Andrea Gibson (1) (1975–)

i didn't realize that this was a collection of excerpts from their poetry. i am generally not a fan of excerpting or abridging. i'm also not much of a fan of the quippy font and the aphorism type collection. that said, this shows me that i want to read more of their actual work, as some of it, even out of context, really resonated.

"Just to be clear, I don't
want to get out without a
broken heart.
I intend
to leave
this life so
shattered
there
better be a
thousand separate heavens for
all my flying parts."

"They want you thinking you're
bad at being a girl instead of
thinking you're good at being
yourself. They want you to buy
your blush from a store instead
of letting it bloom from your
butterflies. They're telling you
to blend in, like you've never
seen how a blender works, like
they think you've
never seen the mess
from the blade."

"Even when the truth
isn't hopeful,
the telling of it is."… (meer)

I will never not give Andrea Gibson’s poetry 5 stars. The amount of highlights speak for themselves, I mean come on. The way they transcend time and space and queerness is what I strive to do as a writer. I feel so seen by their poetry in ways that I even try to keep hidden from myself. It’s as though they’ve read my inner thoughts and articulated them in a way I could only ever dream of doing. Even my girlfriend, who is not a fan of reading in general, likes their work because it goes beyond poetry. It’s visceral and visual and very very freaking good. Even if you don’t read poetry I recommend this book, no matter what you’re going through there is a poem, or at least a line that will speak to you.… (meer)