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Salt
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best Poetry (2013)salt. a literary work.
251 pages, Paperback
First published September 24, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,265 reviews
January 30, 2014
These poems prove how powerful words are, most of them are only 3 lines long, but they hit me like a 1000 page novel.
September 13, 2016
Wow. I decided to pick this up on a whim for #DiverseAThon and I am beyond happy that I did. This was extremely powerful and moving. Many of the poems brought me to tears. This is without a doubt the best poetry collection I have ever read.
I am amazed at how in just a few short words, Nayyirah can invoke so much emotion.
I will definitely be reading this again many many times.
I am going to insert a few of my favorite poems, but seriously every single one is a gem.
I am the line.
on both sides there are songs
in my name
-bi
I am a black wave
in
a white sea.
always seen
and
unseen.
-the difference
For me
there is no other.
because there is no default.
everyone
is
a variation of life.
-the human being | the human gender | the human sex
I am amazed at how in just a few short words, Nayyirah can invoke so much emotion.
I will definitely be reading this again many many times.
I am going to insert a few of my favorite poems, but seriously every single one is a gem.
I am the line.
on both sides there are songs
in my name
-bi
I am a black wave
in
a white sea.
always seen
and
unseen.
-the difference
For me
there is no other.
because there is no default.
everyone
is
a variation of life.
-the human being | the human gender | the human sex
June 5, 2020
salt. is a journey through warmth and sharpness. This collection of poetry explores the realities of multiple identities, language, diasporic life & pain, the self, community, healing, celebration, and love.
This was one of the most important poetry collection I’ve read to date.
In the short amount of pages that I got to read, I felt like I got to know both myself and the author so well. Nayyirah Waheed captivated me from start to finish.
Here are a few (...too many) of my favorites:
“even the small poems mean something. they are often
whales in the bodies of tiny fish.”
“what
massacre
happens to my son
between
him
living within my skin.
drinking my cells.
my water.
my organs.
and
his soft psyche turning cruel.
does he not remember
he
is half woman.”
— from
“would
you still want to travel to
that
country
if
you could not take a camera with you.”
— a question of appropriation
“black women breathe flowers, too.
just because
we are taught to grow them in the lining of our quiet (our
grandmothers secret)
does not mean
we do not swelter with wild tenderness.
we soft swim.
we petal.
we scent limbs.
love.
we just have been too long a garden for sharp and deadly
teeth.
so we
have
grown
ourselves
into
greenhouses.”
— greenhouses
“when you are struggling
in your
writing (art).
it usually means
you
are hearing one thing.
but
writing (creating) another.”
—honest | risk
“i bleed
every month.
but
do not die.
how am i
not
magic.”
— the lie
“sit in the ocean.
it is one of the best medicines
on the planet.”
— the water
THIS!!!!!
“i don’t pay attention to the
world ending.
it has ended for me
many times
and began again in the morning.”
“you
see your face.
you
see a flaw.
how. if you are the only one who has this face.”
— the beauty construct
“i am simply the poet.
the
poem
is
the one
that
can change your life.”
— medium
“i am a brutally soft woman.”
“i am a black wave
in
a white sea.
always seen
and
unseen.”
— the difference
“what
we hide
and do not
say
turns into
another mouth
that
only we know.”
— mouths
“there is you and you.
this is a relationship.
this is the most important relationship.”
— home
“why can we never
talk
about the blood.
the blood of our ancestors.
the blood of our history.
the blood between our legs.”
— blood
“your heart is the softest place on earth. take care of it.”
“if
the ocean
can calm itself
so can you.
we
are both
salt water
mixed
with
air.”
— meditation
“you.
not wanting me.
was
the beginning of me
wanting myself.
thank you.”
— the hurt
“stop speaking.
use your eyes, instead.”
— the eye fire
“can you be a daughter.
if you have no
mother language.”
— african american iii
“you do not have to be a fire
for
every mountain blocking you.
you could be a water
and
soft river your way to freedom
too.”
— options
“to not be safe on the earth.
simply
because
of the color of your skin.
how does a being survive this.”
— trayvon martin
“listen to my poems.
but
do not look for me.
look for you.”
— you
“no’
might make them angry
but
it will make you free.”
— if no one has ever told you, your freedom is more important than their anger
“never
trust anyone
who says
they do not see color.
this means
to them
you are invisible.”
— is
“when i am afraid to speak
is when i speak.
that is when it is most important.”
— the freedom in fear
“i am relieved.
when
i see the feminine presence
in a man’s eyes.
it means
he is a peace
i do not
have
to
bring to him.”
— ease
“apologize to your body.
maybe
that’s where the healing begins.”
— starting
“i have always been the woman of my dreams.”
“even if you are a small forest surviving off of moon alone.
your light is extraordinary.”
— reminder
“if someone
does not want me
it is not the end of the world
but
if i do not want me
the world is nothing but endings.”
“i am a dream still dreaming.”
“healing
begins
the moment
you
want it to.”
— time
“remember.
you were a writer
before
you ever
put
word to paper.
just because you were not writing
externally.
does not mean you were not writing
internally.”
— stories
“you
are
your
own
standard of
beauty.”
— mirror work
“it’s not about making you uncomfortable.
it’s about making me comfortable.”
— reparations
“‘i love myself.’
the
quietest.
simplest.
most
powerful.
revolution.
ever.”
— ism
“the thing you are most
afraid to write.
write that.”
— advice to young writers
Simply, salt. was an honest and enlightening read that dealt with a plethora of subjects such as racism, gender stereotyping and white-privilege just to name a few.
The writing and topics just completely took my breath away... I'm still in awe. This came at the perfect time for me to read and I cannot thank the writer enough.
*Note: I'm an Amazon Affiliate. If you're interested in buying salt., just click on the image below to go through my link. I'll make a small commission!*
This review and more can be found on my blog.
This was one of the most important poetry collection I’ve read to date.
In the short amount of pages that I got to read, I felt like I got to know both myself and the author so well. Nayyirah Waheed captivated me from start to finish.
Here are a few (...too many) of my favorites:
“even the small poems mean something. they are often
whales in the bodies of tiny fish.”
“what
massacre
happens to my son
between
him
living within my skin.
drinking my cells.
my water.
my organs.
and
his soft psyche turning cruel.
does he not remember
he
is half woman.”
— from
“would
you still want to travel to
that
country
if
you could not take a camera with you.”
— a question of appropriation
“black women breathe flowers, too.
just because
we are taught to grow them in the lining of our quiet (our
grandmothers secret)
does not mean
we do not swelter with wild tenderness.
we soft swim.
we petal.
we scent limbs.
love.
we just have been too long a garden for sharp and deadly
teeth.
so we
have
grown
ourselves
into
greenhouses.”
— greenhouses
“when you are struggling
in your
writing (art).
it usually means
you
are hearing one thing.
but
writing (creating) another.”
—honest | risk
“i bleed
every month.
but
do not die.
how am i
not
magic.”
— the lie
“sit in the ocean.
it is one of the best medicines
on the planet.”
— the water
THIS!!!!!
“i don’t pay attention to the
world ending.
it has ended for me
many times
and began again in the morning.”
“you
see your face.
you
see a flaw.
how. if you are the only one who has this face.”
— the beauty construct
“i am simply the poet.
the
poem
is
the one
that
can change your life.”
— medium
“i am a brutally soft woman.”
“i am a black wave
in
a white sea.
always seen
and
unseen.”
