Poem Project: Explore these works to feed your muse

For this week’s installment of NaPoWriMo (National Poem Writing Month & National Poetry Month), we’re going to take a look at some great poets and some of their best work out there for inspiration.

Sarah Kay — Kay, a female poet widely known for her poem “Point B,” which was performed at a TED talk, has something for everyone. If you like to read about family, her poems “Point B” and “Brother” are the perfect poems for you. If you’re shocked by the beauty of nature, “Wildfire” and “India” are just your cup of tea. In love? Awesome, check out “When Love Arrives,” a poem she wrote and performed with her best friend Phil Kay.

Andrea Gibson — Gibson is a poet who is mostly known for her poem “The Madness Vase,” but if you’re looking for something political, “Post Election Feelings” is the poem for you. Going through a hard time? “Angels of The Get-Through” will help you combat it. Feeling weird about everything going on in your life? “Jewelry Store” will be right up your alley.

Charles Bukowski — Bukowski was an American poet and short story writer, and a very popular poet at that. Some of his best poems are “the suicide kid,” “so you want to be a writer?” and “this kind of fire.” Bukowski is the poet to go through if you feel an existential life crisis coming on.

Shel Silverstein — Silverstein is an author and poet we’ve all grown up with and can still admire and love as teenagers and young adults. Some of my personal favorites include “Hug ’ O War,” “Invitation” and “Invisible Man.”