Being "A Bit Much" - Poems from Lyndsay Rush

Recently published in September of 2024 was a collection of Lyndsay Rush’s poems titled A Bit Much. Well known for her Instagram persona, @maryoliversdrunkcousin, her writings focus heavily on love and life with a unique perspective of the modern age, mostly with the Internet. Her Instagram popularity comes mainly from her easily digestible poetry that can be read in a quick scroll, often captivating readers such as myself because of their relatability and relevance to everyday life.

Being an online fan for years, I bought her book only weeks after it was published. While most of her poetry is available online, poetry is best in hard copy, where you can annotate it to shreds and make your own mark on the book. Through reading her poems, I wanted to share how she’s turned me back into loving poetry and writing my own.

In some ways, I always felt like writing poetry had to be some big, grand gesture that poured your soul out onto the page or had some deeper meaning to life. I’m not saying her poems don’t do this, but what is beautiful about her writing is the casual sense that feels like reading you or a friend’s notes app digressions while you’re sitting on the bus. Many of her poems read like lists, like her arguably most popular poem, “She’s a Bit Much.”

She’s a Bit Much

You mean like a bonus french fry in the bottom of the bag? Like a champagne shower? Like triple texting good news? Like buying coffee for the person behind you in line? Or did you mean “a bit much” like an unexpected upgrade to business class / or theme parties / or the band pretending to go off stage and then coming back for an unforgettable encore? Perhaps you were referring to that thing of being astonished by a sunset / or how puppies flop around when they learn to run / or the way some people take karaoke really seriously? Maybe you just meant sprinkles / confetti / balloon drops / witty comebacks / generous tips / fireworks / waterslides / serotonin / cherries on top / and the fact that maybe we were put on this planet simply to enjoy ourselves? Then yes, I agree — she is a bit much. Aren’t we so lucky she’s here?

In this poem while the prose may be fairly simple, it goes so much deeper into talking about perception of ourselves and others as well as the simple enjoyments of life that people seem to take much too seriously. Other poems follow similar patterns like, “It’s Called Maximalism, Babe,” where Rush goes into more on what could be considered “too much” and is often judged from others whether it’s the small things in life or something like all-consuming love.

What’s so beautiful about her poetry is that she takes the seemingly mundane, like taking out the trash or walking the dog, and turns it into something much bigger, which is learning how to appreciate the small moments in life. She takes these moments into very creative senses where she examines friendships and relationships through the eyes of the everyday, not even extraordinary in a sense. What she does with these moments is extraordinary because it takes you out of your routine thinking and allows you to see the beauty and poetry in every moment.

For pop culture lovers, writing lovers, and those looking to find their new poetry author/book, I highly suggest getting into Lyndsay Rush and the wonderful insights she brings to romanticizing your life, day by day.

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