— the difference
“what
we hide
and do not
say
turns into
another mouth
that
only we know.”
— mouths
“there is you and you.
this is a relationship.
this is the most important relationship.”
— home
“why can we never
talk
about the blood.
the blood of our ancestors.
the blood of our history.
the blood between our legs.”
— blood
“your heart is the softest place on earth. take care of it.”
“if
the ocean
can calm itself
so can you.
we
are both
salt water
mixed
with
air.”
— meditation
“you.
not wanting me.
was
the beginning of me
wanting myself.
thank you.”
— the hurt
“stop speaking.
use your eyes, instead.”
— the eye fire
“can you be a daughter.
if you have no
mother language.”
— african american iii
“you do not have to be a fire
for
every mountain blocking you.
you could be a water
and
soft river your way to freedom
too.”
— options
“to not be safe on the earth.
simply
because
of the color of your skin.
how does a being survive this.”
— trayvon martin
“listen to my poems.
but
do not look for me.
look for you.”
— you
“no’
might make them angry
but
it will make you free.”
— if no one has ever told you, your freedom is more important than their anger
“never
trust anyone
who says
they do not see color.
this means
to them
you are invisible.”
— is
“when i am afraid to speak
is when i speak.
that is when it is most important.”
— the freedom in fear
“i am relieved.
when
i see the feminine presence
in a man’s eyes.
it means
he is a peace
i do not
have
to
bring to him.”
— ease
“apologize to your body.
maybe
that’s where the healing begins.”
— starting
“i have always been the woman of my dreams.”
“even if you are a small forest surviving off of moon alone.
your light is extraordinary.”
— reminder
“if someone
does not want me
it is not the end of the world
but
if i do not want me
the world is nothing but endings.”
“i am a dream still dreaming.”
“healing
begins
the moment
you
want it to.”
— time
“remember.
you were a writer
before
you ever
put
word to paper.
just because you were not writing
externally.
does not mean you were not writing
internally.”
— stories
“you
are
your
own
standard of
beauty.”
— mirror work
“it’s not about making you uncomfortable.
it’s about making me comfortable.”
— reparations
“‘i love myself.’
the
quietest.
simplest.
most
powerful.
revolution.
ever.”
— ism
“the thing you are most
afraid to write.
write that.”
— advice to young writers
Simply, salt. was an honest and enlightening read that dealt with a plethora of subjects such as racism, gender stereotyping and white-privilege just to name a few.
The writing and topics just completely took my breath away... I'm still in awe. This came at the perfect time for me to read and I cannot thank the writer enough.
*Note: I'm an Amazon Affiliate. If you're interested in buying salt., just click on the image below to go through my link. I'll make a small commission!*
This review and more can be found on my blog.
December 18, 2017
i mean, the poems are nice and touching and important and all that
but
im kinda getting tired of this sort of poetry. (•_•)
it's
...annoying.
but
im kinda getting tired of this sort of poetry. (•_•)
it's
...annoying.
Shelved as 'hell-no'
January 8, 2017everything
can
be
a
poem
these
days
if
you
write
without
capital
letters
and
use
lots
of
enter
and fullstops.
can
be
a
poem
these
days
if
you
write
without
capital
letters
and
use
lots
of
enter
and fullstops.
March 25, 2014
you.
not wanting me.
was
the beginning of me
wanting myself.
thank you
"the hurt"
chemistry
is
you touching my arm
and
it
setting fire to my mind
"flood"
i think one
of the most pathological
things i have ever seen
is
stabbing
someone
and
then telling them that
their
pain and anger
over being stabbed
is
making you sad.
"white guilt"
And that is just from the last 20 pages of this collection.
not wanting me.
was
the beginning of me
wanting myself.
thank you
"the hurt"
chemistry
is
you touching my arm
and
it
setting fire to my mind
"flood"
i think one
of the most pathological
things i have ever seen
is
stabbing
someone
and
then telling them that
their
pain and anger
over being stabbed
is
making you sad.
"white guilt"
And that is just from the last 20 pages of this collection.
October 13, 2023
UPDATE (August 2020): I decided to buy this collection to support Nayyirah Waheed (formerly, I had read it for free as an ebook due to my Kindle Unlimited trial month^^) and I don't regret it one bit. Reading through the collection again affirmed that, while it's still a 3.5 star-read for me, there are one too many one liners for my taste but I'm able to look past them since Nayyirah really brought the house down on important topics such as white guilt, toxic masculinity, loving yourself as a Black woman, absentee fathers etc. – this collection is a must read for anyone who enjoys insta poetry!!! (And even if you don't (like me!), you'll definitely find something worthwhile in it. I promise.)
REVIEW (June 2020): As you have probably seen, I've spent the last week reading poetry collections by Black women. All three collections (soft magic., nejma and salt.) were very similar in style and can be subsumed under the term 'insta poetry' or 'Tumblr poetry.' You guys also know that I've had my problems with that genre in the past. I roasted Rupi to filth on my channel because something just doesn't sit right with me when it comes to people selling basic ass sentences where the hit the space bar too much as poetry ... It just rubs me the wrong way. However, I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered Nayyirah Waheed.
Nayyirah talks about many different topics in salt: what Africa means to her, what it means to be African American, self-love and womanhood, toxic masculinity, racism, white guilt. It is incredible how many important subjects she manages to pack into this one collection and how hard-hitting some of her words were.
On the topic of toxic masculinity, two poems stand out in particular: 1) “he was so beautiful / because / when he held her / he was not concerned with 'being a man.' / 'being a man' / had nothing to do with this. / these flowers pouring from his chest” and 2) “if i have never seen you cry, / if you do not cry, / if you do not value or respect the needs of your water, / you and i can not form. / if you can not allow your own being to wash over you, / how will mine ever make it past your skin.”
I adore both of these poems because they shed light on such an important subject. The notion that men (particularly Black men) must be strong and aren't allowed to cry is toxic, it cripples souls, it harms people, it brings violence into relationships. Toxic masculinity is a narrow and repressive description of manhood, designating manhood as defined by violence, sex, status and aggression. It’s the cultural ideal of manliness, where strength is everything while emotions are a weakness; where sex and brutality are yardsticks by which men are measured, while supposedly “feminine” traits—which can range from emotional vulnerability to simply not being hypersexual—are the means by which your status as “man” can be taken away. I love that Nayyirah writes about soft men, with flowers in their chests, as she puts it. She often evokes the imagery of flowers but never more beautifully than when she writes about men.
Among my favorite poems in this collection were the ones about Africa. Nayyirah's relationship to Africa is a very complicated one and I think she managed to capture the insecurity that many of us in the diaspora feel: “our ache / for / africa. / is / the heart / behind / our heart. / the pain with no name. / —amnesia” Similarly, I loved her musings about what it means to be African American:
There's also this really beautiful lament, written from the perspective of Africa, that was so cleverly done ... but it is a little too long to cite here (...I guess you have to pick up this collection to read it for yourself, huh?), instead I'll treat you to another powerful outcry of Nayyirah's: “africa does not need your tears. or your prayers. or your money. or your t-shirts. or your telethons. or your hands ever so lovingly placed on her buttocks. your mouth at her breasts. your fists in her eyes. she wants you to stop pissing in her face and calling it water.”
