I was one of those foolhardy teenagers who wrote poems to their crush and read them in front of the whole class. I had no shame. I am sure I wrote about twenty love poems between the ages of fourteen and sixteen, pouring my heart out like I knew what love is. Ha! Good times! Back in the day, I used to be a big fan of poetry. I mostly enjoyed the works of Pablo Neruda and Emily Dickinson; a very classic taste as you can see. But, after a couple of years in that love affair with old-school poems, I decided that I didn’t like poetry anymore. I actually fell out of love with reading and focused my attention on other things.

Twenty eighteen has been a revolutionary year for me. I started to read a lot more—started with some fiction books—eventually moving to some history and motivational books until I found my way back to poetry. I recently read both Milk and Honey and The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur expecting to hate it to be honest. But I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the relaxed and casual nature of these poems while taking in each word and feeling them deep in my heart.

Kaur’s poems are raw but beautiful and empowering. What I love most about these collections is the simplicity of them and how relatable the poems are: There is no need for deciphering meanings or thinking beyond the words. They are really straight forward and easy to understand, and that’s what makes them accessible, relatable, and enjoyable.

Because her words made such an impression in me, I wanted to share with you some of my favorite poems from Milk and Honey.

 

1

“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”

― Page 30

 

2

“love will come
and when love comes
love will hold you
love will call your name
and you will melt
sometimes though
love will hurt you but
love will never mean to
love will play no games
cause love knows life
has been hard enough already”

― Page 60

 

3

“you might not have been my first love
but you were the love that made
all other loves seem
irrelevant”

― Page 63

 

4

“don’t mistake
salt for sugar
if he wants to
be with you
he will
it’s that simple”

― Page 85

 

5

“i don’t know what living a balanced life feels like
when i am sad
i don’t cry i pour
when i am happy
i don’t smile i glow
when i am angry
i don’t yell i burn

the good thing about feeling in extremes is
when i love i give them wings
but perhaps that isn’t
such a good thing cause
they always tend to leave
and you should see me
when my heart is broken
i don’t grieve
I shatter”

―  Page 109

 

6

“it is a part of the
human experience to feel pain
do not be afraid
open yourself to it

-evolving”

― Page 152

 

7

“Loneliness is a sign you are in desperate need of yourself.”

― Page 153

 

8

“i have
what i have
and i am happy

i’ve lost
what i’ve lost
and i am
still
happy

– outlook”

― Page 180

 

9

“we are all born
so beautiful

the greatest tragedy is
being convinced we are not”

― Page 183

 

10

“most importantly love
like it’s the only thing you know how
at the end of the day all this
means nothing
this page
where you’re sitting
your degree
your job
the money
nothing even matters
except love and human connection
who you loved
and how deeply you loved them
how you touched the people around you
and how much you gave them”

― Page 194

 

Hope you enjoyed my selection, comment below and share which one is your favorite!

If you would like to know more information about the author Rupi Kair, visit her website.