The Poetic Life of Yvonne Boose

Yvonne Boose said her aunt opened her up to writing about topics other than love.

"She told me to stop writing love poems," said Boose, of Montgomery, who is working on having her first book of poems published.

Boose has been writing poetry since she was 11 years old. Her first poem was about nature, and in her early days, her works all centered around teenage puppy love and heartbreak. 

As a young adult, Boose saw poetry as an emotional outlet. "Writing was an escape for me—a way to let me vent," she said.

She still pens love poems, but now she explores more diverse topics like homelessness, domestic abuse and others. "I find myself writing about things that my friends go through...topics that are thought provoking," she said.

"I always felt that I wanted to help people," Boose said of the messages in her poems that she hopes resonates with readers. "We have talents for other people, not for ourselves," she said.

Boose, 37, has a three-year-old daughter and a 16-year-old step daughter; she works as a supervisor at Verizon Wireless in Elgin. She's lived in Montgomery with her husband, Lemuel, for five years. Originally from Carol Stream, Boose and her husband sought a home near Caterpillar, where Lemuel works. 

Boose hopes that "A Beautiful Rose," a collection of 67 poems, will be available in the next couple of months. She is also working on a second book of poetry, "Purple Butterflies," that explores more traditional poetic forms. Boose is most familiar with free verse and loves spoken word, although she considers herself an amateur; she performed one of her poems at a recent spoken word show in downtown Aurora.

"I love the spoken word," said Boose, who has a degree in speech communication and a Master's Degree in journalism.

Boose recently started freelance writing and is already sending out query letters to national magazines. She has several ideas for articles, mostly on subjects that "cause people to change the way they think," she said. Whether it is mental illness or infidelity in the black community, she is interested in looking into human psychology and issues that are overlooked.

"As a black African American, I wanted to share (inspiration) with other women...they could be whatever they want to be," she said. "And empower them to do more."

Boose was raised by her mother and had a rocky relationship with her father. She says she looked up to her maternal grandfather and was inspired by him. Her parents split up when she was four years old and the tumultuous relationship that followed often led Boose to write. She'd fill notebooks with poetry to only share with friends and family. 

"(Poetry) is just something I love to do," she said. 

Your Lie

By Yvonne Boose

Now I must go

Never should I have looked back

Now I must move on

Never should I have given my love

Flowing freely like a song

So perfectly arranged – now entangled

I let you come inside to play my harp

And you did things your way with imaginary strings

Now I must erase

That tattoo on your arm

My name deeply engraved in your skin

Just to cover up your empty heart

Just to distract me from the mask you wore so tight

You wore it with no shame

You wanted to convince me

That your lie was true

But it was your lie

Not mine