Unfortunately, these very powerful poems that show Nayyirah's activism and her boldness in calling out racism are not the poems that most people seem to remember and enjoy in these collections. A lot of reviews tend to focus on her feminist poems (“i bleed / every month. / but / do not die. / how am i / not / magic.”) or her empowering poems (“'no' / might make them angry / but / it will make you free.”), and whilst I don't mind them, I'm still bitter because the poems that tend to be most popular are the ones not talking/ mentioning specifically Black people. These are the poems that white reviewers are able to relate to the most. It is incredibly harmful to reduce Nayyirah's work to that. I hope with my reviews, I was able to shed light on this other and (to me) way more prominent and important side of Nayyirah's work.
REVIEW (June 2020): As you have probably seen, I've spent the last week reading poetry collections by Black women. All three collections (soft magic., nejma and salt.) were very similar in style and can be subsumed under the term 'insta poetry' or 'Tumblr poetry.' You guys also know that I've had my problems with that genre in the past. I roasted Rupi to filth on my channel because something just doesn't sit right with me when it comes to people selling basic ass sentences where the hit the space bar too much as poetry ... It just rubs me the wrong way. However, I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered Nayyirah Waheed.
if i writeNayyirah is a pioneer of the genre, salt., her debut collection, was already published in 2013. She truly paved the way for all of the insta poets that came after her (...and are, unjustly, if you ask me, more successful than her). Nayyirah also seems to be the odd one out because unlike her successors she actually wrote some real ass poems. Sure, there are still one too many one-liners in salt. that could have been left out but overall, I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of longer poems in this collection.
what you may feel
but cannot say.
it does not
make
me a poet.
it makes me a bridge.
and
i am humbled
and
i am grateful
to assist your heart in speaking.
Nayyirah talks about many different topics in salt: what Africa means to her, what it means to be African American, self-love and womanhood, toxic masculinity, racism, white guilt. It is incredible how many important subjects she manages to pack into this one collection and how hard-hitting some of her words were.
On the topic of toxic masculinity, two poems stand out in particular: 1) “he was so beautiful / because / when he held her / he was not concerned with 'being a man.' / 'being a man' / had nothing to do with this. / these flowers pouring from his chest” and 2) “if i have never seen you cry, / if you do not cry, / if you do not value or respect the needs of your water, / you and i can not form. / if you can not allow your own being to wash over you, / how will mine ever make it past your skin.”
I adore both of these poems because they shed light on such an important subject. The notion that men (particularly Black men) must be strong and aren't allowed to cry is toxic, it cripples souls, it harms people, it brings violence into relationships. Toxic masculinity is a narrow and repressive description of manhood, designating manhood as defined by violence, sex, status and aggression. It’s the cultural ideal of manliness, where strength is everything while emotions are a weakness; where sex and brutality are yardsticks by which men are measured, while supposedly “feminine” traits—which can range from emotional vulnerability to simply not being hypersexual—are the means by which your status as “man” can be taken away. I love that Nayyirah writes about soft men, with flowers in their chests, as she puts it. She often evokes the imagery of flowers but never more beautifully than when she writes about men.
you askAnother subject that Nayyirah just writes superbly about is racism. Since I read a lot from modern Black poets, racism is often a topic discussed in their work. I am surprised myself but the poignant and unapologetic way in which Nayyirah calls people out, sets boundaries, defines words (e.g. “i think one of the most pathological things i have ever seen is stabbing someone and then telling them that their pain and anger over being stabbed is making you sad. – white guilt”) makes her one of my favourite poets when it comes to this subject matter. Her words are so clear, so loud, so right ... just right. She expresses so many of my own frustrations and my own anger (“anger is a healthy and natural response to oppression”), it is mind-boggling to me how consistently she hit the nail in the coffin with these poems:
to touch my hair.
or worse
touch it without asking.
this is not innocence.
this is not ignorance.
this is not curiosity.
this is the very racist and subhuman belief
that
you have a right to me.
—i will break your hand | do not ever touch me | every time you touch me. my ancestors place a curse on you
it's not about making you uncomfortable.I am aware that some of these poems (...or lines) are rather simple, but in my humble opinion, it's in their simplicity where their strength lies. With a couple of words, Nayyirah manages to bring the house down. She manages to say everything there is to say on this matter. I said it in my review of nejma but I'll say it here again: Nayyirah is a self-proclaimed Black poet who writes for Black people. Her poems aren't here to be exploited by white readers. If you are white, these poems are not for you. And they will probably not speak to you. Nayyirah's work, just as the work of other poets of color, is incredibly white-washed; especially with popular poets, you see this trend of white reviewers applying these poems to themselves, of trying to broaden their scope. No. Nope. Hell nah. Nayyirah, just like other poets of color, doesn't write about a universal experience. They write about their own; in Nayyirah's case—the Black experience. Respect her boundaries.
it's about making me comfortable.
—reparations
Among my favorite poems in this collection were the ones about Africa. Nayyirah's relationship to Africa is a very complicated one and I think she managed to capture the insecurity that many of us in the diaspora feel: “our ache / for / africa. / is / the heart / behind / our heart. / the pain with no name. / —amnesia” Similarly, I loved her musings about what it means to be African American:
here is a phantom language in my mouthThe sequence of these five poems was one of the strongest portions of this poetry collection. The sense of feeling lost, of feeling loss, of being ashamed that you wouldn't be able to speak to your ancestors ... all of these are emotions that I share. Even though I am in the incredible fortunate position that I know where my family comes from. I cannot imagine what it feels like for African Americans to be denied the knowledge of their origin. I really cannot imagine that. Nayyirah is incredibly open and honest in these poems;: making oneself vulnerable is an incredibly brave thing to do, especially for Black women who are always expected to be strong and just 'get with it.'
a tongue beneath my tongue.
will i ever
remember what
i sound
like
will i ever come home.
i lost a whole continent.
a whole continent from my memory.
unlike all other hyphenated americans
my hyphen is made of blood.
when africa says hello
my mouth is a heartbreak
because i have nothing in my tongue
to answer her.
i don’t know how to say hello to my mother.
can you be a daughter.
if you have no
mother language.
how beautiful
that you can lay down a map
and with a straight finger
show me who you are.
you say
'show me, show me who you are.'
i tell my soft tight finger
'do not be afraid'
i slow and lightly
lay it on africa (as if I do not belong to her).
and
then
you ask me
'where.'
we are afraid.
ashamed.
of
africa.
There's also this really beautiful lament, written from the perspective of Africa, that was so cleverly done ... but it is a little too long to cite here (...I guess you have to pick up this collection to read it for yourself, huh?), instead I'll treat you to another powerful outcry of Nayyirah's: “africa does not need your tears. or your prayers. or your money. or your t-shirts. or your telethons. or your hands ever so lovingly placed on her buttocks. your mouth at her breasts. your fists in her eyes. she wants you to stop pissing in her face and calling it water.”
Unfortunately, these very powerful poems that show Nayyirah's activism and her boldness in calling out racism are not the poems that most people seem to remember and enjoy in these collections. A lot of reviews tend to focus on her feminist poems (“i bleed / every month. / but / do not die. / how am i / not / magic.”) or her empowering poems (“'no' / might make them angry / but / it will make you free.”), and whilst I don't mind them, I'm still bitter because the poems that tend to be most popular are the ones not talking/ mentioning specifically Black people. These are the poems that white reviewers are able to relate to the most. It is incredibly harmful to reduce Nayyirah's work to that. I hope with my reviews, I was able to shed light on this other and (to me) way more prominent and important side of Nayyirah's work.
