If You're A Libra, Here's The Poetry Collection You Should Read

You're probably no stranger to poetry if Libra is your sun, moon, or rising sign. You're a true aficionado of love, beauty, and balance. What else could we expect from the sign of the scales?

In their quest for balance and beauty, Co-Star Astrology warns that Libras "can be other people's mirrors," but have a hard time looking at themselves. Conversely, Libras are also incredibly empathic and feel "an intense amount of guilt and shame when they are unhappy," explains the outlet, because of the way their emotions can affect the people around them.

But Libra traits also can be the inspiration for great books and poetry. As InStyle points out, Libras are the "designers of the zodiac," looking to balance chaos with beauty, especially if it's through art. Just look at the works of Oscar Wilde, Rupi Kaur, bell hooks, Rumi, or E.E Cummings, who are only a few legendary Libras, per The Famous People.

Reading and writing poetry are two different skills, though, and it's easy to get caught up in the beauty of the words and ignore their deeper meaning. But the scales aren't the symbol for Libra just because of their love of balance. With how multifaceted and well-cultured Libras are, introducing them to something they haven't heard about before isn't easy, but we're up for the challenge.

It's no surprise when we find out our new favorite Instagram influencer was born under Libra. That's because, as Co-Star Astrology explains, people with their sun in Libra are typically the cool-hunters, always in tune with the people and aesthetics around them. These are the "visionaries," says InStyle, who are equal parts social butterfly and hopeful romantic. This is probably because Venus, master of love, beauty, and art is Libra's ruling planet.

What would be surprising is if you haven't read Anne Carson before. In a profile in The New York Times, Carson is described as "ancient" and "otherworldly," which might be what you would expect from someone who is both a scholar and professor of classics. If you're looking for something to shake you to core the way her "Autobiography of Red" did, you need to pick up "Nox" next.

Listed as one of Literary Hub's best poetry collections of the last decade, "Nox" is an artistic and academic exploration of her grief over the loss of her older brother. This collection blurs the line between book and art installation, as Carson lays bare how messy grief and creativity are. "A mourner is always searching for traces of the lost one," The New Yorker points out in their review of "Nox," adding that not only is the collection "as much an artifact as a piece of writing" but an important reminder that both Carson and her brother existed.

Just as it does the ocean tides, the moon can affect our moods and, when it comes to your astrological birth chart, it explains the hows and whys of your emotional landscape. With your moon sign being dependent on your birth date and time, this piece of your astrological puzzle slices closer to who you are internally explains Allure.

If your moon is in Libra, chances are you're calm and collected and take time to make decisions. Sometimes, AstroStyle points out, people mistake this need for time as indifference, but it's actually the exact opposite; you don't want to make the wrong choice, especially with how hyper-aware you are of other people's feelings. It's part of the reason why social justice issues matter to you so much.

You're probably already an avid reader of bell hooks and Rupi Kaur, both Libra writers whose work is equal parts empowering and beautiful. It's why you should pick up Morgan Parker's "There Are More Beautiful Things Than Beyoncé." Parker's second poetry collection, Bustle explains, is an exploration of what it means to be Black and female in a capitalist-ruled, sexist, racist society.

But don't mistake this for an essay collection structured like poetry, warns The Los Angeles Review. "Hers is a poet's labor," the outlet writes, adding that Morgan's work is "more broadly aesthetic and imaginative than any journalistic prose could be."

You need to know the exact time of your birth to calculate more than just the position of the moon on your astrological birth chart. Your rising sign, what Allure calls the "mask you wear for the world," is very specific to someone's birth time, since rising signs change every two hours (via The Cut).

If Libra is your rising or ascendant sign, you're probably the diplomat of your friend group who, as Allure points out, strives to make everyone happy. You're beautiful and otherworldly, just like the art you're drawn to. But with all of this time spent on making sure the world around you is peaceful and balanced, how much time are you spending on yourself? More specifically, on learning not just what you want but how to love yourself, too? 

Trendsetter that you are, you've probably already read Rupi Kaur's "Milk & Honey," but what about Nikita Gill's "Wild Embers"? Air breathes life into fire, but Gill's short but bold collection of self-love-inspiring poetry may be the spark you've been searching for. "Gill is especially interested in exploring emotions [in this collection]," Refinery 29 wrote in their review, adding that Gill doesn't shy away from other people's pain, but lays their emotions bare. 

Instead of reflecting Gill's emotions back to the page as you're so good at doing, Libra, let her work inspire you to turn the mirror on yourself.