Discover the profound beauty of self-love through inspiring poems that compare it to nature’s effortless grace. These verses invite you to nurture your inner self with the same gentle consistency as the moon pulls the tides, a practice you can explore further with unique gifts from inktasticmerch.com.
As the mother bird to the waiting nest,
As the regnant moon to the sea,
As joy to the heart that hath first been blest—
So is my love to me.
Sweet as the song of the lark that soars
From the net of the fowler free,
Sweet as the morning that song adores—
So is my love to me!
As the rose that blossoms in matchless grace
Where the canker may not be,
As the well that springs in a desert place—
So is my love to me.
This poem beautifully illustrates the natural, inherent quality of self-love, comparing it to fundamental forces of nature and life-sustaining elements. It suggests that our love for ourselves should be as effortless and vital as the moon’s pull on the sea or a rose’s bloom.
Daily Practice: Cultivating Inner Nurturing
- Reflect on the natural rhythms in your life – the sunrise, the tides, the seasons.
- Consider how you can mirror this natural, unforced presence in your own self-regard.
- Journal about simple acts that bring you a sense of deep, unearned joy, like the lark’s song or the morning light.
2. Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou
Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I’m telling lies.
I say,
It’s in the reach of my arms,
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It’s the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can’t touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them,
They say they still can’t see.
I say,
It’s in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
Now you understand
Just why my head’s not bowed.
I don’t shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing,
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It’s in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need for my care.
’Cause I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
Maya Angelou’s powerful declaration celebrates a self-assuredness that transcends conventional beauty standards. It speaks to an inner radiance, a unique presence that commands attention not through outward adornment, but through the confident embodiment of one’s authentic self. This poem invites us to recognize and honor the extraordinary qualities that reside within us, regardless of external validation.
How to Embody Phenomenal Presence
- Identify one aspect of your physical being that you appreciate, not for its perceived flawlessness, but for its unique expression.
- Practice walking with a sense of presence and groundedness, noticing the simple act of your feet touching the earth.
- Affirm to yourself, perhaps in the mirror, “I am a woman/person phenomenally,” allowing the words to resonate with your inherent worth.
3. Love After Love by Derek Walcott
The time will come
when, with elation
you will greet yourself arriving
at your own door, in your own mirror
and each will smile at the other’s welcome,
and say, sit here. Eat.
You will love again the stranger who was your self.
Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart
to itself, to the stranger who has loved you
all your life, whom you ignored
for another, who knows you by heart.
Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,
the photographs, the desperate notes,
peel your own image from the mirror.
Sit. Feast on your life.
This poem offers a profound vision of reconciliation with oneself, a gentle homecoming to the self that has always been present, often overlooked in the pursuit of external love. It suggests that true self-love is a rediscovery, an act of welcoming and cherishing the companion who has journeyed with us through every experience.
How to Reconnect with Your Inner Stranger
- Set aside time for quiet reflection, perhaps with a cup of tea or a simple meal.
- Look into a mirror and offer yourself a gentle, acknowledging smile.
- Consider writing a letter to your past self, acknowledging the love and resilience that carried you through.
4. The Invitation by Oriah Mountain Dreamer
It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing.
It doesn’t interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being alive.
It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon.
I want to know if you have touched the centre of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life’s betrayals or have become shrivelled and closed from fear of further pain.
I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it, or fade it, or fix it.
I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own; if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, be realistic, remember the limitations of being human.
It doesn’t interest me if the story you are telling me is true
I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself. If you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless and therefore trustworthy.
I want to know if you can see Beauty even when it is not pretty every day. And if you can source your own life from its presence.
I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand at the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, ‘Yes.’
It doesn’t interest me to know where you live or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up after the night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone and do what needs to be done to feed the children.
It doesn’t interest me who you know or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand in the centre of the fire with me and not shrink back.
It doesn’t interest me where or what or with whom you have studied.
I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away.
I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.
Oriah Mountain Dreamer’s “The Invitation” shifts the focus from superficialities to the profound depths of human experience. It calls for an authentic engagement with life’s full spectrum—our deepest longings, our most vulnerable sorrows, our unbridled joys, and our unwavering truth. This poem is an invitation to meet ourselves and others with radical honesty and courageous vulnerability.
How to Accept the Invitation
- Gently explore a cherished dream or longing you’ve held.
- Practice sitting with a difficult emotion without immediately trying to change it. Acknowledge its presence.
