Emotions and Happiness on Paper – Porcha “Ahava” Hiley

Whenever Porcha Hiley has a thought or feels a ray of emotion inside, she goes straight to her journal to jot down whatever she can conjure up from what’s running through her mind. That level of thinking has led Hiley to write and publish a composition full of poems that come straight from the heart called, “She Wrote: A Journey of Emotion & Happiness.”

“It’s a book full of my poetry that signifies me and basically the things that I’ve been through in life and how it changed me and molded me,” said Hiley. “It’s a journey of emotions and happiness.”

The book consists of 77 pages and a total of 30 poems that range from topics such as love, happiness, sadness, anger, positivity, and emotions. One poem that is extra special to Hiley is called “The Forbidden Tree,” which breaks down a specific relationship she experienced. “It signifies a tree filled with different aspects of a certain relationship I went through,” said Hiley.

Born in Perry and a graduate of Perry High School, Hiley began writing poetry as a teenager. “I started writing at 15 and I had like five or six journals at the time, which I eventually threw away,” said Hiley.

Hiley’s interest in writing poetry was sparked while she was in an emotional relationship when she was young. “Sometimes I get in my emotional stage and I realized that some people don’t want to hear about your problems, so I decided that it might be better to write them down,” explained Hiley. “When I wrote the book, it was a form of poetry. I said, ‘Ok, I like doing this.’ So I started writing in journals and kept going with it.”

She was also inspired by some Facebook friends to express her feelings on paper. “I never thought about putting out a book but it just came from motivation of a friend,” said Hiley. “He said my writing was pretty good and that I should publish a book.”

Hiley said the entire book process took three months to complete, as she first started writing the poems in July/August of this year and published the collection of poetry on September 18, 2018. The book was published by an up-and-coming publishing and consulting company called BlaqRayn Publishing.

“Kim Stephens, the publisher of BlaqRayn, gave me feedback on what the front cover should look like, what the back cover should look like, and how it should be designed,” said Hiley. “As far as the publishing part, she put it all together and set it up on Amazon.com.”

Hiley’s book can both be purchased in paperback form and on Kindle on Amazon.com. She is currently working on a second book that will include her feelings on topics such as romance, love, hate, and passion.

“It’s like a freedom of speech on paper to me,” said Hiley, describing what draws her to poetry. “You can express your thoughts. They are your thoughts. You’re taking people through a journey of your life. Poetry is an expression of your thoughts and feelings and it’s another way to tell your story. It’s shorter but it gets straight to the point. It’s very helpful and soothing to me. You can take your frustration out on paper, instead of on everyone else.”