Poetry Art Prints & Stickers
rescue a whisper
listen
"what it sounded like in the room where this was written"
About Rescue a Whisper
In her debut collection, Christabelle traces the imperceptible curve of The Change Cycle, from blind optimism through the valley of despair into the fire that keeps her alive—in poems about trauma, grief, abuse, fractured love, and faith wrestled to the ground. These poems move between confession and defiance, survival and softness, between the child who witnessed and the woman who chose ink over silence. Unflinching and tender, raw and rhythmic. This collection is full of lullabies that escape as bullets and bedsheets that become oceans at 2:18 am. For anyone whose body still remembers what the mouth refused to say. rescue a whisper is what happens when the silence finally breaks.
About the Author
Christabelle is a poet, spoken word artist, and data scientist based in Long Beach, California. She studied cognitive science and works in health tech, drawn to work that serves those living with neurological disorders. Long before the science, there was the stage: open mics, dance, performance. Then school. Then career. rescue a whisper is her homecoming.
From a young age, Christabelle witnessed abuse in its many forms, and like so many survivors, she carried the guilt of it, convinced for too long that the blame was hers. These pages hold the grief of watching her mother battle cancer, the panic of racing against time, heartbreaks, depression, so much hope and faith that met her in the valley, stubborn and unrelenting, even when she had nothing left to offer. rescue a whisper is a book about surviving in real time, through every stage of the change cycle, from blind optimism through the valley of despair and into the fire of survival.
Whispers from Others (Reviews)
what good is suffering if we don't learn anything from it?
wow. in her debut, Christabelle takes us through the depths of her mind. her *garden* mind.
we start off with a reminder to really understand our uniqueness and the beauty within ourselves. blind optimism. the birthplace of dreams. absolutely crucial as we let our inner child explore and hope for a better world. the 3rd time I read "no. 1 underwater" I felt myself getting emotional. when was the last time I allowed myself to explore something that could change me? we need a splash of blue (even sepia would suffice) color in the mundane we've become so familiar with.
but all good things must come to an end. stage 2. the reality of growing up is that sometimes our painful moments can cloud our own judgement of ourselves. we might become less hopeful of the future. Christabelle shares her experiences with heartbreak and her loved ones' medical diagnoses. the struggles of not feeling capable or good enough for love. and the consequences of burying feelings (monsters) instead of facing them.
then we descend into despair. stage 3. Christabelle recounts the heartache, pain, and trauma from her past. how sometimes... the only way to feel something is to put ourselves in danger. what else are we left with when our thoughts are tornados at 3 am? the poems in this stage are much more deliberate. the concept of depression surfaces, as does her history of experiencing and seeing physical abuse. I hope this serves as a light that those who've dealt with similar struggles can relate to.
then sunlight starts making its way into the window. stage 4. she opens with a poem about her faith -- a core part of how she makes it through the darkness. she references "weak attempts to pray" as she dusts herself off. we're also met with a wonderful perspective on sadness as she beautifully elaborates that it means there's something worth protecting. one of my favorite poems is in here as well: "if I silence myself, I won't hear the truth". (I won't spoil how cool it is.)
lastly, stage 5. we make it through the other side -- wiser, stronger, and happier. "I didn't even recognize the moment I started breathing again", she writes. which is a feeling that I really resonated with. next, in "inside jokes with my reflection", she references being able to fully look at herself in the mirror with a new outlook -- which is a complete victory over the daggers thrown at our own reflections in "blind to your beauty" and "Fixation on aesthetics" in earlier stages. --and a poem which is perhaps reason why this book is written in the first place: "so others can breathe". everyone needs to understand the change and growth is a cycle. and we have to not only be kind to ourselves, but share our stories.
... and Christabelle has such an interesting and beautiful story.
(and despite there being so many undertones of mental struggles, I finished this poetry book feeling hopeful. I felt inspired to get to know my own soul. it's also painfully impressive for a debut. there are small illustrations scattered throughout the pages which add a nice mental break and help put the reader in the right mindset. a true work of art.)
The Human Experience
Reading Rescue a Whisper felt like being invited into the quiet corners of the human experience that so many people carry but rarely say out loud. What stood out to me most was how deeply the poems capture the complexities of struggle, vulnerability, healing, and identity in a way that feels both intimate and universal. There were moments where I genuinely felt seen through the words on the page.
The poetry is incredibly relational. Each piece feels less like something being performed and more like an honest conversation with the reader. The imagery is visceral and vivid, creating emotions you do not just understand intellectually but physically feel. Certain lines linger long after you finish reading because they tap into experiences that are difficult to articulate on your own.
What makes this collection so powerful is its ability to hold pain, tenderness, resilience, and hope all at once without forcing neat conclusions. It reminds readers that human struggle is layered and deeply personal, but also shared. Rescue a Whisper is the kind of collection that stays with you because it creates connection, reflection, and a sense of being understood.
