this is the story i want in your hands, these are the words i want you to keep, the words i want to be yours as much as they are mine. this is my heart, my soul. this is what i want you to know: that you are seen and loved, known. that you don’t have to carry what doesn’t belong to you: the pain, the shame, the tears. that the sun will rise tomorrow, and hope along with it.
Gaby Comprés is an educator and poet from Santo Domingo who was born in 1996. Inspired by nature, people and her own experiences, she has been writing poetry since March 2014. Her work has been published in several magazines, including Grafted Magazine and Majesty. She published her first poetry collection, A Song of Bravery, in March 2015, at the age of eighteen. Her second collection, the words i want you to keep, was published in June 2017. When she is not writing, she is reading and thinking about writing. Her most recent collection is titled ‘if you ever read a poem’, published in July 2018.
You can find Gaby on Instagram and Twitter at @gabywrites, where she tries not to overshare her poetry.
favorite book i've ever written (so far). i love this book because it is so different from my first one. i love my first book, but i love this one more. it is more honest and real. it shows how much i've grown since A Song of Bravery came out. it is true to who i am, and to who i want to be for those who read this book. this book is not afraid. it is not afraid to shine, it is not afraid to give hope and light to those that choose to read its pages. this book is my heart. i hope that in it, you find words to keep.
Damn, this was just what I needed as I'm currently going through some major life changes and feeling a bit overwhelmed with it all. Good read if you need some positive uplifting. The poetry was beautiful!
I’m going to buy this book for all my friends. I’m going to tell them to just open it and read a random page... and then, I’m going to tell them “These are the words I want you to keep, I love you.”
If you ever in need of a reminder of how special, beautiful, unique and awesome you are, a pep talk, or just a ‘note-to-self’... read this! All the answers you are looking for are just within you, one sometimes forgets, or just don’t want to see. But please, really see yourself, because I SEE YOU, and you are beautiful.
Side note: One time I was reading this while waiting in the bank, and I don’t know exactly what happened, maybe it was some of those days... Or maybe it was that I thought that I was reading exactly how I felt, or that it was written just for me or by me, it doesn’t matter... what matter is that I was crying I couldn’t stop my tears, also, I was in public and simply didn’t care. It was just what I needed. The words, awareness, the tears.
Really enjoyed reading this poetry collection, it was beautiful and so hopeful.
I did however felt at some times that the imagery used was repetitive and that it might have been a tad bit too cheesy (i love cheesy and i don't think it's a bad thing at all, but i couldn't shake this for some reason, might be my 'dark and twisty'-ness talking here.)
I'm proud and happy that DR has such a talented poet, I can't wait to see what Compres writes next.
If you ever doubt your worth, read this book. If you need more beauty in your life, read this book. If you feel like you aren’t beautiful or special or worth singing over—read this book. It will fill your heart with joy and your eyes with tears and your soul with hope. It is a thing of beauty, and so are you.
At the beggining of my read I was enjoying this book, full of so much self-love but after a few pages it became corny and repetitive, so repetitive... not only the theme but the phrases were repetitive, after that I couldn't enjoy the book and this is my dislike.
I could give another chance to the author, but not sure.
First I need to say that I'm not a fan of poetry but lately I've been reading a couple of different authors just to give it a chance so that's how I jumped into this book -and also because someone gave it to me on a gift exchange.
So I enjoyed this book pretty much, it's fresh, full of flowers and positive vibes, it was like the type of thing I would say and feel. I love to see more and more Dominicans showing their talent to the world.
while the poems here had a lot of repetition, this book still gets a 5 ⭐️ in my eyes because of its significance to me.
for my birthday this year, my best friend, anna, annotated every page of this book with comments, circles and underlines, song associations, and notes at the end of each poem talking about how it pertained to me. she filled each page as much as she could with messages for me inspired by these poems, reminding me of my worth and how loved i am by those around me, especially her. she reminded me of how special i am.
i have never cherished something more. this is more thoughtful than any gift i could’ve asked for, and more than i ever would’ve expected someone to do for me.
i would not have gotten this gift had this book not been written, so i love it dearly. it means the world to me and these poems will always hold a special place in my heart because of the thoughtful gift attached to them.
