I was born free: a child of the Universe. So I breathe and stretch; breathe and stretch. Spreading wide my wings, with a final thrust, I lift off Into the unknown of life’s great expectations. Toward the mountain peak of my identity ... Buoyed by an unbiased spirit, Karen Fridie has overcome many painful whys in her life to emerge from her murky past and reach her God-given purpose. In a debut compilation of poems and essays, Karen explores the raw topics of domestic violence and rape in order to bring awareness to what has become a pandemic of abuse around the world. Her poems and personal stories reflect on the emptiness of fading ecstasy, the path to becoming a survivor and Eagle Woman, an emotional closet that hides dark secrets, and a painful purging of the soul that emptied old beliefs and replaced them with euphoria and a new pledge to bless others. Wounded Eagle: Now She Soars is a volume of free verse and essays that candidly explore the raw topics of abuse, faith, forgiveness, healing, and self-love.