses. It's a strong collection and should appeal to those who love haiku, and those who don't know it yet."

- Eryn McConnell, poet

"Strongly evocative of grief and feeling like you've been pared to the bone."

- O.R. Lea, author

"I wouldn't have picked this up in the store, as poetry isn't really 'my thing', but I am so glad to have experienced the poems in this work. Many of the pieces resonated oddly - not in a bad way - shaking loose my expectations."

- Jamie M. Samland, author

Videos of Select Poems from Missing the Mark

All videos filmed and read by author. Music is either public domain or used with permission.
Nothing here may be copied, altered, or used without express permission from the creator, Ashe.

*Videos were created for marketing purposes, so "available" dates are irrelevant.

Video Audio:
Deliverance is one of the last haiku in Missing the Mark, a collection of poetry born of sorrow and grief. This poem speaks not to that despair, but instead to a gentle mercy. It is a wish for the other, that after the wretchedness and devastation, there were days of quiet and gladness.

This is Deliverance.

You should be joyful, as a bird on the updraft, unfettered.

Absolved.

7/2/2024
Update:

No donations have been in the last eight months due to 0 sales for MtM.

The last payment received was in December last year, totaling $3.39 toward donations. This sum will be kept and added to our next donation.

In all honesty, this is 100% due to lack of marketing on my part. The next update will be when I have something of worth to report, promise :)

11/8/2023
Didn't quite hit my 6-month bi-annual mark, but I've finally made the second donation from MtM profits.

Today's recipient was griefHaven. $10USD

4/4/2023
It's been about 6 months since Missing the Mark was released.

Even though the cost of production is far from being recuperated, I've made the decision to begin regular biannual donation.

Today's recipient was Suicide Prevention Australia. $50 AUD