Last year, I was fortunate enough to discover a truly amazing writer through social media. Her words guided me through good times and bad, through heartbreak and love. It’s amazing how language is spread these days; we are able to connect with writers across the world through a few taps on our phones or a few clicks on our screens.

AVA was a poet that I came across while I was aimlessly scrolling through Instagram one day, and my life surely hasn’t been the same since. Her two books this is how you know i want you. and you are safe here. changed my life.

She has the ability to move you through words in a way that is unique and inspiring, and there have been many times when I have turned to her poetry to give my feelings life when I couldn’t find the words myself.
Here are some of my favorite poems from her book:

1.

“the opening,
the breaking,
the falling apart
is always so quick.

the hurting,
the healing,
the putting back together
is always too long.”

---

2.

“i am a body
that carries sadness
as if it is the only thing
that belongs there.

i forget that love
and warmth
and peace belongs there too.”

---

3.

“what is this need to please?

where did i learn to apologize
before i speak?

when will i learn to love
without giving myself away?”

---

4.

“i am finding myself.
i am allowed to take my time.”

---

5.

“i am a bleeding heart.
i am open arms.

i do not know how to be anything
other than this.”

---

6.

“how beautiful you are
for never giving up on yourself,
for just waking up
and choosing to get out of bed.

seeing you own your life
and be so willing
to face it
over and over again
is so powerful,
you make me believe
anything is possible.

you make me believe
in heroes again.”

---

7.

“everything i know about love
is that it hurts
and is almost always never returned
the way you want it to.

but i have hope
because i do not know everything.”

---

8.

“i felt my love
too deep,
complicated,
untranslatable,
unstable,
unrealistic,
too broken
for you.”

---

9.

“in the dream
there was no pain

for you
for me
for us

in the dream
i gave you love
and you put down your arms

in the dream
i gave you love
and you held it
and we had peace.”

---

10.

“do not let anyone in
until they love you so fiercely,
you have no defense against their love.”

---

11.

“you have been careless with your body.
you have left too much of you behind.

call all the pieces of you home.
collect them like flowers in your hands.
see how beautiful you are
when you are altogether.”

---

12.

“you have outgrown this skin.
stop trying to hold it in.
stop trying to hold it together.

let yourself break.”

---

13.

“this is growth
that is meant for you.

this is your becoming.

you are allowed to
take up all the space
you need.

you are allowed to
fill in all the corners
and flood the room.

don’t stop
until you are done.”

---

14.

“you wanted it all to make sense
and you wanted the most complicated answer
but the answer is simple.

just be.”

---

15.

“i do not know how to accept love
even though i keep giving it away.

i keep throwing it into people’s faces,
begging them to take it—

begging them to take
all of it away.”

---

16.

“you are not the story
they keep telling about you
over and over again.

you are not even the story
you keep telling yourself.

there are no lines
that can hold you.

there are not enough words
for all the more that you are.”

---

17.

“i will never understand why we attack people
that are different from us.

why are we so afraid of something
we don’t know?

why do we approach people with fear
instead of love?

why do we insist on holding onto prejudices
rather than onto each other?”

---

18.

“remember
you are capable
of the most powerful thing
in the universe.

you are capable of love.”