Exploring Poetry

“my heart woke me crying last night
how can i help i begged
my heart said
write the book” – rupi kaur

I’m fairly new to reading poetry, but it is a genre that I am quickly starting to love.  I feel books and stories we read are the most powerful when they connect with us in a very deep and personal way.  That wonderful feeling you get when someone’s words so perfectly capture a feeling, a thought, or an experience that you yourself have never fully been able to verbalize or express.  I find that poetry especially has the power to do this, to inspire, to motivate, and above all to make us feel.  There are two books of poetry I read recently and thought I would share my thoughts and experience.

Love & Misadventure by Lang Leav explores the journey of a relationship, from the highs to the lows.  There are a couple of nice poems, however I found that overall this collection was just not for me.  It’s cute and it rhymes but it just didn’t make me feel.  I found this to be one of the strongest poems:

A Stranger

There is a love I reminisce,
like a seed
I’ve never sown.

Of lips that I am yet to kiss,
and eyes
not met my own.

Hands that wrap around my wrists,
an arms
that feel like home.

I wonder how it is I miss,
these things
I’ve never known.

milk and honey by Rupi Kaur – Split into four parts: the hurting, the loving, the breaking, and the healing, milk and honey deals with different kinds of pain and hurt.  It is very raw and open, tackling difficult subjects of violence and abuse, as well as relationships, love, and heartbreak.  I found this to be a wonderful collection that was beautifully done and presented.  There is a simplicity to the writing that is very effective and to the point, even though the themes explored are anything but simple.  My favourite part was the healing section, which has such hope and strength that is quite inspirational and beautiful.

My list of poetry collections I would like to explore is growing, and I’m very much looking forward to discovering new works.  If you have favourites you would like to share and recommend, please do!