Some people look for love in the worst places: with other people.

Now, this isn’t an anti-love blog post, but there is a constant theme of struggling to love that exists in the poetry books I’ve read in my lifetime. Loving another person is definitely complicated. But, as a member of the 2019 NYPL Poetry Committee, I've read poets who have definitely stumbled across a new form of love: Self-love.

As simple as it sounds, loving yourself can be considered almost automatic. But if you remember the 1990s, the common idea of being one’s "own worst enemy" was proof that self-sabotage was a thing. But not in 2019! Poets such as R. H. Sin, Robert M. Drake, Blythe Baird, Lang Leav, and Morgan Parker have decidedly (and poetically) given the readers some positive vibes about loving themselves.

 Love Looks Pretty on You by Lang Leav

While many of the poems in Leav's book do explain a struggle, there is a cycle of being able to overcome the struggle. Love Looks Pretty on You is simple, yet uplifting; however, it lacks the complexity of other books such as Magical Negro by Morgan Parker and If My Body Could Speak by Blythe Baird. By complexity, I mean strong imagery, syntax, and use of other literary elements.

While most books are free verse, Leav’s poetry is more in the form of prose: "Don't stay where you are needed. Go where you are loved." While many will cringe at the lack of words and waste of paper of a one-liner on a single page, others may not fear the "deeper meaning" of poetry and just welcome the positivity.

Empty Bottles Full of Stories by R. H. Sin and Robert M. Drake

Sin and Drake's book is similar to Leav’s in that it’s not complex or difficult to follow. Empty Bottles Full of Stories is split into two parts, poems by Sin and poems by Drake.

Simply put, their poems are geared toward accepting yourself and moving on after difficult times.

 

If My Body Could Speak by Blythe Baird

Baird goes into detailed imagery of an eating disorder; the reader can see her crying into a bowl of Cocoa Puffs or loving the feeling of cold water on an empty stomach, yet she is able to say, after all that, "I am proud I have stopped seeking revenge on this body." 

Baird shared her hurt and healing with her readers, and this may have helped others struggling with the same issues.

 

Magical Negro by Morgan Parker

Parker weaves historical and pop culture references into her own personal experiences. In an interview with Poetry Foundation, Parker states her poetry is "truthful" and "not up for debate." 

Her experiences as a woman of color have brought forth a book of poetry that is not only lyrically and emotionally charged, but also empowering and thought-provoking for everyone who reads it.

 

While all these poets express self-love in different ways, their work is not a question of how they achieved it, but how they shared it with their audiences. How can you show someone how to love themselves? Show your struggle and say, "This happened to me and I was able to overcome it. You can too." Poetically, of course.