Flowers by Mistake

Flowers by Mistake 

Flowers by Mistake is a collection of poetry and short stories about self care and love that I just finished reading. I loved the concept of poetry based around self love and care. That is something that every woman should read! 

This post contains affiliate links

Have you read Flowers by Mistake? Come on in and let me tell you about it! 

About Flowers by Mistake 

Flowers by Mistake. Poetic thoughts for self-care, self-confidence and self-love

A woman receives a bouquet of flowers that wasn’t meant for her and keeps it, discovers a secret in the smoke of a cigarette, travels inside her body to wonder who she really is, deciphers her heartbeat as Morse code, and discovers the beauty hidden in the roots of the earth.

Like sparks of stories, these poems by Natalie Blunt are a healing balm.

Flowers by mistake is a carousel of contradictory emotions written with delicacy, melancholy and a bit of humor.

Her insightful verses delve into the secret life of women. They are songs about love, loneliness, betrayal, motherhood, pain, melancholy, the passing of time, memories and the joy of everyday life.

Each of her poems is a reminder of self-care, personal growth and self-love.

Excerpts from the printed edition:

Beauty is a matter of faith

not a matter of fact.

Plants also grow downward,

their roots sink into the dark earth.

Neither earthworms nor blind moles

can admire this secret and rare beauty.

It doesn’t matter in which direction

you decide to grow.

Expand as you like

hide yourself if you prefer,

grow as much as you wish,

the sky is vast,

but so are the depths of the earth.

All bodies have scars.

Not all of them are easily noticeable.

Some are hidden,

Others are too tiny for the eye to see.

Our entire body is a scar,

from the day we were born.

The smoothest skin has tiny scars,

because we have all been wounded,

sometimes without even being aware of it,

without knowing who is responsible.

Here is the list, still in progress,

of the usual suspects:

ourselves

those we love the most

the merciless time.

I would look at myself

as if I was seeing myself for the first time,

with a certain surprise.

I would touch my face as if I were blind,

as if I wanted to learn to recognize myself

not by the sense of sight

but by the sense of touch.

From time to time

tell yourself all the wonderful things you deserve.

Don’t stop congratulating yourself

even for the smallest things.

Finishing the day is one of them.

Even praise yourself if you haven’t done

what others expected of you,

what you were supposed to do.

The days when you feel

you have failed in the worst way

are when you should be most proud of yourself.

Natalie Blunt, Flowers by Mistake

If you enjoy the poetry of Rupi Kaur, Yung Pueblo, Olivia Gatwood, Sabrina Benaim, Michaela Angemeer, Wisława Szymborska, Zara Bas, Sylvia Plath and Sara Sheehan, be sure you will love this book. 

Thoughts on Flowers by Mistake 

I have read quite a bit of poetry in the past, Joyce Carol Oates and Ann Marie Ruby being my favorite poetry authors. So I was very excited to discover a brand new author’s poetry that I had never heard of in Natalie Blunt. 

I had high expectations for Flowers by Mistake when I started it on this cold and rainy afternoon. However it greatly disappointed me. I didn’t hate it, but I really didn’t love it either. It just fell really flat for me. There was no connection, no relatibility, and no interest in looking within myself to learn and grow. Which are all the things I look forward to when I pick up a book of poetry. 

The word basic comes to mind when I read Flowers by Mistake. Like pumpkin spice and Ugg boots level basic. Which probably works for some people. But that fell flat for me, sadly. 

The writing was strong, there were no egregious mistakes or anything that irritated me about the poems. Just boring and basic. 

Final Thoughts on Flowers by Mistake 

Despite the fact these poems did not resonate with me, they certainly may with you. I encourage you to read them and form your own opinions. That is one of the best parts about reading, in my opinion. What doesn’t work for me may be just the thing you need to read, and it is just sitting there waiting for you to find it. 

Discussion 

Have you read Flowers by Mistake? Do you enjoy poetry? Let me know your thoughts in the comments! 

About the Author 

I grew up in California, lived in Denver for a couple of years, but have lived in Texas for over a decade. I miss the ocean breeze and the tingle of earthquakes. In my day to day life I am a mother, wife and writer. After attending a few creative writing workshops, my teachers encouraged me to publish my poetry written over several years. 

Purchasing Flowers by Mistake 

If you are interested in buying the paperback version of Flowers by Mistake, click here.

Click here for the Kindle version.

Click here for my favorite Kindle I currently own.

Amazon Notice 

The Reading Wife is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com, at no added cost to you.