“this is the journey of surviving through poetry, this is the blood sweat tears of twenty-one years, this is my heart in your hands, this is the hurting the loving the breaking the healing”
Exploring the art of expression, Rupi Kaur is an artist, a poet, photographer, videographer. Based in Toronto, Canada, her self-published book of poetry, "Milk and Honey," delves into the themes of violence, abuse, love, loss and femininity. Her writing is a compilation of personal stories and experiences gained through her travels.
After two years of writing, "Milk and Honey" was self-published and became a best-seller, topping the North American charts. It has been a poetry best seller from the beginning, and has been #1 on Amazon’s list of “Poetry by Women” for over a year, #1 in “Poetry Overall,” and #17 on Amazon’s “Top 100 Books.”
Broken up into four parts, each section of the book serves a different purpose, dissects a different kind of pain. Focused on the vulnerability of the artist, and humans in general, "Milk and Honey" dives into the most heartbreaking aspects of life while still finding sweetness in the situation. After all, “there is sweetness everywhere if you are just willing to look.”
The Hurting:
“how is it so easy for you to be kind to people he asked, milk and honey dripped from my lips as I answered, cause people have not been kind to me”
In “The Hurting” chapter of the book, Kaur explores the themes of abuse of women. From child molestation to objectification to destructive relationships, this chapter explains the various problems that all women will face in one form or another. Kaur uses her words to fight back, to show that through these struggles, life can still be salvaged, art can be created. Sweetness can still be found in the art.
The Loving:
“what am i to you he asks, i put my hands in his lap and whisper, you are every hope i’ve ever had in human form”
“The Loving” chapter showcases the different kinds of love people encounter. Beginning with a mother’s love, Kaur takes us through the journey from the purest form of love, to waiting for your first love, and then to that love turning toxic. “The Loving” takes us to the highs of love and shows us how you can find home in a human.
The Breaking:
“don’t mistake salt for sugar, if he wants to be with you he will, it’s that simple”
With the highs of love come the deep, deep lows of heartache. “The Breaking” demonstrates the powerful decision a person must make to leave a relationship that isn’t right for them. Then the destructive decisions they make to get over the one they loved. It’s broken. It’s raw. It’s real.
The Healing:
“it is part of the human experience to feel pain, do not be afraid to open yourself up to it”
My personal favorite, “The Healing” chapter is one that we all need to read. Focused around the theme of self love, these poems express how we are dying to love ourselves but can’t. It speaks of the sisterhood between women, and the unspoken bonds that we must fight to keep. It reveals that we must look to ourselves to fix what the world broke within us. We must find the sweetness in ourselves.
