Why I Can't Read Poetry.

Ysra Daley-Ward says:

If you're too afraid to write it, 

that's a good sign.

I suppose you know you're writing the

truth when you're terrified.

(From Bone)

For me, it's the opposite.  I'm too afraid to hear it.

For years now I have shied away from poetry.  Whether it's reading it, or hearing it, it makes me nervous.  I have purchased books by Maya Angelou, Nayyirah Waheed, Andrea Gibson ... they're all under my bed.

Poetry hurts me because I feel like the words read me more than I read them.  It's like they hear the things I've been trying to hide.  

When I read poetry, I want to cover my eyes.  When I hear it, I want to cover my heart.  I really want to know how it is possible for mere words to rip my exterior to shreds, and really reveal the person I am hiding underneath. 

I haven't read poetry for a while, but I want to start again.  I want to get to know myself again, and the words will show me the way.

xoxo, Jayy