Healing Yesterday's Tears

An Inspiring Poetry Book about Overcoming Emotion and Discovering Love of Self

Poetry - Inspirational
79 Pages
Reviewed on 05/31/2022
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Author Biography

"After using poetry to help heal myself from depression, I've experienced firsthand the positive, healing effects poetry can have on one's emotional wellbeing and mental health. And I've made it my mission to spread the word about the healing power of poetry to others in need of its message. The benefits reading, writing, and reciting poetry offers those who've endured hardship, painful experiences, emotional trauma, and mental health issues are immeasurable. The positive effects are real." - Kyli Santiago

Kyli Santiago is an award-winning poet, spoken word artist, and Emotional Wellbeing & Mental Health Advocate dedicated to raising awareness about the healing power of poetry. She began writing poetry as a form of therapeutic release from depression, which she silently battled since childhood. Using poetry, performance, and alternative healing techniques, she eventually healed herself without using conventional medicine.

For details about her mission to raise awareness about the healing power of poetry, visit: https://healingpowerofpoetry.org

Kyli Santiago was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, and raised in Boston, MA. She received her BA from California State University, Dominguez Hills, and currently resides in the Metro Atlanta area of Georgia. For more on Kyli go to: https://kylisantiago.com/

    Book Review

Reviewed by Pikasho Deka for Readers' Favorite

Healing Yesterday's Tears by Kyli Santiago is an inspiring poetry book about overcoming emotional baggage and discovering self-love. Using her own life as her muse, Kyli Santiago pens beautifully crafted poems that draw inspiration from some of the darkest moments in her life. Kyli had a rough childhood and suffered from bouts of chronic depression all her life. But she always strove toward the light and used her poetry as a part of the healing process. There is some heavy subject matter used in the narrative, such as depression, suicide, rape, emotional abuse, etc. However, Kyli also infuses themes of hope, love, inner strength, and healing into her poems that leave you with a sense of optimism about the future.

Thematically rich and narratively poignant, Healing Yesterday's Tears is a must-read for poetry lovers as well as for readers who have struggled with mental health issues or suffered through abusive relationships. Kyli Santiago bares her soul in a mesmerizing collection of poems that make you ponder long after you've finished reading them. Kyli uses poetry as a form of therapy -- a sort of meditation -- releasing all of her pent-up anger and pain through these poetic verses. Being in abusive relationships destroys one's self-esteem. Through these poems, Kyli aims to help people discover self-love and encourages them to practice self-preservation. If you're looking for some moving introspective poetry to delve into, I highly recommend Healing Yesterday's Tears.

Philip Van Heusen

In Healing Yesterday’s Tears, the reader understands that Kyli Santiago knows depression and suicidal thoughts. She tells it like it is. She does not try to whitewash the pain, fear, chains, control, and other negative experiences those who suffer from depression feel. Kyli is much more than a survivor. She is a victor who has been to the depths of darkness and comes into the glorious light of healing. She was strong and stood up against the impossible adversary some call depression. While a determination to overcome the long night of depression is an important component in the fight, there are times we may need the help of a counselor or even medication. There is no shame in this. When at war, and believe me, depression is a war, you take advantage of whatever resources you can find.

There is healing power in poetry—writing it or reading it. Kyli Santiago understands this truth and has written wise poems for those who have or are experiencing depression and its ugly cousins. In Healing Yesterday’s Tears, we find out that we need self-love and the action of loving ourselves as well as self-preservation. Learning to be who you really are is essential to good mental health. Don’t let others mold you into something you are not. This book will give you encouragement and inspiration. Kyli writes as someone who has been there, done that. She understands the lure as well as the deception of suicide. Realize that you can’t let depression and suicide win. You are worth so much more than that. You deserve more. Use the words of this book to motivate you to keep moving forward. Love yourself. Get rid of the negative and the toxic. Realize your worth.

