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Kimberly Straksys | Poet

@ashespetalsandmoonlight

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🌙 Earthy | Witchy | Lyrical
Poetry for the things we carry.
Love, loss, growing older & being human
📖 Books by me
🌿 A little wild, a little weathered.

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

There are people I miss so damn much that I’d gladly sit through the same old story one more time, even the one I used to tease them about telling.

I’d give anything to hear certain voices again. To hear someone holler my name from the other room. To have one more conversation about absolutely nothing.

It’s funny what you end up missing.

Not the birthdays or holidays nearly as much as some random afternoon when everybody was still here, nobody was in a hurry, and you had no idea how lucky you were.

I’ve thought about all the times I said, “See you later,” and meant it. All the hugs I let go of, certain there would be another.

And Lord, if I could have one of those days back, I wouldn’t spend it trying to make it special.

I’d just stay a little longer.

That’s where The Last Time came from. Thinking about the days I didn’t know I’d spend the rest of my life wishing for.

The Last Time
The Years Beneath My Skin
© kmstraksys

#AshesPetalsAndMoonlight #TheYearsBeneathMySkin #KimberlyStraksys #TheLastTime #OriginalPoetry PoetryCommunity LoveAndLoss LoveAndMemory

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A little corner of my world. 🖤

I’ve been slowly putting together a space to write. It’s not finished, and honestly, I’m in no hurry to finish it.

Everything here has a little piece of me in it. The books, the birds, the old photograph, the herbs, the things I’ve collected simply because they spoke to me. Some have stories behind them. Others just make me feel something I can’t quite explain.

I’ve always been someone who finds meaning in the smallest things. A feather, a stone, an old book, the way lamplight falls across a wooden desk late at night. My mind is rarely quiet, and I think that’s part of why I write. There’s always a memory, a character, a sentence, or some little piece of life asking to be put into words.

This is where some of those thoughts will find their way onto paper.

It’s a work in progress, much like the woman sitting behind the pen.

But it’s mine. And it feels like me.

#WritersLife #MyWritingSpace #TheWritingProcess #StorySeeds #darkacademiavibes

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Some stories begin with a person.

This one began with a jar.

An old clamp-lid mason jar filled with buttery yellow marbles, discovered on a quiet afternoon in an estate shop. No name. No note. Just a lifetime of carefully gathered pieces of sunshine waiting for someone to wonder.

I’ve spent the last few days imagining the hands that chose them, the pockets they rode home in, the windowsills they once glowed upon, and the little moments they may have witnessed.

Sometimes the most ordinary things carry the brightest stories.

I’m so excited to share what has been growing in my heart.

✨ Coming Soon…
The Jar of Sunshine

A story about forgotten treasures, imagined lives, and the light we leave behind.

What ordinary object in your home holds an extraordinary story?

💛

#StorySeeds #TheJarOfSunshine #ComingSoon #ChildrensBooks #KeepsakeBooks

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Some people collect things.

I think I collect stories.

Today I brought home a little Bluebird of Happiness, a brass trinket box that looks like it has guarded tiny treasures for years, and an old duck tureen that somehow made me smile enough to give it a new home.

The best part of thrifting isn’t finding something valuable. It’s finding something that makes you wonder.

Who set this on a table every spring?
Who tucked away their favorite earrings in this little box?
Who smiled every time they passed that bluebird on a windowsill?

Every old object was once part of someone’s ordinary day. I like to think they still have a few stories left to tell.

What thrifted treasure have you found that you could never part with?

#StorySeeds #ThriftFinds #VintageTreasures #SecondhandStories #FoundBeauty

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🌿 Let’s grow together.

If Instagram brought you here, welcome.

I’m Kimberly—author, poet, and the heart behind Story Seeds.

I write stories that feel like home, poetry for the in-between moments, and children’s books inspired by the little things people often overlook.

If you’re a reader, writer, dreamer, or fellow small creator, I’d love to support your journey too.

🤎 Follow for a follow back.
📚 Share this reel if you believe small authors deserve big dreams.
💬 Tell me your favorite comfort read below so I can come say hello.#storyseeds #instagram #indieauthorsofinstagram #followforfollowback #kimberlystraksys

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A Note from the Porch

We had toad spawn this week.

Tiny black pearls that reminded me of summer afternoons with a bucket in one hand and a mission in the other.

Every time Dad mowed, I’d rescue as many little toads as I could find, carrying them to my kiddie pool until the grass was safe again.

Funny how the smallest memories stay with us.

Maybe that’s where we first learn that little lives matter.

🌙
Kimberly. #notesfromtheuniverse #moonhollowfarm #practicalmagicvibes#indieauthor #yourvibeattractsyourtribe

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Some stories are meant to be read.

Others are meant to be lived in.

The Moon Garden is for anyone who still slows down for wildflowers, believes old recipes carry more than ingredients, and knows that some places remember us long before we remember ourselves.

Welcome to Moon Hollow, where gardens keep secrets, generations leave quiet gifts behind, and hope has a way of taking root.

If you’ve been waiting for a story that feels like coming home, this is where it begins.

🌙 The Moon Garden is available now.

And the story doesn’t end there…

Where the Moonvine Grows is coming soon.

#TheMoonGarden #WomenOfMoonHollow #KimberlyStraksys #Bookstagram #BookTokBooks MagicalRealism SmallTownFiction FamilySaga CozyReads GardenStories IndieAuthor ReadersOfInstagram BooksToLove StorySeeds

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Turn your memories into a custom keepsake! Soft little stories made from real life.
Custom poems, blessing books, and keepsakes. Scan and fill out the story seed form link in the bio… #followforfollowback #indieauthor#customkeepsakes#poetsofinsta #storyseeds

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Meet Blue. 🐦

Every garden has that one quiet observer.

The one who notices the first bloom, the last tomato, and the lantern left glowing after everyone has gone inside.

Blue doesn’t say much.

But when he does, it’s usually worth listening to.

Welcome to the first Blue’s Observation from Moon Hollow.

What do you think Blue should observe next Wednesday? 🌙

#BluesObservations #MoonHollow #Bookstagram #IndieAuthor #TheStorySeeds

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Every story begins with a seed.

Moon Garden was the first one I planted, and I never imagined how many readers would find a piece of themselves in Moon Hollow.

If you’ve been looking for a novel that feels like home—filled with gardens, quiet magic, found family, and hope—you’ve still got time to visit before the next chapter begins.

🌙 Moon Garden is available now.

🌿 Where the Moonvine Grows—The Women of Moon Hollow, Book Two—will be blooming soon.

Thank you for every read, every share, every kind word, and for helping this little corner of Moon Hollow continue to grow. 💛#writersofinstagram #indieauthorsofinstagram #followforfollowback #bookstagram

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🌙 I need your help.

After months of writing, revising, and dreaming, Ashes, Petals, and Moonlight is almost ready for the world.

Now I’m down to one final decision…

The cover.

If you saw these side by side on a bookshelf…

✨ Which one would make you stop?

🌙 Option 1
or

📖 Option 2

Tell me which one and why.

Your comments really do help shape this book, and I’m grateful you’re part of this journey.

Love,

Kim 🤍

#AshesPetalsAndMoonlight #PoetryBook #Bookstagram #PoetryCommunity #indieauthorsofinstagram @kmstraksys @the.story.seed.books @ashespetalsandmoonlight

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