Like a Rose;

"You could call me the souvenir you carry with you when I leave. You could call me the reminder that falls out of a folded love letter…” In her debut collection, Aqsa Rahim’s poetry and prose bloom with tenderness, ache, and defiance. Through petals and thorns, she explores love lost, womanhood, generational sorrow, and the soft strength it takes to survive it all. The collection unfolds through the seasons—Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer—mirroring the cycles of heartbreak, reflection, growth, and renewal that shape our lives. Rooted in her Balochi and Azerbaijani heritage, Rahim’s voice is both a memory and a mirror—reflecting the ache of diaspora, the resilience of womanhood, and the beauty of becoming. These pieces carry scent, softness, and scars. They are for the ones learning to let go, to feel, and to live—again and again. For anyone who has loved deeply, lost quietly, and is still learning how to return to themselves.