Rupi Kaur, R.H.Sin, R.M. Drake. If any of these names ring a bell, it’s most likely because you’ve witnessed their words, their quotes, their poetry that’s all nothing short of heart-quenching; standing out while scrolling on a medium saturated with sarcastic memes and scripted selfies.
But, don’t compare the talent and the depth of the written word to an app that, while can also be held accountable in contributing to the success and promotion of these potential or professional authors, shouldn’t always be spoken in the same sentence of a mogul responsible for everything that social media causes.
However, it is nearly impossible to neglect mentioning Instagram’s obvious impact on what we consider modern-day poetry. After all, works like Rupi Kaur’s Milk And Honey or R.H.Sin’s Whiskey Words And A Shovel are living proof that these quotes that are often only perceived for being captured as memes, are actually poetry composed in an anthology of books typically self-published by the author in their own e-book or print book.
It’s a new form of literature, so to speak, and even the way the words are written - typically just a few sentences or lines on one page of paper in a book - reflect the brevity and shortness of this new age communication; much like tweets, social media bios and the like that limit users to a maximum character/word limit. However, their ability to go viral shouldn’t be marketed as of any mainstream “sellout”. Don’t underestimate the originality and uniqueness of their own words as just “memes”.
The industry is evolving. Ever since I was little, I always dreamt of writing a book. At the end of fourth grade, my teacher predicted what each and every one of us would become when we grew up. Ironically enough, she guessed I would become a “fairy tale author”. While Ms. B wasn’t totally off, I have to commend her underlying faith in me that I carry to this day. I would still love to write a book, but alas the market is changing, and with everything going online, the prominence of e-books and self-publishing has only increased; but can never completely replace the laminate, glossy, hardcover bindings of a print book you can pick up and lie with on the couch or bed before you fall asleep.
I’m happy to say that this new trend of writing succinct quotes (while still challenging) - as opposed to the conventionally longer prose of books that require imagination and inspiration that I don’t consistently posssess - gives me hope in one day penning my own novel of poetry, quotes or anything else.
Saying that, here are some of my favourite quotes from my own words in the articles I write. I would, of course, also create new quotes and hope to, one day, compose my own book of quotes or “instapoetry”. Some of the quotes I’ve created and shared on my social media are also new quotes that aren’t from any of my articles, but stay tuned for more memes of these new quotes, and hopefully one day soon I’ll incorporate those - along with mostly never-been-released work of mine - in this book I aim to write.
1. "The world is a scary place, and looking it in the eye is one of the bravest things you can do." "Our Daily Fight With Anxiety...", The Huffington Post
2. "Maybe you were too young to remember, or you didn’t know better. Maybe torment is all you knew, and if it was, I am truly sorry for that." "To The Bullies Who Caused Us Pain, We'd Like An Apology", Thought Catalog
3. "Shouts back, writes down, proves everyone wrong and documents their wrongs. For the world to see, how empty they can really be. Is that them? Is that her? Is that me?" "Who Is She?", Medium
4. "Perhaps it’s because of guilt. Perhaps it’s because of fear. Perhaps it’s because of some innate desire to monitor the situation." "That Thing You're Obsessed About?...", The Huffington Post
5. "That’s when your “kindness” overcompensates and overrides into becoming codependency. That’s when helping people becomes your personality, your mission, your addiction." "This Is The Fear In Saying No To Others, And Yes To Yourself", Thought Catalog
6. "She thinks, it’ll all be over soon. If I just change, they’ll love me. Then maybe I’ll love myself too. Who does she want to be?" "Who Is She?", Medium
7. "Whether you must know who he’s dating or you’re just wondering who she’s talking to, we’ve all become very creepy. Think about it." "The Art of Creeping...", The Huffington Post
8. "Your almosts are practices, bringing you that much closer to what you may not know you want." "For Everyone Tired Of Never Being More Than An Almost?", Thought Catalog
9. "She used to build nature out of playdough. And give meaning to paper. This is who she is. This is who she is born to be." "Who Is She?", Medium
10. "When we treat women a certain way because of the way they look, the way their bodies are shaped, or just being the gender they are...we are teaching our daughters that this is all right, and that’s the last thing we need." "Trump Propaganda...", The Huffington Post