Milena Hernandez
Where Love Grows Wild
Dedication
A wild rose from my mother’s garden
bloomed not just with pretty petals–
but with heart (like me)…
Poets often use nature to craft deep metaphors. For example, trees—characterized by their bark, various shapes, and the harmonious relationship between their roots and crowns—can symbolize existence. Milena Hernández skilfully derives evocative concepts from the diverse forms found in nature.
Plants and flowers have features that inspire the sensitive and creative minds of poets: the flexibility of the weeping willow, the strength of the oak, and the mysterious charm of ivy all have suggestive human characteristics. All it took for Milena to be fluidly inspired for a poem was a rose. A single, wild, and unruly rose that the poet noticed in her mother’s garden. Starting with this simple natural imagery—a flower that grows free despite the constraints of the garden—the poet managed to weave a powerful narrative about female identity, resilience, perseverance and non-conformist individuality. The image of the rose, with its delicate petals and protective spines, immediately evokes a contrast between fragility and defence: beauty defies imposed limits, growing spontaneously and haphazardly in the garden, rejecting pre-established standards of society, celebrating its freedom. It rejects rigid geometries imposed from the outside in an effort of courage and self-acceptance. Milena’s rose bloomed “without ribbons” and “without rules,” rejecting decorative conformity and institutional shaping. Instead, it grows naturally, guided by inner impulse rather than external expectation.
Milena writes freely and fluidly; her writing style recalls the spontaneous processes of nature. Her technique blends freeform narrative poetry with internal rhymes and vivid metaphors. Through a childlike lens, almost like the rhyme or fairy tale, she creates a whimsical, spellbound tone. Language becomes musical and alive, animating symbols with emotional depth. Intuitive and heartfelt, her writing feels extremely simple yet magnetic, guided by a deep trust in the power of words to uplift reality and enchant the reader. There is a form of tender playfulness in his way of describing nature, which is not limited to the rose but embraces every natural element, from the roar of the thunderstorm to the golden dawn to the stillness of the ground. Every detail is observed with childlike wonder, transformed into a living, participating image, as if the whole of nature were a metaphor to reveal. This playful use of poetry recalls the unconventional style of E.E. Cummings, characterized by an intimate lyricism that combines tenderness and formal experimentation, a simple but profound narrative style, lyrical and accessible, capable of treating complex themes with a fairy-tale touch.
Milena Hernández has a BFA in Motion Pictures & Television from the Academy of Art College in San Francisco. She has worked in film and television production, collaborating with HBO and Paramount Studios. Skilled in script development and set production, she is now focusing on creative writing, combining her experience in storytelling with her poetic sight. Her poem Where Love Grows Wild declares self-determination and gentle resilience, representing a seed planted for all women.
Milena Hernandez is the Gold Writer of the ArtAscent “Abstraction” call for writers. To see the full body of work and profile, get a copy of the 2025 ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal “Abstraction” issue.