- Consider what truly sustains you from within, independent of external circumstances.
5. Self by James Oppenheim
Once I freed myself of my duties to tasks and people and went down to the cleansing sea…
The air was like wine to my spirit,
The sky bathed my eyes with infinity,
The sun followed me, casting golden snares on the tide,
And the ocean—masses of molten surfaces, faintly gray-blue—sang to my heart…
Then I found myself, all here in the body and brain, and all there on the shore:
Content to be myself: free, and strong, and enlarged:
Then I knew the depths of my self were the depths of space.
And all living beings were of those depths (my brothers and sisters)
And that by going inward and away from duties, cities, street-cars and greetings,
I was dipping behind all surfaces, piercing cities and people,
And entering in and possessing them, more than a brother,
The surge of all life in them and in me…
So I swore I would be myself (there by the ocean)
And I swore I would cease to neglect myself, but would take myself as my mate,
Solemn marriage and deep: midnights of thought to be:
Long mornings of sacred communion, and twilights of talk,
Myself and I, long parted, clasping and married till death.
James Oppenheim’s poem describes a transformative encounter with the self, discovered through a deliberate withdrawal from external demands and a deep immersion in nature. It speaks to the realization that our individual depths are connected to a universal consciousness, fostering a profound sense of belonging and self-acceptance. The commitment to be one’s own “mate” signifies a sacred, lifelong partnership with oneself.
Daily Practice: Communing with Self
- Seek moments of solitude, even brief ones, to connect with your inner landscape.
- Engage in an activity that allows you to feel fully present, whether walking in nature or engaging in a mindful hobby.
- Consider what it means to honor yourself as a cherished partner in your own life.
6. The Poet and His Song by Paul Laurence Dunbar
A song is but a little thing,
And yet what joy it is to sing!
In hours of toil it gives me zest,
And when at eve I long for rest;
When cows come home along the bars,
And in the fold I hear the bell,
As Night, the shepherd, herds his stars,
I sing my song, and all is well.
There are no ears to hear my lays,
No lips to lift a word of praise;
But still, with faith unfaltering,
I live and laugh and love and sing.
What matters yon unheeding throng?
They cannot feel my spirit’s spell,
Since life is sweet and love is long,
I sing my song, and all is well.
My days are never days of ease;
I till my ground and prune my trees.
When ripened gold is all the plain,
I put my sickle to the grain.
I labor hard, and toil and sweat,
While others dream within the dell;
But even while my brow is wet,
I sing my song, and all is well.
Sometimes the sun, unkindly hot,
My garden makes a desert spot;
Sometimes a blight upon the tree
Takes all my fruit away from me;
And then with throes of bitter pain
Rebellious passions rise and swell;
But—life is more than fruit or grain,
And so I sing, and all is well.
Paul Laurence Dunbar’s poem celebrates the quiet, persistent joy of self-expression, even in the absence of external recognition. It highlights the power of an inner song—a personal passion or creative drive—to sustain one through hardship and labor. The message is one of finding contentment and well-being by honoring one’s inner creative impulse, regardless of the world’s applause.
How to Honor Your Inner Song
- Identify a simple, personal act that brings you joy or a sense of fulfillment, even if it’s just for you.
- When facing challenges, recall this source of inner joy and allow it to offer solace.
- Practice expressing yourself creatively, whether through writing, art, music, or any other outlet, without judgment.
7. Myself by Edgar Albert Guest
I have to live with myself and so
I want to be fit for myself to know.
I want to be able as days go by,
always to look myself straight in the eye;
I don’t want to stand with the setting sun
and hate myself for the things I have done.
I don’t want to keep on a closet shelf
a lot of secrets about myself
and fool myself as I come and go
into thinking no one else will ever know
the kind of person I really am,
I don’t want to dress up myself in sham.
I want to go out with my head erect
I want to deserve all men’s respect;
but here in the struggle for fame and wealth
I want to be able to like myself.
I don’t want to look at myself and know that
I am bluster and bluff and empty show.
I never can hide myself from me;
I see what others may never see;
I know what others may never know,
I never can fool myself and so,
whatever happens I want to be
self respecting and conscience free.
Edgar Albert Guest’s poem emphasizes the paramount importance of self-integrity and authenticity. It’s a call to live in alignment with one’s deepest values, recognizing that the most crucial judgment comes from within. The desire to be “fit for myself to know” and “conscience free” speaks to a profound need for self-respect that underpins all external achievements and interactions.
