salt. Kindle Edition

This book of poems (mostly micropoems) and prose poetry is utterly breathtaking. I read it in a single sitting and wanted to read it again and again. nayyirah waheed has taken the unique experience of being an African-American woman and written poems that cut incredibly close to the bone as a mixed Asian-American poet. The grief of diaspora and nonbelonging, the raw open softness of pain, the crystal clarity of the words, hurts like prodding a bruise I carry. And then the next poem is a soft wash of ocean water reminding me that healing in a violent world is a radical act and the lancing of the wound is the beginning of healing from the pain and transforming it before it goes septic in the heart.What has been done with such tiny poems is breathtaking. They are whole cosmos exploding with meaning. Every poet interested in the micropoem form should read this refined, intense collection, which reflects topics as diverse as racism, childhood abandonment, bisexuality, gender, African-American identity, trauma and healing, writing, and love poems, all kinds of love, both bitter salt and honey sweet. It is one of the most accomplished collections I've ever read, far more than much of the collections by authors far more famous. At any price it is a masterclass lesson in form, as well as a deeply moving series of intimate essays. It's not easy. It's not spoon-fed. It is incredibly beautiful and will challenge non black readers, while also offering catharsis to some people of color, especially black women.I haven't been this impressed with a poetry collection in a long time. I can't wait to see what is next from waheed and her poetry.

One of my favorite book.The way she speaks to my soul. I recommend this book!

I used to say I was glad to live after Pablo Neruda lived so I can enjoy his work. With one poem, "i have seven different words for love. you have only one. that makes a lot of sense," I now say that I'm glad to live at the same time as Nayyirah Waheed. Her work says what we've been thinking in the best, most beautiful way possible. My heart gushes over each page. She's beautiful, clever, and encouraging. She's just what the world needed right now.

“I love myself’thequietest.simplest.mostpowerful.revolution.ever.-ismThe work by Nayyirah Waheed in her debut poetry collection Salt is necessary. It is a love letter. It is a map for the solitary journey of self-love for young and young at heart women of color. It provides the words that we have always needed to hear and from someone who looks like us. Nayyirah’s poetry is succinct, sweet, and dripping with softness. It expresses the type of raw, aching vulnerability that people yearn for.I discovered Nayyirah Waheed’s poetry on social media like much of her fan base. I saw it everywhere, being reblogged, retweeted, reposted by fellow lovers of words and fell in love. After finding her profile on Instagram, at the time bursting with her poetry and beautiful interpretations of her work from her followers in the forms of photography and art, I was immediately sold. I purchased this collection, Salt, and her follow-up collection Nejma along with another collection that she recommended personally, Bone by Yrsa Daley-Ward, all at once and devoured each of them word by word.Salt is a wonder, unfolding layer upon layer of gentle but critical commentary about race, diaspora, masculinity, and womanhood, and finally, freedom, all in deliberate form. The poetry in Salt comes together as a courageous body of work that dares readers to be eternally soft. These words have the ability to heal and affirm. This collection has been a regular part of my self-care since I picked it up last year. I am grateful for Salt and its familiarity and resonance.  Anyone who reads her work will find a piece of themselves right in front of them. If it is possible to find a home in a poem, surely it is here. As she so eloquently puts into a poem titled “you”, “listen to my poems. but do not look for me. look for you”Thank you Nayyirah.

I'm sort of pre-emptively rating this a 5, because this is a book I have yet to finish. The poetry is alive, the words with a depth that I have not often found in the works of other authors. Because of this, I find that I usually cannot read through more than a handful of these works at a time, being forced to stop and reflect and put the book down because the images are not easily dismissed.Hopefully I remember to update this review when I finish it - which I will, I'm certain - but for now, I LOVE IT.

This book made me angry, nod my head in agreement, cry, laugh, smile. I experienced all of the emotions with one book of poetry. I love the commentary on black issues, love, family. I really like her poetry style, it's very unique and keeps me turning the page. It want to take all the poems in the book, blow them up, and line my walls with her words so that they comfort and motivate me.

from wiki: "Humans, like all life, need a supply of salt in order to simply survive. Salt's ability to preserve food was a foundation of civilization. It helped to eliminate the dependence on the seasonal availability of food and it allowed travel over long distances. However, salt was difficult to obtain, and so it was a highly valued trade item to the point of being considered a form of currency by certain peoples."like salt, nayyirah's raw, brutal, beautiful art nourishes and restores, brings out the flavors of humanity that i have banished or forgotten. helps me to remember, forgive, claim, and celebrate. her work is a touchstone for a more authentic and honorable civilization. gifts like this are rare, and so worth the wait.