Published Poetry

What Happened Was

݁₊ . ݁˖ . ݁

What Happened Was ݁₊ . ݁˖ . ݁

The book cover titled "What Happened Was" by H.R. Thorn features handwritten-style black text on a purple background. The cover has an illustration of a white beetle and snowflake patterns. The back cover contains a description of the book and the author's biography.

“I write until something stops me: that’s it. I meant everything. I still will tomorrow.”

What Happened Was is my debut poetry collection that attempts to unravel the truths that make us human, the knots of secrets we share, and the veins of wounds we give each other—all with hands bound and tied. It is a culmination of memories, lingering moments, and heartbeats of a love that stings only once we let it.

Close-up of the book cover titled "The Wound-Up Wind-Down" by H.R. Thorn, with textured dark background, decorative elements like a yellow wireframe half-sphere on the left and a torn star on the top right.
Title page of a poem called "First Love" by HR Thorn, featuring handwritten style font and an illustration of a scaled balance with a torch on top.
A poetic graphic with the words "Longing Leaving Lover" at the top and a mixed collage of letters, including a cross and a star. Beneath, a poem describes emotional longing and the importance of holding onto meaningful things.
Text that reads: 'Self Portrait as a Polymer' in bold black letters on a white background.
A white horse with a golden mane inside an oval frame with trees in the background and the phrase "BEAT THE HORSE" at the top.
Text of a poem titled "Serpent Scraps" by H.R. Thorn, over a background of ocean and starry sky, with faint illustrations of a whale and a shell.
Book cover titled 'Dog From Hell' by H.R. Thorn featuring a pink and black illustration of a dog's face against a black background.
A page from a book or magazine with the title 'Sometimes tonight someone is making last year's mistakes' in bold letters, followed by a paragraph of poetic text.
A page from a book or magazine titled 'Blocking Parts' by Heather Thorn, with a poem about a spiral staircase made from mourning masses, decorated with colorful crayon or marker drawings of stars and fireworks on the right side.

Blocking Parts, Concrete Literary Magazine (April 2025)

Moving subway train with red lights, seen from a slightly blurred side view, in an underground station with a concrete ceiling.

College-Age Ode to Transportation, Concrete Literary Magazine (April 2025)

Close-up of black and white oversized lettering spelling out "Standing" and part of a magazine or poster with smaller text about aging and vanity.
Magazine cover titled "Flower Mouth Press" with a stormy background featuring lightning and clouds, labeled "Literary Arts Magazine - Est. 2019."
Cover of Dulcet magazine, volume one, issue number two, February 2025, featuring abstract artwork with bold brushstrokes and vibrant colors.
Three red greeting cards featuring illustrations of two babies sleeping inside a heart, with the words 'heart' and 'rage' written on them.
A young woman with short dark hair wearing a floral bikini top and layered necklaces, sitting with her legs crossed, in front of a background decorated with colorful doodle art and text that reads 'DIY Dreamworldgirl Line' and 'Dream world girlzine.'
Collage art with orange background, cut-out of a woman sitting at a dining table, and the word "app arition" in cut-out letters at the top.