commissioned poems written in collaboration with you, your life, your occasion.
“Grief and gratitude are kindred souls, each pointing to the beauty of what is transient and given to us by grace.”
• Patricia Campbell Carlson
to my great fortune, as a very young child,
I discovered that poetry lives in the space between grief and gratitude,
reminding us that love is at the heart of them both.
as humans, we navigate these spaces every moment of every day.
sometimes soaring between them. often stumbling.
but I had a childhood secret.
I knew poems could help my heart fly
at the times when it most wanted to crawl.
I knew poems could say out loud
what often felt impossible to find words for.
I knew poetry could heal, and love could win.
my name is cin salach.
I grow poems so you can reap love.
welcome to poemgrown.
may you wander here long enough
to find something that moves your soul to love.
“Occasional poetry is the highest kind.”
• Goethe
occasional poetry was a significant form of expression
in ancient Greek and Roman culture.
when there was a birth, a death, a wedding, a victory,
a poet was hired to mark the occasion.
poemgrown seeks to bring back the importance
of honoring your life’s moment with a poem
commissioned exclusively to mark the occasion.
how to grow a poem
step 1
we plant the seed
step 2
your poem takes root
we connect—over tea, email, on the phone,
in person, or virtually.
I ask you questions, and you tell me
about your person or your occasion.
I listen and take notes.
I write and send you the first draft.
is anything not feeling absolutely perfect?
I write again.
want to grow your poem even further?
step 3
your poem is grown
the final version of your poem is sent to you.
workshops
