Poetry

I love poetry, just not the very intense stuff from the 1800s. I enjoyed reading the few that we read in class, such as "We Real Cool," "My Papa's Waltz," "Because I could not stop for Death," and "I wandered lonely as a cloud." Those were all good because we discussed them as a group, but in my experience, educators don't do that. They don't sit down and have conversations about the things being read and allow students to have opinions over them. That just doesn't happen, but it did in these cases, and it opened my eyes. The poetry I like is more modernized, such as with my favorite poet, Rupi Kaur. She has written 4 books, Milk and Honey, the Sun and her Stars, Home Body, Healing through Words. Her last book is actually a journal in which she gives tips on how to write poetry and provides a space where people can explore their thoughts and ideas. I went to go watch her do a poetry reading back in May, when she was on tour. It was the most life-changing experience I have ever gone through. She didn't speak at you like most performers would, but instead she grasped for the audience's interaction and begged for us to input all of our thoughts and emotions. She has two different types of poems, she calls them performance poems, and more thought-driven poems. One of my favorite poems of hers, is actually about her mom. It goes like this:

My mother is my best friend, so reading that poem really hit close to home. Rupi Kaur is the reason I love writing so much. She turned so much of her life into her pieces, and she inspired me to not be afraid of my emotions and what they can bring. I have never met a poet who could move me to goosebumps and tears after one poem, but she managed to do it. She managed to make me want to continue on the path of life. If I had the opportunity to see her again, I'd make sure my seats are front and center!

Here's another beautiful poem written by her. This one was actually performed by a friend of mine during our school's Women's History Month assembly in March. We had a group of readers, myself included, stand on the stage and either read our own work, which I did, or the work of poets that spoke what we cannot. And this one is near and dear to my heart.