While You're Here

Every landscape has its own ecology. So do we.While You're Here is a poetry collection about the ecosystems we carry within us-the relationships that take root, the connections that shift our terrain, and the quiet work of learning what deserves to remain.Moving through coastlines, forests, fungi, wildflowers, kitchens, photographs, music, and the familiar landscapes of Newfoundland, Samantha Elizabeth uses the natural world as a map for human connection. The collection moves from the Outer Ecosystem, where relationships and experiences shape the landscape around us, toward the Inner Ecosystem, where attention turns inward to healing, boundaries, belonging, and growth.At times tender, observant, playful, and quietly raw, these poems explore what it means to remain soft without losing yourself-to recognize what nourishes you, what consumes you, and what can be composted into something new.This is a collection for anyone who has ever had to learn the difference between holding on and taking root.A reminder that while you're here, growth is happening.