Discovering poet Nayyirah Waheed

Beautiful words, beautiful ideas...

“you broke the ocean in half to be here. only to meet nothing that wants you. – immigrant” 
― Nayyirah Waheed, Salt

“you
not wanting me
was
the beginning of me
wanting myself
thank you” 
― Nayyirah Waheed

“expect sadness
like
you expect rain.
both,
cleanse you.” 
― Nayyirah Waheed

“remember,
you were a writer 
before
you ever 
put 
pen to paper.
just because you were not writing 
externally. 
does not mean you were not writing
internally.” 
― Nayyirah Waheed

“Someone can be madly in love with you and still not be ready. They can love you in a way you have never been loved and still not join you on the bridge. And whatever their reasons you must leave. Because you never ever have to inspire anyone to meet you on the bridge. You never ever have to convince someone to do the work to be ready. There is more extraordinary love, more love that you have never seen, out here in this wide and wild universe. And there is the love that will be ready.” 
― Nayyirah Waheed

“When I am afraid to speak is when I speak.
That is when it is most important.” 
― Nayyirah Waheed

“i knew you
before
i met you.
i’ve known you my whole life.” 
― Nayyirah Waheed

“there have been so many times
i have seen a man wanting to weep
but 
instead
beat his heart until it was unconscious.” 
― Nayyirah Waheed

“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.” 
― Nayyirah Waheed

“creativity keeps the world alive, yet, everyday we are asked to be ashamed of honoring it, wanting to live our lives as artists. i’ve carried the shame of being a ‘creative’ since i came to the planet; have been asked to be something different, more, less my whole life. thank spirit, my wisdom is deeper than my shame, and i listened to who i was. i want to say to all the creatives who have been taught to believe who you are is not enough for this world, taught that a life of art will amount to nothing, know that who we are, and what we do is life. when we create, we are creating the world. remember this, and commit.” 
― Nayyirah Waheed