“when you meet that person. a person. one of your soulmates. let the connection. relationship. be what it is. it may be five mins. five hours. five days. five months. five years. a lifetime. five lifetimes. let it manifest itself the way it is meant to. it has an organic destiny. this way if it stays or if it leaves, you will be softer. from having been loved this authentically. souls come into. return. open. and sweep through your life for a myriad of reasons. let them be who. and what they are meant.”
Nayyirah Waheed is a contemporary American poet known for her concise, emotionally potent, and introspective style of writing. Her poetry often explores themes such as identity, race, love, self-healing, womanhood, migration, and the complexities of the human experience. Waheed is a reclusive figure who rarely gives interviews or appears in public, and she has gained prominence largely through social media, where her poems are frequently shared and quoted. Despite her preference for privacy, her words have resonated widely, particularly with younger generations and marginalized communities seeking empowerment and affirmation.
Waheed’s most notable works include two self-published poetry collections: salt. (2013) and nejma (2015). Both books exemplify her minimalist aesthetic. Her poems are often just a few lines long, yet they carry a striking emotional and philosophical weight. The structure of her writing is unconventional: she often uses lowercase letters, avoids traditional punctuation, and relies on spacing and line breaks to create rhythm and emphasis.
One of Waheed's strengths is her ability to distill deep truths into compact, memorable phrases. Her work is frequently described as "Instagram poetry" or "bite-sized literature," but such labels belie the depth and complexity of her messages. Many of her poems focus on the process of healing and reclaiming oneself in the face of trauma and societal injustice. Her words often act as affirmations or meditations—intimate, honest, and piercing.
Here are a few examples of Waheed's poetry that illustrate her style and thematic concerns:
“you broke the ocean in
half to be here.
only to meet nothing that wants you.”
— salt.
This poem touches on the immigrant experience, referencing the sacrifices made to seek a better life, only to encounter hostility and alienation. It’s a powerful encapsulation of displacement and the pain of not belonging.
“if someone
does not want me
it is not the end of the world.
but
if i do not want me
the world is nothing but endings.”
— salt.
Here, Waheed delves into the importance of self-love and self-acceptance. The message is simple but profound: the foundation of one’s well-being is not in external validation, but in the relationship one has with oneself.
“my mother was
my first country.
the first place i ever lived.”
— salt.
This line blends personal memory with a broader commentary on identity and origin. The metaphor of the mother as a country evokes feelings of belonging, loss, and nostalgia—experiences shared by many who grapple with issues of diaspora or familial disconnection.
Waheed’s writing is often categorized under the umbrella of "healing poetry" or "therapeutic literature," but it also functions as a quiet form of activism. Her focus on Black identity and womanhood provides a voice to those often left on the margins of mainstream poetry. Her refusal to conform to literary norms is, in itself, a statement—asserting the validity of alternative forms of expression and storytelling.
Waheed has been both praised and critiqued for her style. Detractors argue that her work lacks complexity or formal rigor, while her supporters counter that her spare language is deliberate, designed to strip away artifice and reveal raw emotional truths. In a world overwhelmed by noise and distraction, Waheed’s poetry offers clarity and focus—each poem a moment of stillness, reflection, or resistance.
In the realm of modern poetry, Nayyirah Waheed stands out not just for her distinct voice, but for her ability to speak directly to the hearts of readers. Her words serve as both mirror and balm, capturing the ache of survival and the joy of self-discovery. As she writes in one of her most quoted lines:
“be easy.
take your time.
you are coming
home
to yourself.”
This is the essence of her poetry—a gentle but firm reminder that wholeness begins within.
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