November 14, 2017
A powerful and heartrending collection of poetry about identity, race and racism, the difficult yet fulfilling journey to self-love, and more. I so appreciate how Nayyirah Waheed makes her writing both powerful and soft, identifying the cruelties that come from prejudice and discrimination as well as the healing that accompanies therapy and self-compassion. As an Asian, more feminine individual who has gone through a lot of trauma in his life, these poems speak to me on a really personal level (I taped one onto my wall at work and referenced it in my most recent blog post.) For anyone - in particular people of color or more feminine people - who want a voice that articulates our pain, our anger, and our path to wholeness, Salt may fit your heart well. I will end my review with six poems from the collection that moved me, though many more than six did:
"if someone
does not want me
it is not the end of the world.
but
if i do not want me.
the world is nothing but endings."
"there have been so many times
i have seen a man wanting to weep
but
instead
beat his heart until it was unconscious
- masculine"
"i think one
of the most pathological
things i have ever seen
is
stabbing
someone
and
then telling them that
their
pain and anger
over being stabbed
is
making you sad.
- white guilt"
if
a man
can
only show vulnerability
for
what is between my legs.
can
only
be
a
heart
during
sex.
if an orgasm
is
the only way
he
can weep.
what is his life
but
a cage.
- prison"
"do you think
calling me 'angry'
is an insult.
every time you call me 'angry'
i hear your voice salt with guilt
and
i laugh.
look how easy it is to reveal you.
- anger is a healthy and natural response to oppression"
"there is you and you.
this is a relationship.
this is the most important relationship.
- home"
"if someone
does not want me
it is not the end of the world.
but
if i do not want me.
the world is nothing but endings."
"there have been so many times
i have seen a man wanting to weep
but
instead
beat his heart until it was unconscious
- masculine"
"i think one
of the most pathological
things i have ever seen
is
stabbing
someone
and
then telling them that
their
pain and anger
over being stabbed
is
making you sad.
- white guilt"
if
a man
can
only show vulnerability
for
what is between my legs.
can
only
be
a
heart
during
sex.
if an orgasm
is
the only way
he
can weep.
what is his life
but
a cage.
- prison"
"do you think
calling me 'angry'
is an insult.
every time you call me 'angry'
i hear your voice salt with guilt
and
i laugh.
look how easy it is to reveal you.
- anger is a healthy and natural response to oppression"
"there is you and you.
this is a relationship.
this is the most important relationship.
- home"
September 15, 2017
4.5 Stars
I was highly anticipating this, and I wasn't disappointed! Really eye-opening about race and gender, especially from the eyes of a woman of color. I definitely think it's a valuable read.
I'm super picky with writing style in poetry, and I was pleased with this. Most of the poems ended up being shorter than I expected, but they were short without being pretentious or overly-simple. The writing is imaginative and clever enough to let the short pieces stand for themselves, but the longer pieces were also really meaningful and well-done.
I would say about 30% of these I was able to read in literally 5 seconds then turn the page, so I took off a half star just because I found myself almost skim-reading some more basic poems toward the middle/end. I wish there'd been more variety in length and subject matter (ie. the repetition of flowers and water). maybe the collection could have been shortened to solve this.
I was highly anticipating this, and I wasn't disappointed! Really eye-opening about race and gender, especially from the eyes of a woman of color. I definitely think it's a valuable read.
I'm super picky with writing style in poetry, and I was pleased with this. Most of the poems ended up being shorter than I expected, but they were short without being pretentious or overly-simple. The writing is imaginative and clever enough to let the short pieces stand for themselves, but the longer pieces were also really meaningful and well-done.
I would say about 30% of these I was able to read in literally 5 seconds then turn the page, so I took off a half star just because I found myself almost skim-reading some more basic poems toward the middle/end. I wish there'd been more variety in length and subject matter (ie. the repetition of flowers and water). maybe the collection could have been shortened to solve this.
October 14, 2021
wowowowWOW. THIS. This is what I was looking for.
How is it that Nayyirah Waheed’s poetry doesn’t get the hype it deserves?! This collection had poems about empowerment, self love, racism, immigration, women of colour, being black — I loved all of it!
How is it that Nayyirah Waheed’s poetry doesn’t get the hype it deserves?! This collection had poems about empowerment, self love, racism, immigration, women of colour, being black — I loved all of it!
December 28, 2017
“My whole life I have ate my tongue. Ate my tongue. Ate my tongue. I am so full of my tongue you would think speaking is easy. But it is not. Some words build houses in your throat and they live there. Content and on fire. There is a phantom language in my mouth. A tongue beneath my tongue. Will I ever remember what I sound like? Will I ever come home?”I admit to not knowing of this author. I admit to not even knowing she had a book. Or two! I only followed her page on FB recently, content with an awesome quote every day. Until yesterday, that is. Yesterday, I saw the author is hosting a free Kindle giveaway for both her books. I, being a greedy bastard, downloaded both of them in a jiffy, excited at the thought of a free read! I downloaded a book, rather two, that is hardly my forte. Poetry! Only, it was Lady Fortuna smiling at me and blessing me with what my friends know I was looking for. A short and amazing read! I read this book in a single day. I literally
“Even the small poems mean something. They are often whales in the bodies of tiny fish.”Could it be that the author was talking about her own poems in this little poem? I think so. I think she knew the worth of her words. This book is THE SHORTEST thing I ever read bcz even when it is numbered at 251 pages, each piece on each page is about 4-5 lines on an average but that’s not what made it such a short read. It was the fact that I was in love!
“She asked ‘you are in love what does love look like’ to which I replied ‘like everything I’ve ever lost come back to me.’”That quote! I don’t really know what to tell you about the book. Truly don’t. I can only try to tell you that this book has a lot to offer. Some of the usual topics like love & heartbreak and some not so much. Racism is a very strong topic in this book with some really strong pieces about it. I think I preferred a much mellower one.
“White people try to take blackness. Pour it out rub it into their skin and wear us like they know what we about. But honey it’s only ever gon’ be a suntan. You ain’t neva gon’ be black.”I loved how the author graced us men with a few compassionate words, of which this is my personal fav.
“Men give birth, too. To children, to longings, to dreams. That they must hide. Their stomachs, their uteruses, their hungers, their softness, their cravings for touch. To be a man is the thing that closes their light and eats their eyes.”I have grown as a reader a lot over the past year or so. I know that now. I know it for a fact bcz now I have the capability to spot something beautiful even when doesn’t reach me or even when it is lost on me personally. I don’t think I could lay claim over this capability a year ago. Now I can. This book is a terribly beautiful thing. Some of it didn’t reach me. Made me feel nothing. A few rare pieces I couldn’t even understand but trust me when I tell you, on the whole, it’s gorgeous!
One can only say the phrase "pouring one's heart out" but it never really compares and will always be an understatement to the Hindi phrase "dil nikal ke rakh dena". This book is that Hindi phrase. It’s a heart of hearts on a platter. Look, but don’t touch. Taste, but don’t gnaw. Keep it on the tip of your tongue. Savor it, like your first kiss. Tender. Let it wash over you, body and soul. Hold it in your hands, caressing gently, as your lover's hand. Don't read it. Feel it, and in a small way, you will have lived it. And what more could you possibly ask for?
“If I write what you may feel but cannot say, it does not make me a poet. It makes me a bridge. And I am humbled and I am grateful to assist your heart in speaking.”
PS: I have added punctuations to all of the quotes bcz the poems themselves are devoid of them and I wanted to make them more readable in my review. The fact that this book is written in such a
PPS: The opening quote is not one piece. Its 3! I combined them. Yes, 3 different pieces. Pieces of a whole. Go figure!
