salt. by Nayyirah Waheed is a powerful book of poetry that left me breathless. There are poems that touched me on a personal level, where Waheed seemed to find the words to say something I never could (salt. also included a poem about this), poems that made me angry, and poems that just moved me. I bought my copy for my Kindle, and I have a ton of bookmarks for all the poems that wowed me in some way. salt. covers many topics; misogyny, racism, love, absent fathers, toxic masculinity, writing, and so much more.
i will tell you, my
daughter
of your worth
not your beauty
every day. (your
beauty is a given.
every being is born
beautiful).
knowing your worth
can save your life.
raising you on
beauty alone
you will be starved.
you will be raw.
you will be weak.
an easy stomach.
always in need of
someone to tell you
how
beautiful you are.
- emotional nutrition (p86)
salt. reminded me just how much I love poetry. How, for the duration of the time I'm spent reading, I'm transported to a place of calm, of awe, of joy. It reminded me of the beauty that can be found in words, had me itching to write something beautiful myself. It reminded me how words have power, and how just a few words can have a profound impact, or bring about change.
to not be safe on the
earth.
simply
because
of the color of you
skin.
how does a being
survive this.
- trayvon martin (p122)
I was blown away by Waheed's strength to use her voice, her poetry, to talk about difficult topics, to force the reader to face the truth, leaving no place to hide. But there is also a vulnerability to her poetry, a vulnerability that takes great courage to share with the world.
you are not a
mistake. you are too
many
exquisite details to
be a mistake. (p166)
I was blown away by Waheed's words. I loved salt. so much, I will buying myself a physical copy to flick through and quickly find my favourites when I need them. And I am so looking forward to reading her second book, Nejma. If you are a fan of Rupi Kaur or Lang Leav, you definitely need to pick up salt.
it was
i
who held you.
when
you
wanted
someone else.
- treason (p244)