1952 /h.s/

b e f o r e

The last thing phoenix remembered was light and pain and then there was darkness. She could hear her mother crying, telling her to hold on and keep breathing but she couldn't answer back. She could hear the faint noises of doctors rushing to her aid and shouting something about bringing her back to life. She could not understand.

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*before.

Phoenix by definition is a legendary bird in ancient myths that lived up to 500 years before it burned itself to death and then rises again from its ashes. It's a magical bird that is a symbol of the sun and rebirth.

One may assume that Evalina Jones, a literature professor at Oxford University named her daughter Phoenix because of these definitions- but that is not the case. Phoenix Jones was born on the 1st of January 1995 and was the only daughter of Evalina and Peter Jones. She was named after her mother's favorite poem that was written in 1952 by a lovesick English writer.

Harry Edward Styles was an English writer who wrote poems about pain and deception. He was all about the tears and the suffering- no love and no light. His writings reflected the chaos inside his head, the sadness of his thoughts, and his longing for acceptance and love. Out of all 328 poems he wrote during his lifetime, Phoenix was the poem that was appreciated by the world. It tells a story of love and loss- how he found his phoenix and how he lost her. After writing the said poem, he shot himself dead at age 25 years old. His journals, writings, as well as his ashes are now being kept and displayed at the National Museum of London as part of the United Kingdom's literary treasures.

His suicide note, addressed to his beloved Phoenix is said to be hidden in a place only him and his beloved know.

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Phoenix Jones grew up to be quite a charmer, with natural brown curls flowing down her face and an intelligent mind adored by many. She was gifted in the field of painting and her mother would always tell her to pursue her talent, her father on the other hand insisted that she should focus on things that you can consider as a job and not as a stupid hobby. These two views lead to confusion and anxiety and Phoenix was always caught in the middle. When Phoenix turned 7, Evalina and Peter Jones had their divorce and the custody for Phoenix was given to her mother. Peter Jones remarried and moved to Greece, leaving Phoenix in London with her mother. Needless to say, he never came back.

Evalina always recited the poem to young Phoenix and the little girl would listen attentively to her mother. 10 year old Phoenix later on fell in love with the poem and she felt lucky that she was named after such masterpiece. Harry Edward Styles was her favorite writer and Phoenix was her favorite poem.

Now that Phoenix is 18 years old, all grown up and ready to start her life in the heart of London in just two weeks, she is all set to start a new.