January 5, 2016
Salt. is a collection of poetry by Nayyirah Waheed. I wanted to know more about her and her life, but I didn't find anything. I guess we get to actually know her through her poems.
I wouldn't even call it a book because it is more than that. It isn't just a story told through written words. These poems speak to your heart. They invite you inside yourself and let you discover quieter moments and unspoken thoughts. Nayyirah gives a voice to thousands of stories while telling us just her own. She does that beautifully. I am no expert in poetry, but it gave me goose bumps while I was reading. Obviously some pages had a deeper meaning for me and other not, but I feel connected to this collection.
Salt. encompasses the most important of unspoken words. It manifests the realization of what it means to be a a woman of color, a mother in the African diaspora and a human. It embraces self love and encourages the expression of emotion. There is a mix of short stories and poems about life, love, nature and self.
It is quite a short read and not too wordy, but those words will hit right where you least expect it. That's the power of poetry. I loved that most of the poems seemed to be a definition in the wider dictionary of life. It was a small detail, but I really appreciated it. It felt like I had Nayyirah by my side helping me understand her work.
It is a very powerful read and I am so glad I had the chance to pick it up. I highly encourage everyone who likes poetry and feels the need to read something not too laborious to read this short collection. It is 250 pages long, but I assure you you are going to fly through it. The themes it revolves around are also very present nowadays. I personally think this work can give you a different point of view of a different reality we hardly see portrayed at the moment. It explores, in fact, the realities of multiple identities, language, life and love.
Here are the poems that really struck me as I was reading.
If you have a Kindle Unlimited subscription, you can pick this book for free on Amazon.
I wouldn't even call it a book because it is more than that. It isn't just a story told through written words. These poems speak to your heart. They invite you inside yourself and let you discover quieter moments and unspoken thoughts. Nayyirah gives a voice to thousands of stories while telling us just her own. She does that beautifully. I am no expert in poetry, but it gave me goose bumps while I was reading. Obviously some pages had a deeper meaning for me and other not, but I feel connected to this collection.
Salt. encompasses the most important of unspoken words. It manifests the realization of what it means to be a a woman of color, a mother in the African diaspora and a human. It embraces self love and encourages the expression of emotion. There is a mix of short stories and poems about life, love, nature and self.
It is quite a short read and not too wordy, but those words will hit right where you least expect it. That's the power of poetry. I loved that most of the poems seemed to be a definition in the wider dictionary of life. It was a small detail, but I really appreciated it. It felt like I had Nayyirah by my side helping me understand her work.
It is a very powerful read and I am so glad I had the chance to pick it up. I highly encourage everyone who likes poetry and feels the need to read something not too laborious to read this short collection. It is 250 pages long, but I assure you you are going to fly through it. The themes it revolves around are also very present nowadays. I personally think this work can give you a different point of view of a different reality we hardly see portrayed at the moment. It explores, in fact, the realities of multiple identities, language, life and love.
Here are the poems that really struck me as I was reading.
you broke the ocean in half to be here.
only to meet nothing that wants you.
– immigrant
she was the color of evening husk
and salt
i wore my voice with her sometimes
my fragrance,
others
she was a beautiful place to bare my legs
night my countries
and
eat the hot winter
– thaw
i am your friend.
a soul for your soul.
a place for your life.
home.
know this.
sun or water.
here or away.
we are a lighthouse.
we leave.
and we stay.
– lighthouse
your heart is
the softest place
on earth. take
care of it.
‘no’
might make them angry.
but
it will make you free.
– if no one has ever told you, your freedom is
more important than their anger
when i am afraid to speak
is when i speak.
that is when it is most important.
– the freedom in fear
a black woman
can write of
loneliness.
or
love
or softness.
or the moon.
you may try valiantly
to cripple her.
but she will still grow flowers in her flesh.
– a genocide of flowers
you are not a mistake. you are too
many exquisite details to be a mistake.
you are a story.
do not become a word.
one word.
because you want to be loved.
love does not ask you to be nothing
for
something.
– name
i touched her in the middle of her heart.
i never saw her again.
– scar
the thing you are most
afraid to write.
write that.
– advice to young writers
i think one
of the most pathological
things i have ever seen
is
stabbing
someone
and
telling them that
their
pain and anger
over being stabbed
is
making you sad.
– white guilt
the wounds have changed me,
i am so soft with scars
my skin
breathes and beats stars.
If you have a Kindle Unlimited subscription, you can pick this book for free on Amazon.
September 22, 2016
I talk about rereading this book in this reading wrap-up!
This is such a brilliant collection, filled with heart and meaning, all in such a limited amount of words. I'm amazed at how much Waheed can communicate on a couple of lines and in a handful of words. She captures entire experiences and complicated emotions with a sentence and a title. It left me in awe on a number of occasions.
I didn't always understand the formatting choices. Sometimes, she breaks up lines in such a way to emphasize specific words or add some rhythm to her words. Other times it felt too choppy and it disturbed the meaning of the poems for me. Clearly, though, I still gave this five stars because it deserves it. I also have a feeling that the format things I didn't like would feel better upon reread and this is certainly a collection I mean to reread.
i don't pay attention to the
world ending.
it has ended for me
many times
and began again in the morning.
we lay
in our country.
love makes us a homeland
- bed
if someone
does not want me
it is not the end of the world.
but
if I do not want me.
the world is nothing but endings
i think one
of the most pathological
things i have ever seen
is
stabbing
someone
and
then telling them that
their
pain and anger
over being stabbed
is
making you sad.
- white guilt
April 13, 2017
stunning. simply stunning.
Salt is without a doubt the best poetry collection I've read and I know I will not only be rereading it many times throughout my life, but also recommending it to as many people as possible. I was almost moved to tears multiple times (if I didn't have such a tin man heart, I'm sure I would have been...) I couldn't recommend this more highly. I don't think I will ever tire of reading this and I'm almost certain, each time I read it, I will find else more to admire. After finishing this, I'm not sure wether my heart is broken or quadrupled in size and I kind of love that. Please, please read this book. Nayyirah Waheed has a way with words I've not come across before and it's utterly wonderful!
Salt is without a doubt the best poetry collection I've read and I know I will not only be rereading it many times throughout my life, but also recommending it to as many people as possible. I was almost moved to tears multiple times (if I didn't have such a tin man heart, I'm sure I would have been...) I couldn't recommend this more highly. I don't think I will ever tire of reading this and I'm almost certain, each time I read it, I will find else more to admire. After finishing this, I'm not sure wether my heart is broken or quadrupled in size and I kind of love that. Please, please read this book. Nayyirah Waheed has a way with words I've not come across before and it's utterly wonderful!
July 29, 2017
Salt. is a beautiful and inspiring book. It will take you on a journey to explore what is it like to be a woman of color, a mother in the African diaspora and a human being.
The book was greatly blunt & straight-forward and absolutely beautiful & alluring. It was both heartbreaking and breathtaking.
I read it four times and I am pretty sure I will be re-reading it again and again. you just don't get tired of reading these words.
Here are some of my favorite parts:
my
english is broken.
on purpose.
you
have to try harder to understand
me.
breaking this language
you so love
is my pleasure.
in your arrogance
you presume that i want your skinny language.
that my mouth is building a room for
it
in the back of my throat
it is not.
– i have seven different words for love. you have only one. that makes a lot of sense.
i want more ‘men’
with flowers falling from their skin.
more water in their eyes.
more tremble in their bodies.
more women in their hearts
than
on their hands.
more softness in their height.
more honesty in their voice.
more wonder.
more humility in their feet.
