“Poems come as they will. They come as they want when I’m waking, eating, exercising, chatting with someone. Sometimes they come to me as a whole, sometimes a line. I think it’s one of the ways my soul communicates with me, I do my best to sit down and listen.”

At the young age of 11, Nayyirah Waheed wrote her first poem for a community newspaper, an assignment given to her by her English teacher. This sparked a previously unknown passion within Waheed, a form of self-expression that she has since continued, growing into a powerful and inspirational poet and artist.

Waheed has published two books of poetry, ‘salt’ in 2013, and ‘Nejma’ in 2015. Initially, her poetry was criticized for not abiding by some of the traditional rules associated with poetry, but she now has a loyal following across her social media accounts and her poetry is being studied in classrooms around the world. Covering deep and sometimes controversial topics including identity, love, feminism, and race; Waheed’s poetry touches its readers on a deep and personal level.

Here are 15 examples of Waheed’s incredible artistry.

Interested in reading more? She can be found both on Instagram and Facebook, or visit her website.

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

7. 

8. 

9. 

10. 

11. 

12. 

13. 

14. 

15. 

All of the images you see here can be found on her Facebook page by clicking here.

The post 15 Short Poems That Will Speak Volumes to Your Soul appeared first on Educate Inspire Change.