Beginning in the jungles of the heart, The Gatekeeper Wears Acrylics takes the reader on journey through the shadows of loss, trauma and growth as the narrator finds their way clear. With gut-punch imagery and wit, poems like "Tiger/Heart" lay the groundwork for the narrator's travels. The reader is guaranteed an ending of self-realization, but to lighten the load, they will meet plenty of helpful characters along the way- including a wishful mouse, a wise white rabbit, unfortunate butterflies, a grumpy feline and a super insistant "dragon-lady" from the title poem. The Gatekeeper Wears Acrylics is a transition from powerlessness to embodiment in bursts of color sure to ground the reader into the earth, as well as leave a taste of hope behind.