"I know
In order for her to love her first blood
She must see me loving mine"
I didn’t know I needed period poetry until this book. She Dreams When She Bleeds contains fifty something poems about first bleeds, rhythms, blood shed, warriors, rivers, beauty, gratitude and acceptance. It’s also available in Spanish as Ella Sueña Cuando Sangra: Poemas SObre La Menstruación.
Nikki Tajiri, the period poet, is an artist and poet who has written poems to her daughter, and to “all our newest menstruators”.
When interviewed by The Tom Co, she said “I wanted my poetry to communicate that just as we should unconditionally love and appreciate our bodies no matter the size and shape; we should love our menstruation regardless of its frequency, flow or pain”.
Her period poems are an ode to menstruation, and the rhythm of the cycle. She writes…
I’m now starting to notice
The climbing and the blooming
And then the cloaking and the nesting
Spring Summer Autumn Winter
If you’re looking for a lovely period read, or know someone new to periods, this book is one for them.
She Dreams When She Bleeds has recently celebrated its one year anniversary, and is actually Nikki’s first book. You can find her on Instagram and Tumblr.
ABOUT A PERIOD 