– less
stay is a sensitive word.
we wear
who stayed
and
who left
in our skin forever.
– sojourn
my whole life
i have
ate my tongue.
ate my tongue.
ate my tongue.
i am so full of my tongue
you would think speaking is easy.
but it is not.
– for we who keep our lives in our mouths
men give birth, too.
to children.
to longings.
to dreams.
that they must hide.
their stomachs.
their uteruses.
their hungers.
their softness.
their cravings for touch.
to be
a
man.
is the thing
that closes their light.
and
eats their eyes.
– him
there is you and you.
this is a relationship.
this is the most important relationship.
– home
i am not yours.
i did not make the long hard journey through and across
the spirit world
to be a man’s ocean.
my body is not yours.
my mouth is not yours.
my water is not yours.
nothing i am belongs to you.
unless i decide
to
open my hand
and
give it to you.
– birthmarks
i have always been the woman of my dreams.
you are not a mistake. you are too many exquisite details to be a mistake.
i fell apart many times.
so.
what does that say about me
besides
i live through
wars.
i think one
of the most pathological
things i have ever seen
is
stabbing
someone
and
then telling them that
their
pain and anger
over being stabbed
is
making you sad.
– white guilt
‘i love myself.’
the
quietest.
simplest.
most
powerful.
revolution.
ever.
–ism
The book was greatly blunt & straight-forward and absolutely beautiful & alluring. It was both heartbreaking and breathtaking.
I read it four times and I am pretty sure I will be re-reading it again and again. you just don't get tired of reading these words.
Here are some of my favorite parts:
my
english is broken.
on purpose.
you
have to try harder to understand
me.
breaking this language
you so love
is my pleasure.
in your arrogance
you presume that i want your skinny language.
that my mouth is building a room for
it
in the back of my throat
it is not.
– i have seven different words for love. you have only one. that makes a lot of sense.
i want more ‘men’
with flowers falling from their skin.
more water in their eyes.
more tremble in their bodies.
more women in their hearts
than
on their hands.
more softness in their height.
more honesty in their voice.
more wonder.
more humility in their feet.
– less
stay is a sensitive word.
we wear
who stayed
and
who left
in our skin forever.
– sojourn
my whole life
i have
ate my tongue.
ate my tongue.
ate my tongue.
i am so full of my tongue
you would think speaking is easy.
but it is not.
– for we who keep our lives in our mouths
men give birth, too.
to children.
to longings.
to dreams.
that they must hide.
their stomachs.
their uteruses.
their hungers.
their softness.
their cravings for touch.
to be
a
man.
is the thing
that closes their light.
and
eats their eyes.
– him
there is you and you.
this is a relationship.
this is the most important relationship.
– home
i am not yours.
i did not make the long hard journey through and across
the spirit world
to be a man’s ocean.
my body is not yours.
my mouth is not yours.
my water is not yours.
nothing i am belongs to you.
unless i decide
to
open my hand
and
give it to you.
– birthmarks
i have always been the woman of my dreams.
you are not a mistake. you are too many exquisite details to be a mistake.
i fell apart many times.
so.
what does that say about me
besides
i live through
wars.
i think one
of the most pathological
things i have ever seen
is
stabbing
someone
and
then telling them that
their
pain and anger
over being stabbed
is
making you sad.
– white guilt
‘i love myself.’
the
quietest.
simplest.
most
powerful.
revolution.
ever.
–ism
October 30, 2016
Not my cup of tea.
I've set the bars too high for this book because of its numerous positive reviews and for its interesting subjects such as the African culture, love, motherhood, race, self-empowerment and womanhood. I must say, there were a handful of pieces that were good, but most of her poems were lacking deeper meaning. It did touch others hearts, but not mine...
July 31, 2017
Ugh. I really need to read some good writing after reading this and milk and honey. This slightly better than m&h, but not by much, it has more integrity and conviction, at least.
The two are similar, I can see why the plagiarism claims exist. But honestly, they're mainly similar because the ideas are really superficially worked out, there's no metaphor, there's confusion, lots of feelings and no mastery.
They both fall back on using poetic imagery that makes no sense and has no discernible resonance at the worst of times, and is on the nose and obvious at the best of times.
There's something quite egotistical in the writing of both these poets, they're turned inward too much.
I don't want to be too negative about this book and milk and honey, but it's hard. I respect their experiences and lives as WoC. I'll say they have some talent, as compared to the general population, but they haven't developed it much. I read this stuff and it reminds me of my Livejournal entries when I was 15. This is just not good writing, it's only just passable as poetry. And at the worst of times reads like a tumblr post generator.
This is just a spontaneous review as I'm trying to get into the habit of writing them more.
Now to find some good literature. Holy hell.
The two are similar, I can see why the plagiarism claims exist. But honestly, they're mainly similar because the ideas are really superficially worked out, there's no metaphor, there's confusion, lots of feelings and no mastery.
They both fall back on using poetic imagery that makes no sense and has no discernible resonance at the worst of times, and is on the nose and obvious at the best of times.
There's something quite egotistical in the writing of both these poets, they're turned inward too much.
I don't want to be too negative about this book and milk and honey, but it's hard. I respect their experiences and lives as WoC. I'll say they have some talent, as compared to the general population, but they haven't developed it much. I read this stuff and it reminds me of my Livejournal entries when I was 15. This is just not good writing, it's only just passable as poetry. And at the worst of times reads like a tumblr post generator.
This is just a spontaneous review as I'm trying to get into the habit of writing them more.
Now to find some good literature. Holy hell.
May 17, 2019
I dislike giving low ratings, especially for poetry, but this one, although it contained some hits, there were also quite a lot of misses. I'd heard pretty positive things in regards to this, and I was expecting so much more. Maybe that was the problem. It was excessively overhyped.
There were some that stood out to me, but not in the sense of blowing me away. Here are a couple;
"Why can we never
talk
about the blood.
the blood of our ancestors.
the blood of our history.
the blood between our legs."
"When I am afraid to speak
is when I speak.
that is when it is most important."
I found that there were many one liners, such as this;
"Are your eyes blushing?"
For me, I can obviously understand how eyes blush, but lines like these doesn't make this book wonderful, as I know that Waheed has demonstrated her talent somewhat more expressively, earlier on in the book. There is potential for Waheed to become a great poet, but Salt, definitely doesn't do her talent justice.
There were some that stood out to me, but not in the sense of blowing me away. Here are a couple;
"Why can we never
talk
about the blood.
the blood of our ancestors.
the blood of our history.
the blood between our legs."
"When I am afraid to speak
is when I speak.
that is when it is most important."
I found that there were many one liners, such as this;
"Are your eyes blushing?"
For me, I can obviously understand how eyes blush, but lines like these doesn't make this book wonderful, as I know that Waheed has demonstrated her talent somewhat more expressively, earlier on in the book. There is potential for Waheed to become a great poet, but Salt, definitely doesn't do her talent justice.
January 11, 2017
you.
are your own
standard of beauty.
–mirror work
One of my many favorite parts of this beautiful, powerful, moving poetry novel.
are your own
standard of beauty.
–mirror work
One of my many favorite parts of this beautiful, powerful, moving poetry novel.
