“my thoughts are yours
pages embrace, prose comforts
in your words, voice us”
- “Penmanship”, an inspired haiku by Rain.

Tanya Davis’ At First, Lonely is a poetry collection that takes readers on a profound journey through the passages of life—falling in and out of faith and love, seeking personal truth, and finding one’s place in the world. Published by Acorn Press Canada, this collection is a delicate blend of contemporary phrasing and deeply personal expression, with lucid words and clear concepts designed to challenge the intellect, crumble walls, and open the heart. The work invites readers to contemplate life’s complexities, while offering a sense of peace and catharsis.
Even before reading a full page, the collection opens with a heartfelt “thank you” from Tanya Davis to the people who helped make the book possible. This moment sets the tone for the collection—intimate and grateful. From the outset, it’s clear that Davis pours herself into her work, using rich imagery and sensory language that engages the reader’s senses. The book thrives on metaphors and similes, allowing us to experience the world through Davis’ keen observations, whether she is evoking sound, smell, taste, touch, or sight. As a musician and performance poet, Davis infuses her work with a rhythmic, musical quality. Her use of rhyming, verse, and stanzas elevates the experience, and many of the poems draw from her own songs. This musicality is especially striking when reading the poems aloud, where their beauty resonates and swirls in a way that feels almost like a performance.
Davis’ exploration of emotions is wide-ranging—she captures euphoria, solitude, bittersweet moments, despair, wonder, nostalgia, and even the phenomenon of anemoia, a longing for a reality never lived. The depth of feeling is evident, particularly in a poem titled "Loved one,” where the title is deliberately crossed out and replaced with “One I once loved.” This simple yet powerful shift changes the entire tone of the poem, shifting it from an intimate present to a reflective past, an intentional choice that speaks volumes about the often subtle, but meaningful transitions between emotions through such small changes. The mood of the poems fluctuates through shifts in punctuation, such as moments where lowercase letters and clear phrase endings evoke uncertainty and emotional free flow. In contrast, capitalization signifies a more stable reality or offers advice, lending the collection a beautiful sense of balance between chaos and calm. Each poem is like a fragment of life, whether exploring freedom, love, guilt, religion, sexuality, or personal reflection.
There is a distinct relatability woven throughout the collection. While you can hear Davis’ voice as an author, the experience feels deeply personal, as if you are reading fragments of your own life. Each poem reveals a slice of existence, contributing to a larger mirror of life’s emotional and experiential landscapes. The result is a collection that is both deeply profound and strangely soothing. It feels like catching up with an old friend who is sharing their life’s story, making you reflect on your own experiences.
As a reader, I deeply enjoyed At First, Lonely because it spoke to me in a way that few poetry collections have. Tanya Davis and I seem to share the same wavelength when it comes to processing emotions—the fragility, depth, constant yearning, yet gratitude, and the delicate balance of embracing the world as it is while holding onto cherished beliefs. There is a quality to her writing that resonates with my inner conscience, making it feel like something I would write or hear in myself if I reflected long enough. This book was precisely what I needed at this stage of my life, with the stress from school and interpersonal relationships on me. At the same time, the collection filled me with renewed love for life—offering both hope for something better and empathy for the hard moments. It made me feel deeply understood in a way I hadn’t expected.

While it’s difficult to highlight specific poems, as the book feels more like a stream of consciousness—a beautiful analogy and abstraction—one that particularly stood out to me was "How to be Alone." This poem speaks to embracing solitude in a world where social pressures and fast-paced lifestyles often make loneliness feel like a burden. Instead, Davis suggests that solitude can be a form of self-love and self-discovery. The poem explores the beauty of being alone in quiet, introspective moments—whether in a library, an unknown city, or simply dancing by yourself. Another poem that resonated with me was "Peaceful and Crimson" (Page 36, lines 15-16), which so elegantly describes the changing of seasons. Davis writes, “but autumn just waits... peaceful and crimson. If summer is paper, then fall is scissors.” This comparison struck me for its originality and poetic clarity.

There are other poems I hold dear, such as "Press Fold Press", which explores motherly love and the yearning to give back, and "One I Once Loved," which delves into heartbreak and solitude. “Clocks and Hearts Keep Going” is another favorite that reminds readers that, despite the pain of heartbreak, life goes on, and new love awaits. Poems like "Made in Canada" and "Some Sunday Morning Gratitude" celebrate the joy of living, filling me with gratitude for the beauty of the present moment.

To conclude, At First, Lonely is truly a special and beautiful collection of poetry. It has deepened my appreciation for contemporary poetry—its ability to blend depth with accessible language (in comparison to older poetry, which by themselves are good, but can be overwhelming to digest), and to offer analogies that are both intricate and relatable. Tanya Davis has a remarkable way of speaking and singing with words, drawing readers in with her vulnerability and clarity. Her work reminds me of other artists like Kaden MacKay (especially his song “Passing Through”) and Liana Flores (with her album “The Water’s Fine!”), which similarly explore introspective themes of love, life, and the bittersweet moments in between. These artists, like Davis, resonate with me on a deeply emotional level.
Reading At First, Lonely felt like cherishing something warm, much like a comforting apple pie on a crisp autumn day, the golden rays of sun illuminating my gratitude. This collection is one I will cherish, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who is looking for poetry that captures the complexity of human emotion in a deeply personal yet universally relatable way.