Milk and Honey

I read--and reread--this poetry collection over the course of three days. I really, really wanted to like it. I'd heard many great things about it. I should also add that just three or four weeks ago, I read Salt and Nejma by Nayyirah Waheed and Bone by Yrsa Daley Ward. Kaur says that each of the collection's chapters deals with love, loss, trauma, abuse, healing and femininity. This is true, but, on the whole, I would say that the majority of the poems are about heartbreak and overcoming the death of a relationship. Kaur writes in the style of Waheed and Warsan Shire. Yet, Kaur's language lacks the sensuousness, voluptuousness, and potency of the aforementioned poets. I was deeply disappointed. There are some gems scattered throughout the work, but I found each of the four chapters underwhelming. I kept waiting for the incredible sense of emotion that fills me every time I read Waheed, Warsan, or Daley Ward. It never came. I think that Kaur will find her own voice and rhythm as she continues to write. Additionally, it would be completely unfair of me to fail to mention that this is a visual poetry collection. The best (and most original) aspect of Milk and Honey is that you can read the images in conjunction to and apart from the written language.

I bought this book because I love to hear the stories of others. The problem with this book was that it had no stories, Rupi encapsulates you in an experience. I bought this to read to my significant other, I thought it may be just another pleasantry to share, but as I read it to her, I got so lost in the experience that I forgot that there was a person next to me. Feeling like it was an out-of-body type experience, I learned, and at the end of the day, I'll be a better father, son, brother, and lover because of it. So I thank the artist. 

If you are a huge fan of Waheed and Shire, I would recommend skipping this collection. The desire to compare will be strong and Kaur's work will fall short every time.