In the end, Andrea Gibson’s heart was covered in stretch marks.
That was the way the Colorado state poet laureate, queer activist and internationally touring spoken-word artist said they wanted to leave this Earth — with a life full of love so big and enduring, it couldn’t be contained.
Gibson, 49, died early Monday morning in their Boulder home surrounded by their wife, four ex-girlfriends, their parents, dozens of friends and their three beloved dogs, according to an announcement on their Facebook page. They were diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2021.
The Facebook post from Gibson’s loved ones said one of the last things they said was, “I (expletive) loved my life.”
Readers and fans of Gibson’s work — poetry books and spoken-word collections — offered an outpouring of love, grief and touching tributes Monday about how the poet’s words found them at just the right time. Some said Gibson’s work saved them, while others said it gave them permission to be their authentic selves.
In 2023, Gibson was named Colorado’s 10th state poet laureate, a role created to promote poetry appreciation in the state and honor local wordsmiths. Gibson said they hoped to bring poetry to the masses.
“It is with a heavy heart that we mourn the loss of Andrea Gibson, an inspiring poet and Colorado’s current poet laureate,” Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement. “Renowned for inspiring poetry, advocacy for arts in education, and unique ability to connect with the vast and diverse poetry lovers of Colorado, Andrea was truly one of a kind and will be deeply missed by personal friends as well (as) all who were touched by their poetry. My thoughts go out to Andrea’s loved ones during this difficult time.”
Gibson was recently the subject of the award-winning documentary “Come See Me in the Good Light,” which follows the poet and their wife Megan Falley as they navigate the cancer diagnosis, love and art. The film, directed by Ryan White, won the Sundance Film Festival’s “Festival Favorite” award this year.
Gibson’s work — immortalized in YouTube videos and on vinyl records, and tattooed on people’s bodies — garnered fans across the globe.
Floridian Alaina Bruni, 28, told The Denver Post that she found Gibson’s work as an angsty teenager. Gibson’s poems were raw and real, Bruni said, and spoke to her in a way she didn’t know poetry could. She found herself captivated by grainy YouTube videos of Gibson’s famed slam poetry.
“The way they spoke made me feel seen,” Bruni said.
Gibson got Bruni interested in poetry and the arts. Bruni had the pleasure of watching Gibson perform live a few times over the years and covets the signed books she will forever treasure.
“The Nutritionist” is Bruni’s favorite poem by Gibson. It begins, “The nutritionist said I should eat root vegetables.”
“I’ll think of them every time I eat carrots,” Bruni said.
In an interview with The Post, Gibson said their cancer diagnosis allowed them to tap into how the “brevity of this life” gifted them “awe and joy and astonishment.”
Gibson wrote extensively about death and grief. It becomes difficult to memorialize Gibson without referring back to their own work.
“Not long ago, Andrea wrote a poem titled ‘Love Letter From the Afterlife,’” their loved ones wrote on Facebook. “In it, they offered this line: ‘I am more here than I ever was before. I am more with you than I ever could have imagined.’ Today, and all days forward, we hope you feel Andrea’s enormous spirit and immense presence beside you.”
