I have never been a big reader. I was always told that I read like a drippy faucet. For those of you who are unfamiliar with that term, essentially I stuttered a lot and overall was very slow while reading. I read so slow that when I’d finish a page, I’d already forget what I read three pages ago. Would you believe me if I told you I volunteer at my hometown’s school libraries, work in my hometown’s public library and at my university’s library? Well, those things are true — it’s like an oxymoron! As I have grown up, I’ve always wanted to like reading. In my search for a love of reading, I found a love for poetry books. They are a simple enough structure that I can feel confident when reading them.
The best part is these books are so meaningful in such a short style. I love how the authors of the books are able to show me that I am not the only one going through these things. I have always had a hard time expressing my true feelings, whether before, during or after a situation — especially when it comes to romantic relationships. I have found comfort in a variety of situations from poetry books. I wanted to share some of my favorite poetry books, so maybe you can find a new love for reading or a different type of reading.
*These books do contain some sensitive topics such as: abuse, sexual assault, eating disorders, trauma, transphobia and many more. Be sure to check out the tigger warning list at the beginning of the books to find out the specifics included in each one.
The Witch Doesn’t Burn in this One
I first read a different book by Amanda Lovelace, “The Princess Saves Herself in this One.” It was so empowering — I just had to read more. It was natural for me to choose “The Witch Doesn’t Burn in this One” to read next, as I have always loved the concept of witches. The book contains a bunch of feminist, personal empowerment poems.
I read this book more than three years ago, and even today it has a huge impact on how I feel about myself. I took a lot of this book and incorporated it into my daily mindset. Although, I would say the book focuses more on revenge, but it’s the kind of revenge that doesn’t hurt anyone involved. The revenge Lovelace describes is actually self-love and self-care. She taught me that the best way to get revenge is to keep bettering yourself and rise from the ashes. By focusing on yourself, you show those who hurt you that even they can’t destroy you.
Confessions of Her
I got this book for Christmas this past year. I absolutely love it! It went so much deeper than my preconceptions of what I thought the book would be about. On the back cover, Cindy Cherie describes the book as being about survival and finding love within. This description is true, but I feel it was so much more than that. When you open the cover, the very first page reads, “Never break the heart of a writer for retribution lies within their gift. They will bleed every agonizing detail upon the pages of history, tainting your name forever. This, my love, is poetic justice.” Since discovering my love for writing and reading poetry, I have been searching for the best way to describe my reasoning for that love. Cherie put into words the exact reasoning I have been attempting to put into words.
Her book is divided into seven “chapters.” They are entitled: Prelude, He feels like home, The sound of heartbreak, The art of letting go, Musings of a wallflower, I am unbroken and Postlude. Each section helped me come to terms with the stages of love I have gone through. Similarly to her opening statement, Cherie put into words every little feeling I’ve never been able to express. On the opening pages of each section, she includes a short sentence that almost sums up what each means. While I couldn’t pick one favorite out of these opening sentences, I think there are two that I am currently relating to the most. The first being, “I still hear his name floating in the wind. Just no longer try to catch it.” The other is, “I don’t remember closing my eyes, but falling out of love feels a lot like waking up, slowly.”
The beauty of this book is that it normalizes and put into words all the messy and confusing stages of love, including the self-love we find after the love for the other person is gone — whether it is days, weeks, months or years later.
Shades of Lovers
I got this book about a year ago and never found time to read it. I finally sat down and read it at the very end of last semester, a few days after a “break up.” Let me just tell you, it was a cathartic experience. The table of contents begins with the phrase “love comes in many colors.” The “chapters” are entitled, ruby red, ocean blue, primrose pink, stormy gray, golden yellow and emerald green. Each one relates to a different type of love Catharine Hancock — and many of us — have experienced. After the title of each there is a four line poem to describe that type of love. One of my other favorite things about this book is that at the end of each chapter she includes a letter to the subject of each color of love, but instead of their name, she addresses the letter as “dear [color].”
Hancock was able to divide love into stages and accurately describe and understand each one. I love how even though she writes about what she has experienced, she makes sure to put it in terms that can be relatable to everyone. While reading, I was able to sort through all the feelings I was having before reading this. After reading, I was able to find peace within and allow myself to begin healing.
The Complete poems of Emily Dickinson
I first read an Emily Dickinson poem my junior year of high school. We were being taught how to analyze poetry. A lot of people joke about English classes reading too much into a book or poem; however, I don’t agree when it comes to poetry. Poetry is the purest expression of emotions, and every word is used to accomplish that form of expression.
Ever since I read that first Emily Dickinson poem in high school, she has been my favorite poet. While alive, Dickinson only published 10 of her poems. After she died, a family member found over 1,800 unpublished poems she wrote. They were then compiled and put into one book. I bought the unedited version, but you can also find a version that has been edited to be a more modern form of English. I made sure to buy the hardcover copy because the reviews stated the paperback copy didn’t actually include all of her poems.
I haven’t been able to read every single poem in the book, but I do know each and every one of them is beautiful. One of the many things I love about her poems is that she takes such sad, horrible or taboo topics and turns them into a beautiful work of art. She does this through words, while Van Gogh uses paint; yet, both of them are equally my favorite artists. Through her poetry, Dickinson taught me that practically everything has beauty — it just depends on how you look at it.