Stoplight Kisses: A poetic journey Through love, loss, and moments we carry
Have you ever stop at a red light, stolen a quick kiss with someone beside you, then watched as the light turns green and you’re off to the next place—rarely looking back, but never quite forgetting that split second? That’s the feeling at the heart of Stoplight Kisses, a poetry collection written by Raisa Trinidad Perez.
The inspiration for Stoplight Kisses comes from the simple truth that stoplight only last seconds—and so do some of life’s most powerful moments. “This is what some poems feel like,” the author explains. “You experience them briefly, move on to the next, but still carry the weight of the ones you’ve left behind.” The title isn’t just about temporary connections — it’s about how even the shortest moments can leave a lasting mark.
The book takes readers on a full journey of love: from the electric thrill of a new connection, to diving headfirst into passion, to the shattering crash of a first heartbreak, and finally, to finding the courage to fall in love again. It’s a map of what it means to love fully — the highs, the lows, and everything in between.
When asked why poetry was the right medium for this story, the answer is simple: “Poetry is short and brief. Sometimes the loudest of voices is held in the shortest of sentences,” the author added. In a world of long stories and endless explanations, Stoplight Kisses proves that a few well-chosen words can say more than a thousand.
The imagery of stoplights and traffic weaves through every poem — and it’s about more than just being stuck on the road. “At a stoplight, we wait patiently for our turn until the road clears,” the author says. “Loving is the same way. We wait until we’re ready and the right one is ready for us.”
It’s a beautiful reminder that love can’t be rushed — sometimes we just need to wait for the light to turn green.
Many poems in the book explore memory — and how it shapes how we see our past relationships. “Memory is highly unreliable,” the author admits. “It takes the sweetest and most painful scenes, rarely the mundane.” But Stoplight Kisses doesn’t just focus on the extremes — it honors the in-betweens and could-have-been, too, painting a more honest picture of what love really looks like.
Publishing this book was no small feat. “I don’t ever put myself out there,” the author shares. “I keep things to myself. Publishing Stoplight Kisses is a jump away from my personality — a loud detachment from who I thought I was.”
It’s a reminder that creating something meaningful often means stepping outside our comfort zones.
At its core, Stoplight Kisses wants readers to know one thing: “It’s okay to love and lose and to love again, whether anyone’s watching or not. You don’t always have to be brave to love — sometimes it just needs a spark of faith.” It’s a gentle, powerful reminder that love is worth the risk, even when it hurts.
For readers who see themselves in the book’s main character, the author offers this: “Love is never easy, never perfect. But sometimes, we luck out and find the exact person we are looking for.”
Writing Stoplight Kisses changed the author in ways she never expected. “I learned that I can share my heart with people — family, even strangers,” she said. “Life is not that serious, so I can write what I want and share it with the world without doubts or hesitations.”
It’s a lesson we could all stand to learn: our stories are worth telling.