Jamie Michele

Healing Yesterday's Tears by Kyli Santiago is a compilation of the author's original poetry and “An Inspiring Poetry Book about Overcoming Emotion and Discovering Love of Self”. The collection includes two dozen pieces of Santiago's work and each is written in free form. Within the stanzas, there is an occasional use of rhyme, and most employed are slant and without a structured rhyme scheme. Each piece varies in length, tone, and tenor, from Little Black Girl and its direct, raw message in a poignant single stanza 7-verse poem, to the lengthier Cloak of Cupid and its 10-page story in poetic format about the absolute pleasure of love, and the pain of deception, the loss of self, and the path to healing.

Kyli Santiago is a talented poet who is able to tap into the recesses of emotion in Healing Yesterday's Tears. Her work is profoundly honest and the choice for a writer to share themselves in such a way requires courage, and also a great deal of self-assurance. It's fascinating to witness the evolution of emotional womanhood in real time, particularly as Santiago shifts from dark pain to the publication of her journey into the light, the irony of which could be reasonably described as a dichotomy. Healing Yesterday's Tears is as cathartic as a sad love song. My favorite poem is Whispers, an ode to strength and endurance that peels away from the dark in Santiago's own words. Overall, this is a respectable compilation of work by a poetess with a great deal to offer readers.

Diana Lopez

Changing our way of thinking can be a process that takes years, but it is also possible that one day we will reassess our lives with enough courage to make changes and leave the past behind. To achieve happiness it is necessary to face the challenges of life and we must find strength in ourselves. Sometimes we don’t feel able to continue and we need a little help and inspiration, which is when Kyli Santiago can support us. She shows the determination to win her emotional battles. She talks about her conflicting family experiences and how to find meaning when we need it most. Healing Yesterday's Tears: An Inspiring Poetry Book about Overcoming Emotion and Discovering Love of Self is a collection of poems about fighting constant anxiety and deep depression. These poems will motivate us to overcome guilt and painful memories, allowing us to make life-altering changes.

Some experiences are intense, and not everyone dares to talk about them. Kyli Santiago opens her heart, expressing the conflicts that caused her to fall into depression and explaining the pain she went through. She uses poetry to heal her heart and motivate us to do the same. I admire her courage in sharing such personal emotions. Her words can help us understand that it is possible to end conflict and free ourselves from suffering that no longer serves us. Healing Yesterday's Tears delighted me because it nourishes the soul and heals hearts. It also shows that coming out of depression is not only about finding motivation but also about forgiving others and accepting yourself.

Vernita Naylor

When you pick up a book to read, what are you looking for? How do you want the book to make you feel? If you're searching for a book of release, transparency, and accountability, you must read, Healing Yesterday's Tears: An Inspiring Poetry Book about Overcoming Emotion and Discovering Love of Self by Kyli Santiago. Immediately beginning with the first poem, you are charged with matters of the heart where discovering your voice to deal with betrayal, hurt, and pain is essential for every aspect of healing and self-care. The beauty of words and expression is the catalyst for this book of over 20 poems. These poems speak of the true grit of the author's life and experiences in dealing with depression. Many in the world today are battling similar challenges that are taking them over the edge. Some people remain in the abyss, feeling lost and hopeless, while others daily look for ways to claw themselves out of the dark hole.

I am glad that Healing Yesterday's Tears by Kyli Santiago was written because I see it as a tool and resource for allowing others to not only see themselves but to be inspired to understand that they're not alone and that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. The way the author writes and constructs the poems reflects the essence of the journey and its struggles as seen in the poems Healing, Whispers, Save Myself, Cloak of Cupid, and Shining Star. Conversations with Suicide was so profound in its delivery due to the chronological effects of how the discussion with oneself is had prior to committing suicide. This gives a feeling of shock and awe to the reader when seeing it written. As this conversation continues to unfold, it gives me pause in understanding why almost one million people die by suicide. Kyli, thank you for sharing your words of wisdom, hope, and transformation. Get your copy now and share the treasures that this book holds with others. Highly recommended.