August 16, 2016
It still amazes me that how can words have such an effect on us. Words, "Such a simple word yet a complicated one. Some words can destroy you, some can heal you, some can change you, some can break you"
This book was utterly beautiful, yeah it is Beautiful, Amazing I must say. Because never once Poetry played with this force with my heart and mind. I am not a huge fan of poetry. But yet this book, this gem made me a fan of it. I was always wary of picking any Poetry book but now whenever I found a good potential Poetry book I won't wait for anything and pick it up in a blink just by remembering my experience with salt..
These are some of the poem which hit home like nothing else.
what
massacre
happens to my son
between
him
living within my skin
drinking my cells
my water
my organs
and
his soft psyche turning cruel.
does he not remember
he
is half woman.
~My whole life
I have
ate my tongue.
ate my tongue.
ate my tongue.
I am so full of my tongue
You would think speaking is easy.
But it is not.
___ for we who keep our lives in our mouths.
i think one
of the most pathological
things i have ever seen
is
stabbing
someone
and
then telling them that
their
pain and anger
over being stabbed
is
making you sad.
"white guilt"
“i bleed
every month.
but
do not die.
how am i not magic.
– the lie”
This book was utterly beautiful, yeah it is Beautiful, Amazing I must say. Because never once Poetry played with this force with my heart and mind. I am not a huge fan of poetry. But yet this book, this gem made me a fan of it. I was always wary of picking any Poetry book but now whenever I found a good potential Poetry book I won't wait for anything and pick it up in a blink just by remembering my experience with salt..
These are some of the poem which hit home like nothing else.
what
massacre
happens to my son
between
him
living within my skin
drinking my cells
my water
my organs
and
his soft psyche turning cruel.
does he not remember
he
is half woman.
~She asked
'you are in love
What does love look like'
to which I replied
'like everything I've ever lost
come back to me.'
~My whole life
I have
ate my tongue.
ate my tongue.
ate my tongue.
I am so full of my tongue
You would think speaking is easy.
But it is not.
___ for we who keep our lives in our mouths.
~I don't pay attention to the world ending.
It has ended for me
many times
and began again in the morning.
i think one
of the most pathological
things i have ever seen
is
stabbing
someone
and
then telling them that
their
pain and anger
over being stabbed
is
making you sad.
"white guilt"
" what i never
learned
from my mother
was that
just because some desires you.
does
not mean they value you.
desire is that kind of thing that
eats you
and
leaves you starving.
-- the colours of low self esteem. "
“i bleed
every month.
but
do not die.
how am i not magic.
– the lie”
November 9, 2023
A wonderful collection that both stirs and heals the heart. Filled with wisdom, regret, hope, and romance, Salt is a protective and illuminating lesson, to learn from the past, to appreciate ones pain and pleasure alike, for it is only through both that we can grow and heal, even excel. Intimate and thoughtful, flecked with sorrow and joy alike.
May 27, 2017
Not really my thing 🤷🏼♀️
January 14, 2018
Wow, I did not expect this. This type of poetry isn't really my thing, but some of these were so powerful they almost brought tears to my eyes.
Some themes present in this book:
colonisation
being African American
racism
bisexuality
feminism
body positivity
motherhood
writing
heartbreak
love
Some themes present in this book:
colonisation
being African American
racism
bisexuality
feminism
body positivity
motherhood
writing
heartbreak
love
January 26, 2018
Words need not be plenty to pour your heart out. In Salt, Nayyirah Waheed has spilled out her heart and soul in brief, succinct poems. I stumbled across one of her poems on Instagram and can't say enough on how glad I am to have found out about this book.
The words in here are inspiring, enlightening and simply stunning. They would make you reflect and yearn, would make you angry but would also make you love yourself a little bit more and maybe, just maybe, hit you right where you least expect it to.
I'll quote a few favorites below.
getting yourself together.
what about undoing yourself.
– the fix
healing
begins
the moment
you
want it to.
– time
you
see your face.
you
see a flaw.
how. if you are the only one who has this face.
– the beauty construct
where
you are.
is not
who
you are.
– circumstances
my whole life
i have
ate my tongue.
ate my tongue.
ate my tongue.
i am so full of my tongue
you would think speaking is easy.
but it is not.
– for we who keep our lives in our mouths
she asked
you are in love
what does love look like
to which I replied
like everything I've ever lost
come back to me.
The multitude and depth of emotions expressed in these few lines can only be comprehended when you give this a chance. Recommended if poetry is your thing and also if you're okay with freestyle writing.
The words in here are inspiring, enlightening and simply stunning. They would make you reflect and yearn, would make you angry but would also make you love yourself a little bit more and maybe, just maybe, hit you right where you least expect it to.
I'll quote a few favorites below.
getting yourself together.
what about undoing yourself.
– the fix
healing
begins
the moment
you
want it to.
– time
you
see your face.
you
see a flaw.
how. if you are the only one who has this face.
– the beauty construct
where
you are.
is not
who
you are.
– circumstances
my whole life
i have
ate my tongue.
ate my tongue.
ate my tongue.
i am so full of my tongue
you would think speaking is easy.
but it is not.
– for we who keep our lives in our mouths
she asked
you are in love
what does love look like
to which I replied
like everything I've ever lost
come back to me.
The multitude and depth of emotions expressed in these few lines can only be comprehended when you give this a chance. Recommended if poetry is your thing and also if you're okay with freestyle writing.
February 7, 2017
A good collection of poems about love, healing, harsh realities, self empowerment, feminism, travel etc. The poems are in variety. They're complex, deep, raw and heartfelt though some of them are quite hit or miss to me. Still, it's a good poetry book.
April 25, 2014
i knew
read
sonia sanchez.
nikki giovanni.
audre lorde.
before
i ever even
heard the name
charles bukowski.
finally,
a proper education.
— the order affects us, nayyirah waheed
read
sonia sanchez.
nikki giovanni.
audre lorde.
before
i ever even
heard the name
charles bukowski.
finally,
a proper education.
— the order affects us, nayyirah waheed
January 19, 2019
1.5 stars!
Honestly, I am disappointed.
While I liked the topics of the poems, I don't think the author elaborated them enough. The majority of them felt superficial despite the personal experiences and memories Waheed put into them.
In addition, they didn't make me feel much besides the auhor's rage and frustration. She's right to get angry because of what happened, but then came this poem and kind of ruined everything for me:
"white people are not chinese.
because they are born/live in china.
white people are not indian.
because they are born/live in india.
white people are not african.
because they are born/live in a continent they
murdered their way into.
- there is no such thing as a white african /
colonial blood myths/ a revisionist of history" (p.53)
I mean what am I supposed to do of that? I am not a fan of generalizations and for me, this is racism. How does the poem cited above go along with this one?
"being in love with my people
does
not mean i hate others.
how ridiculous is that.
- self" (p. 143)
Reading some of those poems did indeed make me feel hated and in my opinion, their message is really questionable - that's why I'm giving one star (plus a half star, because I liked some of the other poems).
Honestly, I am disappointed.
While I liked the topics of the poems, I don't think the author elaborated them enough. The majority of them felt superficial despite the personal experiences and memories Waheed put into them.
In addition, they didn't make me feel much besides the auhor's rage and frustration. She's right to get angry because of what happened, but then came this poem and kind of ruined everything for me:
"white people are not chinese.
because they are born/live in china.
white people are not indian.
because they are born/live in india.
white people are not african.
because they are born/live in a continent they
murdered their way into.
- there is no such thing as a white african /
colonial blood myths/ a revisionist of history" (p.53)
I mean what am I supposed to do of that? I am not a fan of generalizations and for me, this is racism. How does the poem cited above go along with this one?
