A hopeful and resilient poetry collection for unsettling times
Where Hope Comes From — Nikita Gill
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Where Hope Comes From by Nikita Gill
What It’s About
I had an entirely different pick lined up for this week, but after everything that’s been happening, I thought we could all use some hope. I first recommended this poetry collection way back in 2022, and I recently revisited it. I was delighted to find that different pieces spoke to me now than ones that did originally, and I loved seeing my old highlights and notes from my first reading. It’s a collection I’ll read again and again when I find that the world is too dark and scary.
Nikita Gill wrote many of these poems and illustrated them during the original 2020 COVID-19 lockdown. And I, like many people, am a bit burnt out reading about the lockdown. However, these poems provided so much hope and relief that I was not expecting, and in a time many of us need this feeling—need to know that others are out there experiencing this too—I thought it was the perfect time to share this book.
The collection is about loneliness and the pandemic, but it’s also about hope, love, family, and resilience. I marked down so many beautiful passages that my copy looks like it’s been through six separate college classes, and I’ll share just a few of my favorite lines.
Take heart that you have managed
to rebuild yourself a thousand times
after every bad day.
Knowing that we’ve all been struggling and having some bad days helps when you know that it’s okay to have those days, and that they, too, eventually pass.
Another favorite I marked:
Remember that you do not need to earn
your right to the precious minutes you have
on this planet. They are already yours . . .
I particularly loved this one, commenting on how we deserve love and happiness and the right to exist, just as we are, no strings attached.
Why You Should Read It
I know not everyone is a poetry reader. I’m not, either, really. But I’d challenge you, if you’re in a reading slump, a life slump, or looking for something to push yourself a little bit, to try Where Hope Comes From. It’s easy to read, not daunting like poems you may have read in the past, and easy to take pieces of it for what you need it for.
Tons of readers participate in the Sealey Challenge, where they read one book of poetry per day through the month of August (giving you time to prepare, in case you’re up for the challenge!). I urge you to read just one collection, branching out of your comfort zone, and highly recommend this one.
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I think you gave me a copy of this ages ago and it's been in my "ooh, this sounds nice, I'll read this next" pile since then. But you're right—we all need a little book of hopeful poetry right now.