Rumination, by Veronica Vervet

Poetry, chapbook, 36 pages, illustrated, from Bottlecap Features.

Begun in Hong Kong and finished in England Rumination is a collection of poetry and sumi ink paintings inspired by the writings of Japanese zen master Ikkyu and the Sufi mystic Rumi. The emotions within Rumination are at anytime both deeply personal and achingly universal- a homage to what it is to be human. Through the exploration of heart break and trauma Veronica Vervet uses poetry to communicate a vastness of feeling that gives Rumination an almost voyeuristic edge.

Much of the poetry within Rumination was written when the author was under a gag order from the Crown Court whilst she acted as a key witness against a now convicted serial sex offender. Unable to discuss the trial or risk having the case thrown out writing poetry became the only way for her to express and process the stresses and pain for several years. With the trial in the spring of 2022 resulting in the offender being sentenced to 35 years in prison these poems can now finally be shared.

Rumination is a powerful celebration of feminism shared in a soft voice. It is an honest communication of the sad dualities a young woman can face and its raw intensity and delivery has a distinctively British twang. Culture crossing and romantic Rumination uses timeless poetry styles to brutally describe the present in an open and uplifting book.

Veronica Vervet is from Robin Hood’s famous town Nottingham, in the UK. After studying Ecology at the University of Brighton she moved to Hong Kong to live with her father where she developed her voice as a writer and artist. Now a Playboy Centerfold and burlesque performer she promotes sex positivity, femme empowerment, and embracing your truth from her quiet seaside apartment on the Dorset coast.