Words of a Goat Princess

By Jessie Reyez

Words of a Goat Princess is the USA TODAY bestselling debut poetry collection about life's struggle and triumphs from Grammy-nominated and JUNO-award winning songwriter Jessie Reyez.


 


With the authenticity and heartbreaking relatability that her fans know and love her for, Reyez brings the breadth of her lived experience to the page as few recording artists can. At times ethereal and visceral, these 43 poems are carefully painted moments that expertly explore love, loss, and identity with an artistry that leaps off the page with every turn.


Through this collection of poems and stories, Jessie Reyez shows that she is more than a pop performer, she is a true artist whose star knows no limits.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Oct 17, 2023
• ISBN: 9781524892517

Jessie Reyez

Multi-Platinum and award-winning recording artist, songwriter, and electric live performer Jessie Reyez was born in Toronto, Canada to Colombian immigrants and raised between both worlds. Linguistically and culturally fluid, Jessie has always had music as a universal grounding point. Taught guitar by her father at a young age - Jessie would explore various means of expression from instruments to voice to dance.  In a banner career thus far, Jessie released two critically acclaimed EPs and two albums and has collaborated with renowned artists including Sam Smith, Dua Lipa, Eminem, Romeo Santos, Calvin Harris, Carlos Vives, REIK, 6lack, Normani, Kehlani, Koffee, and JID amongst many others. Her EP Being Human In Public was nominated for a Grammy for Best Urban Contemporary Album and her debut album Before Love Came To Kill Us charted Top 5 on Billboard’s R&B Album Chart amassing over 1.2B global streams. In addition, Jessie penned Calvin Harris and Dua Lipa’s global hit “One Kiss” which reached #1 on several charts in both the US and the UK.  Jessie has won 5 Juno Awards, made a cameo in Beyonce’s Black is King visual album and has received high praise for all her bodies of work from the New York Times, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, Vogue, Highsnobiety, Billboard, Variety, and Complex, amongst many others and has performed on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Late Night With Seth Meyers, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. In 2022, she performed at Coachella, had her Tiny Desk debut, opened on Billie Eilish’s Happier Than Ever world tour and took her sophomore album YESSIE on an international tour that spanned across 29 North American Dates and 11 dates in the United Kingdom and Europe. In 2023, she is preparing to support Sam Smith on GLORIA- the tour and is currently working on new music. 

Book preview

1.png

Words of a Goat Princess copyright © 2023 by Jessie Reyez. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of reprints in the context of reviews.

Andrews McMeel Publishing

a division of Andrews McMeel Universal

1130 Walnut Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64106

www.andrewsmcmeel.com

ISBN: 978-1-5248-9029-2

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023941395

Editor: Danys Mares

Art Director: Holly Swayne

Production Editor: Dave Shaw

Production Manager: Alex Alfano

Ebook Production: Jasmine Lim

ATTENTION: SCHOOLS AND BUSINESSES

Andrews McMeel books are available at quantity discounts with bulk purchase

for educational, business, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail the Andrews McMeel Publishing Special Sales Department:[e-mail].

Dedicated to my motherfucking self

CONTENTS

Introduction

PORTALS

TOPANGA CANYON

A GOWN

WOODS

SURPRISE

JAM

LEFT OUT

IDENTITY

SAD DRUNK HONEY EYES

WASTE

ONCE

BILLBOARD

PEACE

DIABLA

GOOD

STILL

PELADA

WOULD’VE

BITCH

GHOST

FOOTPRINTS

HAPPILY

M-SECTION

BUNNY

REBELS

PINK SkieS

STORAGE

SOME NIGHTS

PRETTY

A TRYING FAILURE

GRIP

Altruistic

ACID WHISPER

TIME

NIGHTMARE

PROTECTION

DAYS

ATOMS

STUCK

ICARUS

INDIFFERENCE

VIDA

A GOAT

Introduction

Life is just a series of ups and downs

Like the chest of a loved one while they sleep

Like the ridges and summits we cling to on the screen of a heart monitor

Where the advent of the flat line haunts us

And yet

We spend life chasing equilibrium

Chasing a higher frequency

Where the peaks and valleys aren’t as intense

Chasing Zen

Chasing peace

Chasing the flat line of the horizon

When in the end

The only thing we can really depend on

is knowing

that we are all heading there inevitably

To the flat line

To the fields of Eden

To peace

But before peace–

there is chaos

1

PORTALS

Every now and then I get a window amidst the hate

Whenever I see an old crumb that old love left behind

It acts like a tiny portal

Like the Lollapalooza sticker you gave me that I forgot to rip off my guitar case

And in those moments

In between the palpable disdain I have for you

As if in between an inhale and an exhale

I get a small peephole of nostalgia

And like the Big Bang

A little universe is born

And in that moment

I wish I could kiss every metaphorical bruise I ever gave you

In that moment

I take full responsibility and forget ever needing an apology from you

In that moment

I wish I could get back every night we ever wasted

And I wish I could take back every fight

And every I hate you

That I didn’t mean

But then time runs out

And the exhale drops

And the heartbeat of my disdain returns

And I feel as though a ghost