Take Me With You

by Andrea Gibson

Overview

A “surprising and powerful” (The Millions) book of poetry that’s small enough to carry with you, but full of messages big enough to stay with you—from one of the most quotable and influential poets of our time, the subject of the award-winning film Come See Me in the Good Light.

Just to be clear, I don’t want to get out without a broken heart. I intend to leave this life so shattered there better be a thousand separate heavens for all my flying parts.

In Take Me With You, Andrea Gibson explores themes of love, gender, politics, sexuality, family, and forgiveness with stunning imagery and a fierce willingness to delve into the exploration of what it means to heal and to be different in this strange age.

Illustrated throughout with evocative line drawings by Sarah J. Coleman, this book is divided into three sections: On Love, On the World, and On Becoming. Written in one-liners, couplets, greatest hits phrases, and longer-form poems, it has something for everyone, and is destined to be placed in stockings, lockers, and the hands of anyone who could use its wisdom.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780735219519
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	01/23/2018
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	4.20(w) x 6.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Andrea Gibson made a career at the forefront of the spoken-word movement. Gibson was the first winner of the Women’s World Poetry Slam and headlined prestigious performance venues all over the country and abroad. Gibson’s poetry focuses on gender norms, politics, social reform, and the struggles LGBTQ people face in today’s society. A devoted fanbase sees Gibson’s work as a rally cry to action and a welcome mat at the door of the heart’s most compassionate room. Born in Calais, Maine, Gibson lived for many years in Colorado and was named the state’s poet laureate in 2023. Andrea Gibson passed away in July 2025.

Read an Excerpt

***This excerpt is from an advance uncorrected copy proof***

Copyright © 2018 Andrea Gibson

 

 

 

 

 

I

On Love

 

 

 

Whenever, however, this ends,

I want you to know that right now,

I love you forever.

 

Just to be clear, I don’t want to get out without a broken heart.

I intend

to leave this life so shattered there better be a

thousand separate heavens for all my flying parts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If love did not exist

I would be so goddamn sane.

 

 

 

Maybe

I need you the way that big moon needs that open sea.

Maybe I didn’t even know I was here ’til I saw you

holding me.

Give me one room to come home to. Give me the palm of your hand.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Has your heart ever been a hoarder?

Mine has.

But mostly I don’t keep anything

but my word.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have never made a love potion that hasn’t blown up.

 

 

Today in the grocery store I found one of your hairs in my underwear.

I pulled it out in the frozen food section and screamed,

“That is so gorgeous it could kill a man.”

Good thing I’m a leprechaun.

Lucky, lucky.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It takes guts to tremble. It takes so much tremble to love, every first date is an earthquake.

 

I mastered the art of crochet and I crocheted her a winter scarf

and one night at the bar I gave it to her with a note that said something like “I hope this keeps your neck warm. If it doesn’t, give me a call.” The key to finding love is messing up

the pattern on purpose, is skipping a stitch, is leaving a tiny, tiny hole to let the cold in and hoping she mends it with

your lips.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Andrea Gibson and Take Me With You

“Surprising and powerful.”—The Millions

“Andrea Gibson's work is imbued with the unfettered honesty and beautifully rendered language that made them a pioneer in the spoken word community. Their work does not apologize for existing at the intersections. It holds complicated truths together and rejects the false choice of artist or activist. In many ways, my work is only possible because of theirs, and we are so fortunate that they continue to create art and put it out into the world.”—Clint Smith

“Gibson is a truly American poet, or rather, they represent the America I want to live in. Their work lights a candle to lead us where we need to go.”—Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz, author of Dr. Mütter’s Marvels

"Take Me With You provides readers a glimpse into their inner-musings in...bite-sized pieces.”—Queen Mob's Tea House

“Gibson does not just show up to pluck your heart strings. They stick around to tune them. If being floored is new to you, ya might want to grab a cushion. Whatever the opposite of fooling someone is, Andrea does that. Beware of the highway in their grace and the crowbar in their verse.”—Buddy Wakefield, author of Gentleman Practice

“Gibson’s work is at once deeply haunting and profoundly inspiring. Their words cut so sharply and completely they cannot be shaken. To call them one of the best poets is a gross understatement. They are a rare artist who forever changes those who experience their poems.”—Carlos Andrés Gómez, author of Man Up

“I have the luxury of being friends and working with some of the greatest writers out there today...love, love, love... poet Andrea Gibson.”—Tig Notaro

“Fans of Rupi Kaur need not look any further.”—Elite Daily

“Gibson contributes to an art raw in emotions, an art that delivers poignant messages on gender, spirituality, war, love, bullying, class. These words have the power to move and enlighten.”—Curve

“Gibson works to support the voices that are unspoken and unheard, by imbibing in them the faith that they are never alone.”—Eyezine

“Unique energy and charisma....Inspiring.”—Julie Marie Wade, The Rumpus

“Whether winning awards as an artist, breaking ground as an activist, or patching the wounds of their adoring fans' hearts through verse, Gibson has somehow managed to maintain their starry-eyed wonder at romance and their optimism about love.”—Outsmart

“Right when readers think it's okay to breathe, Gibson subtly deflates their lungs, and then blows air back into them with the poet's sincere vision of a better world.”—Jocelyn Marshall, Bellingham Review

From the Publisher