Justine Biondi 
Seasons of a Beating Heart 

Our journeys mirror nature in many ways, especially the changing of the seasons. Sometimes our hearts radiate with warmth from the summer sun. Sometimes out hearts freeze over and shatter from the winter frost. Our hearts feel every ripple and every wave, and still, they beat on. Through it all, we grow stronger. We grow through the cracks in our hearts and the wounds in our backs. What strength it takes for the heart to continue beating. What strength we have within ourselves to do so.This is a poetry collection written over the past eight years, spanning from teenage years into early adulthood. It is a raw and honest depiction of the many emotions felt by the heart. Over the years, Justine, the author of this collection, has fallen in love, lost loved ones, struggled with self-love, been a bystander to divorce, and has questioned her journey. As personal as these experiences have been, she believes they are not unique to herself. Everyone with a beating heart will experience love, loss, happiness and heartbreak. Justine’s hope in publishing this book is for others to feel seen, heard, and understood. Her hope is for people to know they are not alone in their journeys, no matter what emotions currently consume their hearts.Even the coldest winters cannot prevent us from blooming, and bloom, we will.