Hi all,

I found myself struggling when deciding what to post on the blog this week.  I was looking through some of my books for inspiration, and I figured I would post some of my favorite pieces from Rupi Kaur’s “milk and honey.”   Her book is currently one of the best-selling contemporary collections of poetry.

Regarding Kaur’s sources, I believe she is writing (a) to help her readers through traumatic experiences similar to  her own, (b) about what it means to be a minority (regarding her gender and race), and (c) about relationships (familial and romantic).  These are the sources I notice the most, but I’m sure they don’t stop here.

My absolute favorite poem of hers  is on page 51:

i know i

should crumble

for better reasons

but have you seen

that boy he brings

the sun to its knees

every night.

Below the piece is a drawing of a setting sun.  That is another thing I like about this book–that many of the pages have illustrations to go along with the poems.  I think the use of illustrations works well in this book because all of the poems are so short.

Another one of my favorites is on page 103:

when you are broken

and he has left you

do not question

whether you were

enough

the problem was

you were so enough

he was not able to carry it.

I think this book is a great source of comfort.  I find myself rereading this piece and others like it when I’m feeling down.

I will leave you all with one final fav (page 156):

if you were born

with the weakness to fall

you were born

with the strength to rise.

 

-ari