The Tribune

By JEFFARAH GIBSON

Tribune Features Writer

jgibson@tribunemedia.net

THE relationship between a mother and her adult daughter is often viewed by society through rose-tinted glasses. There is an expectation that they are meant to always be close, loving towards one another, and have a bond that stands the test of time. While this is true for some, it is certainly not a universal truth, as every family dynamic is different.

For many mothers and daughters, their relationship is fractured, strained and needs some form of conflict resolution or even professional help to see reconciliation take place.

While there are many self-hope books on the topic out there, Bahamian author Dominique Forbes is taking a different approach. She has released a poetry book on the subject called “Mamma, Do You Love Me?”

Through her poems, she seeks to share ways mothers and daughters can overcome conflict and heal the hurt in their relationships.

Lessons she wished she had been taught in her childhood, she said, are the source of inspiration for her writing.

Dominique said experiences she never got schooled on but still encountered are the subject matters of her poetry.

The book was started in Nassau, she explained, then made its way to Bangladesh, Nigeria, the United States, the United Kingdom, then back to Bangladesh, finall

y back to its starting point before being approved for readers.

And now that it is published, Dominique wants people to learn about issues she unfortunately was not taught that it may help or at the very least provide guidance to those who read.

“Mamma, Do You Love Me?” includes lessons, steps to mend broken relationships, letters to all three of the characters in the book and more.

“When you read this book, don’t see me as an excellent writer, don’t see me as a master of poetry, see me as a broken vessel who is allowing myself to be used by God in order to release a book that will help many people to overcome common challenges that we all may have been faced with at one point or another with our mothers,” she said.

“My mission is that this poetry book will bring resolution, encourage open and meaningful conversations between mothers and daughters, mother-in-laws and daughter-in-laws, as well as between mothers and sons,” she said.

Dominique uses her poetry as a way to dig deep into issues that do not get as much attention as she thinks they should.

“The themes the book addresses include death, reconciliation, life, social abuse, camaraderie, spiritual abuse, yet they all fall under one banner, and that is love,” she said.

Dominique has greatly evolved in recent years.

We were first introduced to her as Junior Prodigy, or “JP” for short, a young gospel rapper and mother-of-one seeking to spread her message through music.

She has since dropped the title of Junior Prodigy, has developed her singing voice and no longer raps, is a wife, a mother-of-five, and is now focusing on what she sees as her call in life: to guide people through marriage and family life.

Apart from her music venture, Dominique is seeking to breathe new life into Bahamian families with her writing.