This book of poetry is a private institution erected to serve as a sanctuary for experiences, thoughts, and ideas. Asylum is a visceral collection of reflections about race, bias, injustice, and hope; the telling of autobiographical experiences of a singular black woman, mother, and professional; and a haven for the joys and pains of being African American and woman in America. The reflections are steeped in historical contexts that penetrate the present and shape the future. It is a resting place for unsettled sentiments, anger, prayers, and pleadings against the backdrop of a society divided. It hopes to display the insides of black and brown lives to knit races and cultures together into a tapestry of understanding. Asylum is one poet’s safe place where the sanctity of her truths may find refuge.