For Women Who Are ‘Difficult to Love’ – From the Poet Behind Beyoncé’s ‘Lemonade,’ Warsan Shire

“You are terrifying and strange and beautiful…”

If you didn’t know about Warsan Shire before, there’s a good chance you’ve heard of her now – since her words were featured on Beyoncé’s Lemonade.

This prize-winning British-Somali poet is credited for film adaptation and poetry for Lemonade, and her words took the Internet by storm as interludes between songs on the headline-making visual album.

But Shire was widely recognized before now, and her admirers are growing in numbers worldwide.

Here’s one poem of hers that you don’t want to miss. This video, directed and produced by Andrea Cortes-Juarbe and Christine Mehr, features Warsan Shire’s piece “for women who are difficult to love.”

If you’ve ever been called “difficult to love” by yourself or others, you’ll recognize the powerful emotions in this poem – and we hope it also helps you recognize the supportive kind of love you deserve.

With Love,
The Editors at Everyday Feminism

To learn more about this topic, check out:

• 6 Unexpected Ways I’ve Healed From Gaslighting Abuse and Learned to Trust Myself Again
• What We’re Missing When We Don’t Prioritize Self-Love

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Warsan Shire is a multi-talented Somali-British writer and teacher. She was born in Kenya, but immigrated to the UK at the age of 1. Shire is acclaimed for her poetry, the most famous of which is titled “For Women Who Are Difficult To Love.” She is the author of two poetry collections: 2011’s Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth and 2015’s Her Blue Body. For Beyoncé’s LEMONADE HBO special, Shire adapted several of her poems to the screen. The poems were narrated by Beyoncé and featured throughout the film. Among other accolades, Shire was named the 2013-2014 Young Poet Laureate of London and received the African Poetry Prize.