"being in love with my people
does
not mean i hate others.
how ridiculous is that.
- self" (p. 143)
Reading some of those poems did indeed make me feel hated and in my opinion, their message is really questionable - that's why I'm giving one star (plus a half star, because I liked some of the other poems).
March 11, 2019
i am a quiet singer.
belki bir yılı geçmiştir, instagram hesabıma nereden gördüğümü bilmediğim ama çok beğendiğim bi' dizenin fotoğrafını koymuştum. Onu nereden bulduysam artık, dizeleri kimin yazdığını falan öğrenememiştim. O gönderiye sürekli bakarım ve her bakışımda bana daha anlamlı gelir...
Ve roman okumaya sınır koymuş olan ben artık sıkıntıya girmişken bir şiir kitabı buldum ve bulduğum bu şiir kitabı var ya... o dizeler bunun içindeydi. Benim için ne kadar önemli bir andı, anlatamam. -->
there is peaceful.
there is wild.
i am both at the same time.
—sum
Bana kattığı hiçbir şey olmadı çünkü ben ırkçı pisliğin teki değilim. African-American şeylerinden Afrika'dan, siyah-beyaz şeylerinden çok bahsedilmişti ve cidden ben böyle şeyleri okumayı sevmem.. böyle bir ayrımın yapılması bile sinirimi bozuyor, bu ayrımın yapılmaması gerektiğini anlatan yazıları da okumayı sevmiyorum o yüzden.
Arada bazı satırlar iyiydi, yine her ^şair^in bahsettiği kendini sev- kendine saygı duy olaylarından bahsedilmişti... ve anlamsız bulduğum çok dize vardı. Cidden. Bazı şeylere gerektiğinden fazla anlam yükleniyor. Mesela your skin smells like light. i think you are the moon. çok gereksiz bir cümle. Sizce?
Çok iyi değildi işte. Sevmedim buraya yazdığım dizeler haricinde.
ps. yukarıda bahsettiğim şey yüzünden torpil geçtim o yüzden 2 yıldız dflkjdg
if someone
does not want me
it is not the end of the world
but
if i do not want me
the world is nothing but endings.
as a child
there was either
books
or
pain.
i chose books.some words build houses in your throat. and they live
there. content and on fire.
make sure
they have fallen in love
with
your spirit.
first.
your body.
second.i don’t pay attention to the
world ending.
it has ended for me
many times
and began again in the morning.
there
are
feelings.
you haven’t felt yet.
give them time.
they are almost here.
September 12, 2016
I tried to find out more about the author before writing this review, but the search came out empty. You could interpret this as the author wanting to be understood only through her works, it could be a simple desire to stay out of the limelight, or it could just be a nice marketing ploy.
Nevertheless, I did try to judge the author just through her work and I wasn't too impressed - and sometimes I actually didn't like what I found. Firstly, it's worth mentioning there is not much aesthetic value to the poems, although that can be excused by the book being a post-modern work. If you're not into that, then you're not going to like the rest either. Furthermore, there's not much value to the content of the poems themselves either.
While there are a handful of good poems in there, at least half is drivel, the kind of "insights" you'd get from facebook quote macros. I truly mean that, there are more than a few poems that are just a sentence long and have no deeper meaning whatsoever for any casual reader, much less for the experienced reader. Post-modern poetry needs more than a couple of epithets and the odd metaphor, and it should not read like a shopping list of emotions thrown together while riding the bus.
it was i who held you. when you wanted someone else
i am a dream still dreaming
i do not want to be liked. / i want to be myself.
These are a few examples of her amateur poetry. It reminds me of those "abstract" paintings in museums that are just canvases painted in a single color. A seemingly ignorant visitor would say "I could have done that". And it's true, both in that case, and in the case of many of her poems, because most are at such an amateur level that they're not worth publishing.
Now, to the second point I want to make. There are a few themes that most of the poems touch on - self-worth, motherhood, the empowerment of women, race, African culture and immigration. Again, most of the poems are dull and carry very few insights, but I want to focus on the latter three themes. What struck me most about those poems was the misplaced anger. I understand the author is an immigrant of African descent, and while I can understand the ill feelings someone can carry about the European colonization of Africa, I can't excuse how the author turned the anger and misfortune into actual racism.
She has one poem where she seemingly addresses that:
being in love with my people / does / not mean i hate others. / how ridiculous is that.
However there are several poems where she does just that, while talking about decolonization (getting the white people out of Africa), the ignorance and arrogance of white people, their hate and so on. Judging an entire culture or race by the ignorance of few is not helping her cause, it just seems she's trying to fight racism with her own racism. I don't think the author even notices the irony of talking about decolonization while being an immigrant herself. She focuses so much on the misfortunes of the past, and the ill-will of the European colonization of Africa, that she fails to see the big picture of the modern global society. It's fine to be proud of your heritage, but it's not fine to dismiss other cultures as inferior. If the same book had been written by an American about the "ignorant African" it would cause an outrage and it would not even reach publishing. There can't be progress towards equality when one only sees things in black and white...
A book whose marketing superseded its actual value. Skip it.
Nevertheless, I did try to judge the author just through her work and I wasn't too impressed - and sometimes I actually didn't like what I found. Firstly, it's worth mentioning there is not much aesthetic value to the poems, although that can be excused by the book being a post-modern work. If you're not into that, then you're not going to like the rest either. Furthermore, there's not much value to the content of the poems themselves either.
While there are a handful of good poems in there, at least half is drivel, the kind of "insights" you'd get from facebook quote macros. I truly mean that, there are more than a few poems that are just a sentence long and have no deeper meaning whatsoever for any casual reader, much less for the experienced reader. Post-modern poetry needs more than a couple of epithets and the odd metaphor, and it should not read like a shopping list of emotions thrown together while riding the bus.
it was i who held you. when you wanted someone else
i am a dream still dreaming
i do not want to be liked. / i want to be myself.
These are a few examples of her amateur poetry. It reminds me of those "abstract" paintings in museums that are just canvases painted in a single color. A seemingly ignorant visitor would say "I could have done that". And it's true, both in that case, and in the case of many of her poems, because most are at such an amateur level that they're not worth publishing.
Now, to the second point I want to make. There are a few themes that most of the poems touch on - self-worth, motherhood, the empowerment of women, race, African culture and immigration. Again, most of the poems are dull and carry very few insights, but I want to focus on the latter three themes. What struck me most about those poems was the misplaced anger. I understand the author is an immigrant of African descent, and while I can understand the ill feelings someone can carry about the European colonization of Africa, I can't excuse how the author turned the anger and misfortune into actual racism.
She has one poem where she seemingly addresses that:
being in love with my people / does / not mean i hate others. / how ridiculous is that.
However there are several poems where she does just that, while talking about decolonization (getting the white people out of Africa), the ignorance and arrogance of white people, their hate and so on. Judging an entire culture or race by the ignorance of few is not helping her cause, it just seems she's trying to fight racism with her own racism. I don't think the author even notices the irony of talking about decolonization while being an immigrant herself. She focuses so much on the misfortunes of the past, and the ill-will of the European colonization of Africa, that she fails to see the big picture of the modern global society. It's fine to be proud of your heritage, but it's not fine to dismiss other cultures as inferior. If the same book had been written by an American about the "ignorant African" it would cause an outrage and it would not even reach publishing. There can't be progress towards equality when one only sees things in black and white...
A book whose marketing superseded its actual value. Skip it.
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