Happy November!

November out here Novemberin’, ya’ll. These last few years, we’ve dealt with cold-ish weather showin’ up late and lazy in December. Welp, not this year!

Anywho…

I wanted to share my top 3 favorite poetry books of 2021. I’ve read the below collections at least 3 times this year. Ya’ll know I had to share ‘em. If any of the below collections, sound interesting, support the authors and review their books!

Every time I read Yasmine Brown’s collection, I ended up listening to early Drake songs, H.E.R’s early songs and Erykah Badu (Think, Baduizm) . I’m wondering if that was intentional. *Side eyes Yasmine*
Got mofos in they feelings and shit….all down memory lane too. I see you, Yasmine!

Let Me Take Y'all Back

By: Yasmine Brown

Realness, grit, love, passion and sharp visuals. I loved how Yasmine refused to sprinkle her lines with honey. She writes in a way that allows me to connect with her, especially pages 27 and on. Even down to something as simple as a bike…the story that she poetically paints with it is marvelous. I loved how deeply I connected with her poem about her bike. It seems like girls like us have that story. When I can relate and connect with the majority of poems in a collection, it will stick with me for awhile. Let Me Take Ya’ll Back definitely stuck with me for awhile.

In Menstruation she writes:

Who’s punching bag am I?

Tell eve I need a meeting with her.

I don’t understand why I’m paying for her rotten apple mistakes.

Chile…

Like…the way these cramps be tryna jump us while we’re simply minding our business…

Anyway, the former church girl in me loves the biblical reference. The light hearted and humorous undertone allowed me to realize that I’m not alone when it comes to the rudeness of “cramping season”

In Girls Bathroom, Yasmine writes:

Your tears of joy cost me knives plunged in my back

Your giggles caused me wounds that won't heal.

When I initially read this line, it struck a nerve. I’ve had a good friend and…this was our relationship. Thankfully, I let them go and wish them the best from the distance. Nevertheless, I left this piece reflecting on a few things.

The Invisible Bridge

Yuni D

In Pray for You, Yuni was in her element. With all the wordplay and witty lines, I left like I was getting the entire summary of her writing style. Her one-liners and micro poems are everything. Mightily short and sweet, she speaks on heart matters in a minced way that many may be to nervous to articulate. She got ya’ll.

How could almost everyone who I’d do anything for,

have the least amount of respect for me?

or

I don’t give a fuck if we are together 10 years, consent is still required.

I appreciated their straightforward lines, boldness, and authenticity. Yuni’s poetry reads as though she is giving access to readers to her heart. She’s not too pensive on metaphor and abstract lines. It’s almost as if it’s intentional. Like she’s saying: I want every message to be clear without the symbolism.

I respect that. Especially being that she uses wordplay, double entendre, internal rhyming, and a fresh flow.

Before and By Now

Larry Stansbury

So….

When I read:

Your pink lips were on fire to my full lips.

You put sugar in my candy, and

I could taste all the sweetness out of you.

I thought, you descriptively passionate son of a fish!

I adored Larry’s collection. The poem on page 26 was my favorite. It read 100% naked.  I believe vulnerability will help us all be more open to healing the parts of us we were told to be ashamed of. His section on masculinity made me smile. He gave space for men to be vulnerable, he challenged them to go against stereotypes and free themselves from society’s standards.

I loved this section too:

It’s terrible when you don’t invest in yourself.

Don’t deplete your time and energy.

When someone says they miss the old you,

They miss walking over you; they miss when you didn’t know your worth.

Alright, that’s all folks!

Click on the book titles to snag the above books. Read, cry, reflect, resonate and repeat.

Enjoy the rest of your November and listen to your parents about dem scarves and jackets. Stockings too!