"Motherhood: Empire..." discusses the school-age phase of parenting and how time shapes all of the questions we carry, especially the ones, "Can I do this? Am I doing it right?" In this book of poems, we explore how time has reshaped the expectations and act of parenting, how time affects our children, and our own expectation of ourselves. Sometimes humorous, sometimes blatantly honest, sometimes sentimental, this book will give a snapshot of this parenting phase and will leave you with a secret to hold on to while everything seems to be chaotic.

from the back cover:

Sideways days—
Everything falling out of cabinets;
My thoughts spilling like the milk
Accidentally batted over, now
Seeping through the brand-new tablecloth—

While once again,
Disgruntled children queue before me
As if I were a type of Solomon,
With some kind of useful answers—

Days, weeks, months—who knows?
Pass with each breath as I count to ten, Soothing myself;
Finally, I look at their expectant faces

Awaiting the answer to an unheard question.
Instead of responding, I pull them into
A mamma bear hug, squeezing my eyes tight—
Trying not to cry.

Strong young arms wrap around me,
Still, for now, seeking comfort—
And although I can’t fix everything,
Right now—maybe ever,

I’ll just hold them for a little while
As they grow under my embrace.
I miss them,
Even while they’re still here.

Cold isn’t always winter,
but winter is always cold—

—

Follow cold through frigid winter plains and thawing spring lakes, into summer community and autumn splendor. Life where negative degree temperatures lurk on the horizon can be oppressive, especially when the only recourse to the confinement is screaming into the wind—but it's too cold and the sound is choked in your throat. Life in North Dakotan cold is dangerous, especially with children, but even so, there is beauty in all its power, and, in unexpected places, hope.

From the back cover:

If only we had trees
Instead of houses to
Block the wind.
Maybe we could go
Outside without the
Fear of dying.
Minus fifty below
Is like standing in the
Middle of a fire—
A cold fire of
Snow and
Ice and
White—
That burns.

From Hear Our Voice Publishing:

Dominique writes poetry for people who don't like poetry; she captures the moment in words and makes you feel. This work is about weather, place, temperatures, seasons, all of that, yes. But isn't it also about hearts, assumptions, preconceptions, stereotyping, and seeing beyond the visible to the unseen? We certainly hope you enjoy the encounters with being winter housebound, thawing spring, summers filled with people, the wild breath of fall, and lessons in life that anyone, despite their location on the map, will appreciate. We hope you are moved to search for what's deeper inside each one of us, that this work will enlarge the reader's experience. Although our publishing company hails from South Carolina, we thought that this taste of cold would be invigorating. We hope you enjoy cold. Untamed Beauty.

Almost as a joke, Dominique began scribbling poems about the incessant wind shrieking in her eaves while editing Motherhood: The Crucible of Love.

Suddenly, it turned into a full-length manuscript! Want to hear a clip from the book?

Sticky fingers, mismatched socks and a lost woman swallowed up by motherhood. Parenting is hard. It breaks you and makes you. Travel through this process as you search for your own answer, “How will I be reborn?”

Go through the journey with Dominique in her debut poetry book:
Motherhood: The Crucible of Love
Which is available wherever books are sold.

Description:

When Dominique Snedeker left her Air Force career destined instead for marriage and family, she had no idea that transitioning from a professional to stay-at-home mom would be so difficult. A life-long dream, raising babies all day, every-day, was a challenge, but admitting this felt like she’d let herself, her children, her grandmothers, the world—her own ideals down. To process this disillusionment, she turned to writing. Those midnight and stolen-moment typings birthed this collection of poetry, an ode perhaps, to motherhood.

Motherhood: The Crucible of Love explores the post-partum journey of self-rediscovery, the existential crisis every parent faces when suddenly life is no longer theirs. But parenting arouses instinctual love, a love that overwhelms, a love powerful enough to refine. Walk through this catharsis of honesty to find yourself remade in the furnace, in the heat, in the crucible we call love.

From the Publisher:

In her breakout debut poetry book, Dominique Snedeker genuinely explores her unique yet relatable voice. Although Motherhood: A Crucible of Love depicts the ups and downs of motherhood and the search for self in the mundane and poignant, the theme of phoenix rising transcends parenting. Dominique’s poetry speaks to the heart of the matter, to everyone everywhere, encouraging the reader to accept the struggle and persist in pressure because you too can be transformed. These poems will make you reach for tissues, even giggle, and will leave you with hope.

The fact is, the book is not just about motherhood, but about us all. As people, we struggle and we grow. We at Hear Our Voice Publishing search to find those artistic jewels full of creativity that speak to the world. In Motherhood: A Crucible of Love, we have found a diamond with many facets.

Watch one of the poems translated into video!

Motherhood: The Badge
from “Motherhood: The Crucible of Love”
By Dominique M. Snedeker
Published by Hear Our Voice LLC
Read by Carole Colloty

Do you want to find out just what love looks like?
Look in the mirror you tired, weary, worn-out woman.
That’s not grey paint that hasn’t rinsed out of your hair just quite yet.
That’s what’s left of every nutrient, mineral and vitamin that you
Quite generously donated.
Those dark gray, blue and black eyes are badges of courage.

To the dedication of the selfless acts of valor:

For the nights and days you fended off the pillow,
For the food you didn’t consume, and the food you forced,
For the days of tedium and nights that were actually still days,
And days that never turned back into nights…

Look into that mirror and see what love looks like.
Love gives when unexpected, and when desired.
Love goes farther,
Love,
So much farther than it thought it could go.

Other videos available on “Watch” page.