Una antología de poemas en español e inglés. La autora dominicana nos trae poemas de añoñamiento propio, que son un abrazo por medio de palabras. Además, algunos romanticones sin drama, simples e inocentes. Estos últimos han sido mis favoritos de todos los poemas romanticos que he leído (you had me at coffee☕ - aunque full-disclosure no he leído muchos).
Ñapa: "your heart is beating; / the music is already playing. / you just have to dance."
This is an amazingly lovely collection of poetry! I really enjoyed every single page of this book and would most definitely recommend it to any poetry lover like myself ❤️
I feel like I haven't given five stars to a poetry collection in a while, but wowwww this one just absolutely blew me away! Ever single poem was so beautiful and amazing and I found myself wanting to hold onto to each and every one because they made my heart soar. I just absolutely loved this collection so much!
if i could've highlighted every passage in this book i would've but that'd be unfair to the author. this was angelic, 100% brilliant. so uplifting. with all the grace and beauty you can imagine.
I have always loved to read but never had a favorite book, I don't think I'll ever choose but if I do. This will definitely be my favorite. It's so raw and real , it's refreshing , it's truth , it's words I want to keep. It's a must read for every person looking for reality. This book has been a ray of sunshine in my life. And not to tell how I got it , but Gaby you are a ray of sunshine. Thanks , waiting for more of this author.
The author of this book writes so beautifully and captures feelings that I would have never been able to put into words. Every page in this book is beautiful, and though I can't speak Spanish I know they are beautiful as well...even to look at! I recommend this book to anyone, reader or not, and guarantee you will be in your feelings at some point in this book. For me it started at about page 3. 💓
Stories: we all are stories, we are books longing for someone to look beyond our covers, and turn our pages and read the ink tattooed on them. we long to be seen, we want to be read and understood and loved, we are hoping to become poetry to those hearts that see us, something beautiful and unforgettable.
She Loves: she loves the music of the waves, and the poetry in music. she loves to feel free, to feel in love with life. she loves it when the wind gets tangled in her hair, and finding poetry in the sky she loves the light of the sun and of the stars. and she loves herself, the way she is: brave and scared, simple and complicated, with a soul so big she can't hide it.
all that you are: i don't want more than what you can give and i don't want to change your heart. all that you are, all that you'll be, is all i'll ever need.
I'm a lover of poetry since my beginning. But as every poet knows, some poems are better than others, and these poems are very good. Good as in: they touch the heart and soul, they speak to what is alive within and beneath. Thanks so much for sharing your talent and yourself in this book. For all those who think you can't read poetry, you can read these. If you think you can't understand poetry, these poems will know you. Please give this little book a try, you won't regret it.
I love reading poems that seem like they were written specially for me, and this book of poetry did that. I loved it and I also enjoyed reading the Spanish poems in this collection.
Todo aquel que necesita palabras de aliento, todo aquel que aprecie la naturaleza que el mismo Dios ha creado, todo aquel que busque una fuente de inspiración, recurra a éste libro, ¡de inmediato¡
I thought this was okay, but I found it a little repetitive at times and struggled to feel connected to it. I did enjoy the Spanish versions of some of the poems that were included.
Actual rating is 4.5 - some of the pieces/words got a bit repetitive.
So, I think I read this book at just the right moment; I'm not usually a fan of uplifting, inspirational, flowery poetry. I'm mostly a dark and twisty (Meredith Grey-esque) person. BUT, for whatever reason, I adored this. And now I really wish I'd taken Spanish in high school instead of French. Gaby Comprés is truly a young talent that I'm eager to watch.
My favorites from this collection were my Caribbean sea, your laughter // Rafa and Isa's song, and gold // para Lulu.
This book is simple, easy to read, but touching and very deep at the same time. Once I started to read it, I could not put it down! I was also surprised to see the Spanish poems - those were a plus! Great work Gaby! Looking forward to the next book!
there are no words for how at home and soft i felt in reading this collection. i am so looking forward to future work from this writer! i am truly captivated and enchanted!