This Christmas, my Aunt got me a book that I've been dying to own since the moment it's release was announced. This book is titled "Eighteen Years" and it's by one of my all time favorite poets, Madisen Kuhn . I've been following Madisen Kuhn and her poetry for quite some time. It started with seeing her poem "Who Are You Really?" After reading it, I found myself re-reading it over and over and over. The way the words would float from stanza to stanza. Or the way the words tied together one big picture–a picture that many people fail to see. When you read one of Madisen Kuhn's poems, it's reading your feelings in a series of words that you could never find yourself able to put together. She captures beautifully what it's like to journey through love, loss, figuring out who you are and finding your way through life. Her poems are real and full of raw emotion. And you can't help but feel inspired by her work. And while I just received this book yesterday, I've already read through it twice. Here are a few of my favorite poems from "Eighteen Years!"

1. favorites

ask me who my favorite artists are

ask me what my favorite season is

ask me where my favorite memories lie

ask me where I’d love to go,

what I’d love to see,

why I cut my hair the way I do,

who I desire to be

I want you to ask me these things

because perhaps

my answers will make you

fall in love with me

I surely fell in love with you

whilst you were listing off

your favorites

2. everything but

you fell in love with

late nights and soft kisses,

holding hands,

phone calls ending in

"i love you more."

you fell in love with

someone knowing you

as well as you know yourself,

being seen when you

thought you were invisible,

comfortableness

you fell in love with

sparkling short fights

and make-up "i love you"s,

silent car rides and

quiet understandings

but you did not

fall in love

with me

3. notice me

i want to be noticed

by a stranger with tender eyes

i want to be seen, biting my lip

or pushing my glasses

up the bridge of my nose

i want to be thought of days later

wondered about who i am

and what i hold dear

i want to be noticed

as much as i notice

because i see them

and they see me

to them,

i am just another face

but to me,

they are a mysterious masterpiece

4. i. haiku

you can either let

it eat you up inside, or

you can conquer it

5. awakening

i long for a life i have control of

i want a space of my own, decorated

with photos that hold nice memories,

soft pillows, and scented candles

i want shelves filled with books of

adventure and poverty

i want to wake up every morning

excited for what is to come

i want to look up at the sky

and feel the sun warm ym face

i want to go on long walks and hikes

and feel healthy and strong

i want to feel productive and satisfied

i want to take more photographs

and take up new hobbies

i want to become friends with

more interesting people

who will tell me stories about

places i've never been

i want to feel alive

6. crush

i'm too shy

to tell you

how i feel

so i'll hide behind

timid smiles

and soft hellos

i'm afraid

if i ask you

"what do you think of me?"

your reply will be

"i don't."

7. unrequited

someone fell in love with

my eyes

when they lit up because of you

a grin like that

makes me weak

in the knees

too bad you're smiling

at her, not me

8. truth

i think the world

would be a nicer place

if we stopped pretending

we knew everything

about everyone

9. you noticed me

this feeling of ecstasy, it blooms inside of me

sparks like fireworks

spread throughout my limbs

my hands quiver and

my heartbeat quickens

i want to run through

endless fields and shout

into the emptiness

because all of the sudden,

i am not invisible

10. cosmos

i am a celestial body,

orbiting a star

my eyes are telescopes

if you look into them

you can see

all my constellations

of thought

i harbor rivers and

oceans of aspiration,

i hold forests of curiosity,

deserts and islands

of loneliness,

cities of anticipations

not everyone takes the time

to look, to see me,

but

you do

11. i can't wait to meet you

sometimes i think about

how you woke up this morning

and brushed your teeth

i wonder how you like your coffee,

if you even like coffee at all,

and if you read the newspaper

why am i wasting my time

letting all these people

that don't really matter

break my heart?

when you're out there

somewhere

living your life and wondering

where i am

i know you're out there

and you're waiting for me too

12. talk is cheap

maybe

the most helpful thing

you could say

is not meant to be said

with words

13. the lotus flower

you can either

keep yourself up at night

wondering

"why me?"

you can hind under your covers

and tell everyone

you're wrong and you'll

never be right

or you can see all this

heartbreak

pain

conflict

imperfection

as an opportunity

to emerge from the concealed depths

to the gleaming luminescence

and become stronger

it is your choice to decide

whether to drown in your troubles

or to courageously survive

because the harder the struggle

the more spirited you become in the end

"the deeper the mud

the more beautiful the lotus blooms."

14. you will always be good enough

if you feel unsatisfied

with you (you) are,

destroy the bits

you don't like in yourself,

(will) yourself to keep fighting,

because there is (always)

a chance to make things better

instead of completely destroying

who you could (be)

"(good) things come

to those who wait,"

but sometimes time is

not (enough) to cure the

overwhelming aching feeling

that keeps you in bed

on sunny days

you have to fight to be alright

it may not be easy,

but it's worth it

so look at all of the weight the world holds

that's waiting for its chance to crush you,

and say "today, i am going to be okay."

15. searching

life is full of searching

searching for someone who appreciates you,

who understands each deep thought

that fills your mind and holds your hand

even when those thoughts are unclear

we search for light in dark places,

hoping that things aren't truly as

grim as they appear to be

we search for time and consequently

waste it in the process

so often we spend days and months

and years searching for something

we think will steady our hearts

step back and take a moment

to inhale and exhale with eyes closed,

and the one thing that will bring forth

pure joy will become clear, it will

stand out and beckon for your attention

you then have a choice:

either pretend you can find a light

more satisfying and continue to search

blindly for something that will never appear,

or look at the love and hope you've found,

and put your faith and trust in the

most brilliant light you'll ever see

why would you keep searching

for stars in the shadows

when there's already a sun

shining in your sky?

16. breathe

Don't forget to get away every once in awhile,

To lose yourself in a book

Or in the woods behind your home

Ride your bike into the sunset,

Sit on your front steps and count the cars passing by,

Lay on your room and gaze up at the night sky,

Drive along backroads with the windows rolled down

Listening to nothing but the sound of rushing wind

I hope you take the time to be alone,

To sort through the cluttered shelves of your heart

I hope you take the time to be silent,

To close your eyes and just listen

I hope you take the time to be still,

To quiet your mind and experience the beauty

Of simply Being

17. memories

it's strange to think

you will only remember me

as the person i was with you

you'll never learn of my new habits,

nor will i ever come to know yours

i won't get to watch you grow,

see you become strong,

heart about all of your new

adventures and revelations

no, i am only left

with who you were

we're both frozen in time

in each others' memories

18. see you there

i think we still exists

somewhere in the universe

behind the sun

where all of earth's abandoned

soulmates go to rest

i think i can see us

when i look up at the sky

and squint directly into

the rays of light,

your brown eyes burning

into mine

i think we are together

in the time that trails behind

the present, dancing

in circles until the last stars

fizzle out

i think that our promises seeped into the soil, like

february rain, our souls sown

together, tucked in

beneath the world

i think what we had is

somewhere just out of reach.

pulsing in the dim spaces

between heat lightning

and although, in this lifetime,

we became nothing but shadows,

monsters that linger on bedroom walls

we are there, we are alive,

and we are still in love.

Order yourself a copy here, you won't regret it!