A Poet Who Still Gives Me Chills
There are certain writers you carry with you.
Not just because of what they write, but because of how they make you feel when you read their words.
For me, Patricia Smith has always been one of those writers.
I’ve admired her for years.
Her voice, her honesty, the way she doesn’t shy away from anything real or difficult or deeply human.
But after sitting with her recent collection of poems, I can honestly say I admire her even more now.
There’s something about her writing that feels immediate.
Timely.
Powerful.
Unfiltered in a way that doesn’t feel forced, just true.
She has this ability to take a moment, sometimes a painful one, and place you right inside of it.
Not as an observer.
But as someone experiencing it.
One poem in particular has stayed with me.
Listening at the Door.
And even trying to describe it feels like I’m not doing it justice.
The way she captures the perspective of a child, witnessing their mother trying to escape a world of hurt… it gave me chills.
Real chills.
It felt like I was right there in the room.
Like I could hear everything.
Feel everything.
Understand something without it ever needing to be fully explained.
That’s the power she has as a writer.
She doesn’t just tell a story.
She places you inside of it.
And I think that’s what I’ve been sitting with the most.
How rare it is to come across writing that doesn’t just sound beautiful, but actually moves through you.
The kind of writing that lingers long after you’ve closed the book.
As a bonus, I wanted to share a visual piece connected to her work.
If you haven’t already seen “Incendiary Art,” it’s worth a watch.
It carries that same emotional weight, that same sense of urgency and truth that she brings to the page.
Lately, I’ve been thinking more about the kind of art I’m drawn to.
The kind that doesn’t try to impress, but instead tries to reveal something.
Something honest.
Something human.
Something we don’t always have the words for ourselves.
Patricia Smith does that effortlessly.
And I’m just really grateful for it.
A Thought to Leave With…
Who are your favorite poets right now?
Because I’m always looking for something that makes me feel the way her work does.
P.S. I love poetry. Poetry is life. More “poetry” here.
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