The collection is divided into four sections,
called 1) Lost Souls, 2) The Wounded Healer, 3)The Root Work, and 4) The Worship.

I experienced Lost Souls as containing all of those feelings brought to us by others, souls that have disregarded our sensibilities, that have shot at us attempting to kill or hurt, either with hate, beauty standards or with indifference. It also touches the self, how we deal with our personal demons, brought out by the hardships of life and its many unanswered questions. We were brought here, we did not have much choice in the matter, it is no wonder that we will more often than not feel a little bit lost.

"A synonym for human is "frail"

why is that?

why do we forget
it takes strength to carry this body
through an unforgiving world."

Good pieces can be found throughout the book, The Wounded Healer thought was my least favorite section. I understand we all experience sexuality in different ways and I respect that. I know I have been blessed and lucky to have had relationships within which I have felt safe in every aspect and never felt someone was taking advantage or forcing me into anything I wasn't agreeing to. Here I perceived a mix of feelings towards sexual intercourse, like being burning fire and then regretting to have been lit and used for heat. My favorites in this section were "Tell Anger" and "Facial Profiling". The Wounded Healer also talks about losing and feeling tricked within love.

The Root Work carries a lot of power. Even if the whole collection is an ode to our roots, I believe this part focuses on the strength of heritage, the honor our ancestors deserve and that we should give them with our actions and our words; a great example is "Igbo Landing". One that really touched me, although diverging just a tiny bit from that idea, was "Alternate Reality | Simulator" reminding the readers of those things we wish to have heard from our parents, or someone we have loved/still love, in order to grow healthier.

"Who convinced you to go
to war with your own skin?"

Our freedom of speech, the weight, and truth of our words, the hopes of a better tomorrow based on the work we put on today and the wish of our ancestors, their lingering desire for our happiness. All of these close the book as part of The Worship. To be proud of ourselves and our roots, to know that every aspect that makes us different from the rest, gets us closer to who we used to be.

"Nothing softens the wounds of your ancestors
like the sweetness of your existence."

That last quote carries so much.

In her words:
WITCHDOCTORPOET is the debut collection of poetry and prose by the US-based artist, Bola Juju. It is a story about love, womanhood, addiction, ancestral trauma and the unwavering power of healing from the inside out. It is soul food for those embarking on their own heroine's journey. This is a book for all of the witches, wanderers, wounded healers, empaths, and highly sensitive folk in need of that extra push to keep going.

This book is truly a gift and has taught me about certain pieces of history and subjects I did not know about. One example is the Gullah Geechee population.
https://www.gullahgeecheecorridor.org/thegullahgeechee/

Some of us are indeed an impossible mix of races, for some of us roots aren't as clear or strong as for others, but this reality is part of what brought us to existence. Let's value what we do know and treasure our mysteries.