In honour of World Book Day yesterday, we looked through our favourites and decided it was a good day to appreciate poetry, because this seems to go amiss. There are so many beautiful books out there. They can unlock your passion for this craft and here are just a few of my favourites.
Up until a couple of months ago I’d always thought of poetry as something that I was taught. I’d thought about it as being always extremely complex and confusing to comprehend. But while scrolling through my Twitter or Tumblr feeds, I had come across a poet named “R.M. Drake.” Naive to the world of poetry, I actually thought that this was Drake the rapper. But I did my research and I found that R.M Drake was actually short for Robert M Drake. When I discovered this poet, I became addicted to looking up his poems online until I came across his books.
I will never forget the day I placed my first order through Amazon. Or the day the book arrived at my doorstep. This was the day that I realised poetry can truly change your life. I realised that words can affect someone so deeply. After finishing this first book, I began ordering more and more until I acquired a large collection. I have learned over these past few months that you just need to open up your mind and heart to appreciate the beauty of words.
Black Butterfly by Robert M. Drake
This was the first poetry book I had ever read, and I completely fell in love after the first poem. This is a book of poems written by R.M Drake about loss. Anyone who has ever lost someone, no matter who it was or how the loss happened, can easily relate to the touching words of the poems in this book. If you ever need a book to relate to about life, love and loss, this is pure gold. Every other page also contains interesting and soul-capturing graphics. These pop out just as much as the words on the pages do.
Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur
This book is perfect for any woman who embraces her femininity, due to the very strong feminist overtones portrayed throughout. The layout of this book is very interesting. Rupi Kaur breaks each section into “the hurting,” “the loving,” “the breaking” and “the healing. These poems all deal with different issues such as love, loss, abuse and femininity. Each section provides a new topic, as Rupi Kaur takes readers through a rollercoaster of emotions that many of us feel throughout different stages of our lives. “The hurting,” consists of the painful parts, while “the loving” is about the beautiful, and happy times. “The breaking” is the aftermath of being hurt after falling in love, and finally “the healing” is the beautiful recovery part after the rollercoaster is over. This book is a great read for anyone who wishes to rebuild themselves, or to further discover themselves.
Dirty Pretty Things by Michael Faudet
Michael Faudet means no funny business in this book of poems. He gets straight to the point with no frills added. This is a book filled with erotic yet poetic images of relationships, love, loss and sex. Michael Faudet makes speaking about the dirtiest of things sound beautiful in a way only a great poet can truly do. The poems in this book will truly seduce you into reading the entire 265 pages in one sitting, because you will not be able to get enough. If you are looking for an addictive read which will keep you wanting more with every turn of the page, this is for you.
I Wrote This For You by Iain S. Thomas
This book starts off with a little note stating that the author “wrote this for you, you and only you,” as he says afterwards that “you were meant to read these words.” Right away, you are enticed. Iain S. Thomas does a great job of speaking not only about love and loss, but also of social issues and injustices. This is a book that really makes the person reading it question everything they had thought beforehand, and it is truly a work of art. This is a soul-searching read, and each poem is accompanied by beautiful and interesting photographs by photographer Jon Ellis. The combination of the poems and images creates a beautiful package within this book, and by the time you reach the end you are questioning the world and everything inside of it. If you want a book that will cause you to search your entire soul until you find yourself (and maybe a few other things along the way), this is exactly what you need.