How to Cultivate Self-Integrity
- Reflect on your core values and consider how your daily actions align with them.
- Practice honesty with yourself, acknowledging your true feelings and motivations, even when they are uncomfortable.
- Commit to small acts of integrity, choosing authenticity over pretense, even in seemingly insignificant moments.
8. Wild Geese by Mary Oliver
You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
For a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting —
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.
Mary Oliver’s “Wild Geese” is a profound offering of unconditional acceptance. It gently releases us from the burden of perfection and self-reproach, inviting us instead to embrace our authentic selves and connect with the natural world. The poem assures us that we are inherently part of a larger, interconnected web of life, and that our true place is already assured.
How to Embrace Your Place in the World
- Release the pressure to be “good” or performative acts of penance. Simply allow yourself to feel what you feel.
- Spend time in nature, observing its cycles and allowing yourself to feel a sense of belonging.
- Listen for the “call” of the world to your imagination, recognizing that you are an integral part of its unfolding beauty.
9. Invictus by William Ernest Henley
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.
William Ernest Henley’s “Invictus” is a powerful anthem of inner resilience and self-determination. Despite facing immense suffering and adversity, the poem declares an unyielding ownership of one’s spirit. It is a testament to the strength found within, the unwavering capacity to steer one’s own course, even when external circumstances are overwhelming.
How to Claim Your Inner Sovereignty
- Acknowledge a past or present challenge you have navigated with inner strength.
- Affirm to yourself, “I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul,” allowing the words to anchor you in your own power.
- Reflect on a time you chose courage over fear, even when your head was “bloody.”
10. My darling by Nikita Gill
You are not small.
You are not unworthy.
You are not insignificant.
The universe wove you from a constellation,
just so atom, every fibre in you comes from
a different star.
Together, you are bound by stardust , altogether
spectacularly created by the energy of the
universe itself.
And that, my darling,
is the poetry of physics,
the poetry of you.
Nikita Gill’s poem is a tender, cosmic affirmation of inherent worth. It reframes our existence not as accidental, but as a magnificent, star-spun creation. By connecting our being to the vastness and energy of the universe, it dismantles feelings of smallness and insignificance, revealing the breathtaking poetry of our very existence.
How to Recognize Your Cosmic Magnificence
- Gently hold the thought that every part of you is made of stardust.
- Affirm: “I am woven from stars. I am spectacular.”
- Contemplate the immense energy that created the universe and acknowledge its presence within you.
11. I Know My Soul by Claude McKay
I plucked my soul out of its secret place,
And held it to the mirror of my eye,
To see it like a star against the sky,
A twitching body quivering in space,
A spark of passion shining on my face.
And I explored it to determine why
This awful key to my infinity
Conspires to rob me of sweet joy and grace.
And if the sign may not be fully read,
If I can comprehend but not control,
I need not gloom my days with futile dread,
Because I see a part and not the whole.
Contemplating the strange, I’m comforted
By this narcotic thought: I know my soul.
Claude McKay’s introspection reveals a courageous act of self-examination, holding the soul up to scrutiny not to judge, but to understand. Even when the soul’s complexities remain partly veiled, the act of knowing and accepting it—even its mysterious aspects—brings a profound comfort and peace. This poem speaks to the power of self-awareness and the solace found in recognizing one’s intrinsic being, even when it is not fully deciphered.
How to Contemplate Your Inner Landscape
- Take a moment to gently observe your inner world, as if holding a mirror to your soul.
- Acknowledge that you don’t need to understand every part of yourself to accept and value it.
- Find comfort in the simple affirmation, “I know my soul,” allowing it to bring a sense of grounded peace.
12. Envy by Mary Lamb
This rose-tree is not made to bear
The violet blue, nor lily fair,
Nor the sweet mignionet:
And if this tree were discontent,
Or wished to change its natural bent,
It all in vain would fret.
And should it fret, you would suppose
It ne’er had seen its own red rose,
Nor after gentle shower
Had ever smelled its rose’s scent,
Or it could ne’er be discontent
With its own pretty flower.
Like such a blind and senseless tree
As I’ve imagined this to be,
All envious persons are:
With care and culture all may find
Some pretty flower in their own mind,
Some talent that is rare.
