“I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you simply, without problems or pride: I love you in this way because I do not know any other way of loving but this, in which there is no I or you, so intimate that your hand upon my chest is my hand, so intimate that when I fall asleep your eyes close.”
Poetry is an art form that is immaculate and pristine: it is appealing to the many creative and genius minds of readers who enjoy the spark of life that is found in poetry’s brevity. Poetry can make emotions come to life, whether it be the homesickness a college student experiences, the tight embrace from the spiral of thoughts and doubts the anxious people experience, or the comfort of the crying and sobbing of our pain. Poetry can speak volumes to the silent people in their ways and can describe the love and pain people wish to let go of. If you are starting on reading poetry for the first time, here are some recommendations to the five best poetry books that you should be reading right now:
- Plainwater by Anne Carson
Celebrated poet Anne Carson has taken on her gift of imagination and eloquence into a book that seeks to engulf the reader in its intimate and personal story. Carson reenacts interviews and monologues of famous poets such as Mimnermus and Stesichorus, constructs pictures and images of towns and cities, and delves into the elusive and slippery flow of water. This book is a fantastic introduction to the world of poetry due to its creative invention and witty knowledge presented to the readers.
2. Soft Science by Franny Choi
“Soft Science” by author Franny Choi is a poetry collection that mixes science fiction with the language of technology, femininity, sexuality, and identity. It aims to define the meaning of humanity and identity and questions how humans see themselves and the world around them and the many possible realities they can see in their minds.
3. When My Brother Was An Aztec by Natalie Diaz
Natalie Diaz’s “When My Brother Was An Aztec” takes on the author’s experience of being a Native American woman and her brother’s experiences and journey through addiction in a book that is praised for its evocative imagery and its lyrical words. The poems infuse mythology and personal experiences and explore her brother’s adventure and the bonds of the family through their struggles. Diaz can bring emotional truth and light into reality and rouse imagery that inspires readers’ minds. This book is an excellent and perfect example of personal and emotional poetry that one should read at least once in their lifetime.
4. Life on Mars by Tracy K. Smith
Winning the 2012 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry and titled in The New York Times’s list of the “100 Notable Books of 2011”, Tracy K. Smith creates a heartbreaking and raw poetry collection that is an elegy to Smith’s father, who worked on the Hubble Space Telescope as an engineer. The book deals with the significant losses and failure of humanity’s limitations and many people’s discoveries throughout the years. It talks about the depths and doubts of human knowledge and asks unanswerable questions, which is the beauty of “Life On Mars.”
5. Jaime’s Inspirations: Poems from the Heart and Mind
Jaime P. Fidler writes from the heart as she explores the many intense emotions that one experiences through life’s joyful and painful times. The book aims to empathize and understand the reader’s feelings through the art of poetry and is an impressive read for new readers who are starting in the world of poetry.
Alex Writes 