Note from the author
Welcome to my heart.
Weeks before her nineteenth birthday, my sister Daria died in a car accident. These poems were written in the days, months, and years since. I am sharing them so that — even when everything is lost — love remains.
Why this book? Why now?
This book was written the same way Sunday lunch is cooked at my grandmother's house. It's generous, tender, and comes from the heart.
So welcome to my heart; you can take off your shoes if you like.
The poems here were written in the days, months, and years since the passing of my baby sister, Daria. It's somehow this loss that has brought these words into being. I felt at times that I had little to do with the writing, other than the typing, some of the crying, some of the feeling and thinking.
Often, words or stanzas would just appear. I learned to listen to them. I write down a few words, and the rest follows. I discover what these verses are trying to say — the deep meaning they might hold.
I used to share these poems with Daria's family and friends. I realized, over time, that these words can help people understand the loss they are going through — that they are not alone. I have come to believe that grief is a deeply loving transformation, not a five-step process. When I felt I had lost everything, only love remained.
Lastly, I am choosing to publish these poems because I want you to know about Daria.
Welcome to my heart. You can take off your shoes if you like. Let me introduce you to what Daria taught me.
— Sherif