In some cases, people think poetry is old or not as relevant these days but there are many beautiful modern day poets, flourishing through this age of social awareness and mental health. One example of this is modern-day poet Rupi Kaur and her most recent work "Milk and Honey"
Rupi Kaur was 5 years old when she started to draw and paint; as an immigrant from India she didn't have many friends and books became her best friends. At 17 years old her passion for writing blossomed and then in 2014 she published her first collection "Milk and Honey." Kaur used poetry to express herself and became known for her poems as well as her illustrations.
In her collection, Rupi Kaur explores four different experiences that you go through in life, the hurting, the loving, the breaking and the healing. Each chapter serves a different purpose and helps you through different kinds of pain. "Milk and Honey" is about the pain in life but also finding the sweetness in those hard times.
I first read "Milk and Honey" after I had a huge argument with someone I was dating and felt like I needed something to help me through the pain. I recently revisited the collection due to a recent breakup. This collection of beautiful poems can help through many different types of heartache.
The Hurting
This first poem explores the idea of someone being less beautiful when they speak their mind, made to sit in the corner and look pretty. In this poem, Kaur fights that idea arguing she was not meant to be quiet.
"you tell me to quiet down cause
my opinions make me less beautiful
but i was not made with a fire in my belly
so i could be put out
i was not made with a lightness on my tongue
so i could be easy to swallow
i was made heavy
half blade and half silk
difficult to forget and not easy
for the mind to follow"
- Rupi Kaur
I personally love this poem because I've often felt like I'm not heard or I shouldn't speak so much, but when I read this it makes me feel powerful. I was made with fire in my belly; I want to push the boundaries and be my complete self. You shouldn't have to quiet down for anyone. Be who you are and the right people will find you. Don't make yourself small for anyone.
The Loving
In this next chapter, Rupi Kaur doesn't just write poems about love and romance, they are also what she needs in a relationship. In this poem, in particular, she explains that she cannot settle for a lover who is not willing to be understanding.
"i need someone
who knows struggle
as well as i do
someone
willing to hold my feet in their lap
on days it is too difficult to stand
the type of person who gives
exactly what i need
before i even know i need it
the type of lover who hears me
even when i do not speak
is the type of understanding
i demand"
- Rupi Kaur
This poem is very relatable and really resonates with me, I look back on most of my relationships and realize I was settling mostly because I didn't want to be alone and it was comfortable. I don't want to settle anymore--no one should settle. If you aren't truly happy with the relationship you are in then it's not right for you. If you give in and don't demand the things you want then you have no one to blame but yourself.
The Breaking
The poems that fill up the breaking chapter are the ones that will make you feel less alone in whatever situation that is breaking you right now. Rupi Kaur takes her heartbreak and puts it into words that will make you think she is living in your brain.
"you treat them like they
have a heart like yours
but not everyone can be as
soft and as tender
you don't see the
person they are
you see the person
they have the potential to be
you give and give till
they pull everything out of you
and leave you empty"
- Rupi Kaur
Every time I read this I wish I could have read it earlier in my life because I feel like it explains why I keep getting my heart broken. I'm always trying to see the good in others and the potential they have. I never see them for who they really are until it is too late after they have left me empty. When I love I give everything I have because I think they will do the same. It isn't a bad thing to love with everything but you must be aware of the person you giving that love to first. Don't hand out your love to anyone, you need to see them for who they are and then decide if they deserve that type of love.
The Healing
After all the pain you must heal, this chapter is full of poems that will help you reflect and clean your wounds. In the poem, Rupi Kaur discusses how lovely it can be to be a woman. At the end of the day, we get hurt and feel deep pain but we always pick ourselves up. Even after being hurt we go on to love ferociously.
"i like the way the stretch marks
on my thighs look human and
that we're so soft yet
rough and jungle wild
when we need to be
i love that about us
how capable we are of feeling
how unafraid we are of breaking
and tend to our wounds with grace
just being a woman
calling myself
a woman
makes me utterly whole
and complete"
-Rupi Kaur
This is so incredibly healing for me, going through such a painful time but being able to step back and realize I am a woman. This will not tear me down, I am strong. This poem makes me feel empowered and lucky.
Milk and Honey is a perfect introduction to Rupi Kaur. She is currently working on her second collection which I am tremendously excited for. Go to her website https://www.rupikaur.com/ and follow her on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.
If you have any modern day poets you would like me to check out, comment below and I can write about them next!