Mary Lamb uses the metaphor of a rose-tree to illustrate the futility of envy. The poem gently guides us to recognize that each being possesses its own unique beauty and gifts. By focusing on what we lack in comparison to others, we risk becoming blind to our own inherent qualities and talents, which, with care, can blossom into something rare and beautiful.
How to Release Envy and Cultivate Appreciation
- Identify a quality you admire in someone else and then explore if a similar seed of that quality exists within you.
- Reflect on the unique “flowers” or talents that grow within your own being.
- Practice gratitude for your own natural inclinations and abilities, recognizing their inherent value.
13. Today by Billy Collins
If ever there were a spring day so perfect,
so uplifted by a warm intermittent breeze
that it made you want to throw
open all the windows in the house
and unlatch the door to the canary’s cage,
indeed, rip the little door from its jamb,
a day when the cool brick paths
and the garden bursting with peonies
seemed so etched in sunlight
that you felt like taking
a hammer to the glass paperweight
on the living room end table,
releasing the inhabitants
from their snow-covered cottage
so they might walk out,
holding hands and squinting
into this larger dome of blue and white,
well, today is just that kind of day.
Billy Collins captures the sheer, unadulterated joy of a perfect spring day, evoking a sense of liberation and a desire to break free from constraints. The poem suggests that moments of exquisite beauty can inspire us to release what is contained, to open ourselves fully to the world and experience its wonders without reservation. It is an invitation to savor the present moment and allow its radiance to permeate our being.
How to Embrace Moments of Radiance
- Seek out simple sensory pleasures – the warmth of the sun, the scent of flowers, a gentle breeze.
- Allow yourself to feel the urge for freedom and expansion that such moments inspire.
- Imagine releasing something small that feels contained in your life, as a symbolic act of opening up.
14. The Journey by Mary Oliver
One day you finally knew
what you had to do, and began,
though the voices around you
kept shouting
their bad advice—
though the whole house
began to tremble
and you felt the old tug
at your ankles.
“Mend my life!”
each voice cried.
But you didn’t stop.
You knew what you had to do,
though the wind pried
with its stiff fingers
at the very foundations,
though their melancholy
was terrible.
It was already late
enough, and a wild night,
and the road full of fallen
branches and stones.
But little by little,
as you left their voices behind,
the stars began to burn
through the sheets of clouds,
and there was a new voice
which you slowly
recognized as your own,
that kept you company
as you strode deeper and deeper
into the world,
determined to do
the only thing you could do—
determined to save
the only life you could save.
Mary Oliver’s “The Journey” is a powerful narrative of courageous self-liberation. It speaks to the moment when one chooses to heed their inner calling, even amidst external resistance and the fear of the unknown. The poem offers solace by revealing that by stepping away from the clamor of others’ expectations, we can begin to hear our own voice and embark on the vital path of saving our own life.
How to Heed Your Inner Calling
- Identify a situation where you feel external voices are conflicting with your inner knowing.
- Gently practice turning inward, seeking the quiet whisper of your own truth amidst the noise.
- Commit to one small, brave step aligned with your inner guidance, even if the path ahead is unclear.
15. Song of the Soul by Kahlil Gibran
In the depth of my soul there is
A wordless song – a song that lives
In the seed of my heart.
It refuses to melt with ink on
Parchment; it engulfs my affection
In a transparent cloak and flows,
But not upon my lips.
How can I sigh it? I fear it may
Mingle with earthly ether;
To whom shall I sing it? It dwells
In the house of my soul, in fear of
Harsh ears.
When I look into my inner eyes
I see the shadow of its shadow;
When I touch my fingertips
I feel its vibrations.
The deeds of my hands heed its
Presence as a lake must reflect
The glittering stars; my tears
Reveal it, as bright drops of dew
Reveal the secret of a withering rose.
It is a song composed by contemplation,
And published by silence,
And shunned by clamor,
And folded by truth,
And repeated by dreams,
And understood by love,
And hidden by awakening,
And sung by the soul.
It is the song of love;
What Cain or Esau could sing it?
It is more fragrant than jasmine;
What voice could enslave it?
It is heartbound, as a virgin’s secret;
What string could quiver it?
Who dares unite the roar of the sea
And the singing of the nightingale?
Who dares compare the shrieking tempest
To the sigh of an infant?
Who dares speak aloud the words
Intended for the heart to speak?
What human dares sing in voice
The song of God?
