Where Tides Meet Peace

Where Tides Meet Peace, Vol. I: The Bait, The Break, The Becoming is a deeply personal collection of poetry drawn from Cassandra Hartwell’s own experiences with love, loss, heartbreak, faith, and the process of finding herself again. These poems were drawn from seasons of being pulled toward people, places, and versions of life that did not always love her back. They explore the moments that feel irresistible before they become painful, the breaking that comes when reality can no longer be ignored, and the slow, sometimes uncomfortable process of becoming someone new because of what was lived through. Hartwell writes openly about the things that have shaped her. The relationships that changed her. The wounds that stayed longer than expected. The questions she wrestled with. The faith she held onto even when it was tested. The parts of herself she had to confront, release, and learn to love. There is no neat separation between the beautiful and the painful here. Love exists beside heartbreak. Faith exists beside doubt. Softness exists beside survival. And throughout the collection, Hartwell allows herself to tell the truth about all of it, creatively using nature based imagery to help tell her story. These poems are pieces of a life lived, felt, questioned, and written down. Some read like letters never sent to those who caused her pain. The Bait, The Break, The Becoming is ultimately a record of transformation. It is about what we reach for, what breaks us, and who we become when we finally stop trying to return to who we were before. There is no going back only forward, only becoming something new.