I want you to imagine spending your entire adult life loving and raising your children whom you adore, then one day they disappear. You visit their school and they are not there; you call their phones and they don't answer; you begin to mourn your loss and try to heal, but every time your wounds unstitch when you catch a glimpse of them while scrolling through the internet. Such a travesty is unfortunately so common in society and so trivialized.

Join me in my journey through parental alienation. My poems and illustrations were created in real time, so it may leave you feeling at a loss. But be encouraged. After two years of holding on to every morsel of hope, I have been blessed to hear the word "mom" once again. If you are in this dark place, please trust that your breakthrough could be just around the corner. If you have the opportunity to heed the red flags of a potentially toxic relationship, please do.