This collection of poems arose from the need to reflect, release, and explore the inner landscapes of being human. Through deep emotional thought, plain descriptive language, and raw honesty, these experiential poems trace the subtle and stark ways we reach for and pull away from people, ideas, substances, and systems in an effort to soothe, resist, or make meaning in our lives. At the heart of this collection lies a central truth: we are always in relationship-with others, with our environments, with our stories, and with the unseen forces that bind and shape us. These tethers can steady us or entangle us.