A Play On Words: A poetry collection
A Play On Words is a poetry collection born from the need for reinvention. After two years of therapeutic, non-prescribed writing, Nessie Loughty began to notice a recurring theme in her work: performance. What we say, how we act, and who we pretend to be.
She shaped her poems into a loose storyline using wit and a deliberate lack of grace, which made the whole thing painfully relatable. A self-aware, ironic, and—honestly speaking—emotionally draining poetry collection. It moves through grief and heartbreak, the collapse of old selves, and the uncomfortable act of evaluating the past in search of hope.
Highly inspired by music, particularly artists such as Taylor Swift, Sleep Token, and Bastille, A Play On Words reads like a confessional soundtrack: sharp, intimate, and unafraid to expose everyone’s performance beneath what we call survival.
I just finished A Play on Words by Daniela Jaime, and it left something heavy and honest sitting in my chest. The book is divided into five Acts, and what I love is that you can read them in any order. Each one carries its own weight, its own version of heartbreak, love, betrayal, desire... and somehow, they all feel deeply personal. I genuinely couldn't choose a favorite Act or favorite poem. Every single one held something raw that hit me straight in the gut.
The poetry is brutally honest in the best way. It doesn't hide or soften anything. It speaks to you, calls you out, and reminds you of the parts of yourself you usually try to ignore or tuck away. And at the same time, it gently pushes you to face those parts... and maybe even accept them.
One of my favorite little details is the playlist that comes with the book, it makes the whole experience feel even more intimate, like you're stepping fully into the emotions behind the words and the author's mind.
This isn't just another poetry collection. It feels like a mirror.
Tereza Chrenková