Kahlil Gibran eloquently describes an ineffable inner melody, a profound truth that resides in the deepest core of one’s being. This “song of the soul” is not meant for outward performance or easy articulation but is understood through intuition, love, and quiet contemplation. It is a sacred, intimate expression that remains untouched by the clamor of the external world.
How to Listen to Your Soul’s Song
- Engage in quiet reflection, allowing thoughts and feelings to arise without judgment.
- Pay attention to subtle inner vibrations or a sense of resonance within your body.
- Recognize that the deepest truths are often felt rather than spoken, understood through the heart’s quiet knowing.
16. To You by Walt Whitman
Whoever you are, I fear you are walking the walks of dreams,
I fear these supposed realities are to melt from under your feet and hands
Even now your features, joys, speech, house, trade, manners, troubles, follies, costume, crimes, dissipate away from you,
Your true soul and body appear before me,
They stand forth out of affairs, out of commerce, shops, work, farms, clothes, the house, buying, selling, eating, drinking, suffering, dying.
Whoever you are, now I place my hand upon you, that you be my poem,
I whisper with my lips close to your ear,
I have loved many women and men, but I love none better than you.
O I have been dilatory and dumb,
I should have made my way straight to you long ago,
I should have blabb’d nothing but you, I should have chanted nothing but you.
I will leave all and come and make the hymns of you,
None has understood you, but I understand you,
None has done justice to you, you have not done justice to yourself
None but has found you imperfect, I only find no imperfection in you,
None but would subordinate you, I only am he who will never consent to subordinate you,
I only am he who places over you no master, owner, better, God, beyond what waits intrinsically in yourself.
Painters have painted their swarming groups and the centre-figure of all,
From the head of the centre-figure spreading a nimbus of gold-color’d light,
But I paint myriads of heads, but paint no head without its nimbus of gold-color’d light,
From my hand from the brain of every man and woman it streams, effulgently flowing forever.
O I could sing such grandeurs and glories about you!
You have not known what you are, you have slumber’d upon yourself all your life,
Your eyelids have been the same as closed most of the time,
What you have done returns already in mockeries,
Your thrift, knowledge, prayers, if they do not return in mockeries, what is their return?)
The mockeries are not you,
Underneath them and within them I see you lurk,
I pursue you where none else has pursued you,
Silence, the desk, the flippant expression, the night, the accustom’d routine, if these conceal you from others or from yourself, they do not conceal you from me,
The shaved face, the unsteady eye, the impure complexion, if these balk others they do not balk me,
The pert apparel, the deform’d attitude, drunkenness, greed, premature death, all these I part aside
There is no endowment in man or woman that is not tallied in you,
There is no virtue, no beauty in man or woman, but as good is in you,
No pluck, no endurance in others, but as good is in you,
No pleasure waiting for others, but an equal pleasure waits for you.
As for me, I give nothing to any one except I give the like carefully to you,
I sing the songs of the glory of none, not God, sooner than I sing the songs of the glory of you.
Whoever you are! claim your own at any hazard!
These shows of the East and West are tame compared to you,
These immense meadows, these interminable rivers, you are immense and interminable as they,
These furies, elements, storms, motions of Nature, throes of apparent dissolution, you are he or she who is master or mistress over them,
Master or mistress in your own right over Nature, elements, pain, passion, dissolution.
The hopples fall from your ankles, you find an unfailing sufficiency,
Old or young, male or female, rude, low, rejected by the rest, whatever you are promulges itself,
Through birth, life, death, burial, the means are provided, nothing is scanted,
Through angers, losses, ambition, ignorance, ennui, what you are picks its way.
Walt Whitman’s “To You” is a radical embrace of the inherent divinity and worth within every individual. He sees past the superficial layers of life—our jobs, our troubles, our appearances—to the luminous soul beneath. Whitman elevates the ordinary self to the extraordinary, proclaiming that each person holds a universe of potential and beauty, deserving of the highest praise and unconditional love.
How to Recognize Your Inherent Glory
- Gently set aside any judgments you hold about yourself or others for a moment.
- Consider the idea that your true self, beneath all external roles and appearances, is perfect and luminous.
- Affirm: “I am worthy of the highest praise and unconditional love, simply as I am.”
These poems remind us of the boundless power and beauty that resides within each of us, waiting to be discovered and celebrated. Continue your journey of self-discovery and inspiration by exploring more profound thoughts and affirmations in our collection of Inspirational Quotes.