Rupi Kaur’s Milk and Honey is commonly considered the go-to poetry book for college students, and has recently gained extremely high trending status. In a society that has chosen social media and technology over reading hardcover books, Kaur’s book revives the art of poetry. each work is crafted with care and beauty, working its way deep into the soul and uncovering places in the heart that may not want to be revealed.
everyone loves the idea of love, which serves as the common theme of the “milk and honey” pieces; however, not everyone loves the idea of heartbreak and pain. the book pushes emotional boundaries as it is best read and understood during those sleepless nights at 3am. m. when you are left alone with your thoughts. here are his seven best lines.
You are reading: Our backs tell stories no books have the spine to carry
1. “like the sky
my love is everywhere
but by my side.”
Looking at the sky never fails to make you feel something, whether those feelings take the form of happiness, longing, or loneliness. kaur juxtaposes all three together and brings about an intricate mix of happiness and sadness. in the midst of admiring the world and its beauty, one finds oneself alone, longing instead for the beauty of love.
The pure, childish setting is tainted with deep despair over the loss of a loved one, representing the loss of innocence due to anguish. the only beings present now are the sky and the lover, and yet humanity has always found companionship with nature. maybe the clouds are just waiting for you to return to their embrace, lie down on the grass and gaze at the sky above you.
2. “I tremble at the thought of
fall in love with a
small part of someone
and confusing it with the whole.”
“milk and honey” addresses one of the most common fears associated with love: giving your heart to someone who doesn’t deserve it. a smile can make you pour your whole life into someone, only to be discarded in the end.
A single heartbreak can spark hesitation and anxiety in someone’s heart as they consider falling in love with someone new. it’s inevitable that you cringe at the possibility of the worst, as the past haunts people in a way that nothing else can. At the core of vulnerability is fear, whether it’s the fear of being alone or the fear of being forgotten.
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3. “I am tired.
not for lack of rest –
no, I slept pretty well last night,
and I’ve had my coffee.”
College students can always relate to being tired, considering that every night is sleepless due to academic activities or spontaneous adventures. however, kaur describes an emotional restlessness; Even when someone’s physical appearance seems fine, their inner soul suffers.
As the minutes and days go by, the mind seeks tranquility in the midst of chaos. the gray matter of the brain dissolves into a state of numbness that cannot be cured. no matter how much coffee you drink or how many hours you sleep, the mind stops breathing.
4. “you’ve touched me
without even
touching me”
Without a hand touching yours, someone can make you feel like you’ve found where you belong. a person can become your rock, your happiness and your home. In contrast to Kaur’s other melancholy pieces about heartache, this poem acknowledges the extraordinary joy of being in love.
Amid its ability to hurt the deepest parts of someone, you can’t help but be inspired and amazed by the concept of love. a stranger can change your life with his words and his soul; the fact that two random people can become a beautiful masterpiece together is miraculous enough to be praised.
5. “I will never understand
why did you hug me
if you were afraid of the heat”
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Tears fall as you sit in your bedroom, reflecting on the beginning and end of a relationship and questioning what made the medium so bad. to love you have to choose to be in love.
How is the decision? you choose when you open your hand for someone else to entangle theirs with yours. you choose when you risk your heart and tell someone about the painful experiences you hide from others. you choose when you let yourself fall in love with another soul, even if you are scared to death. One of the most tragic moments is when a person stops making the decision to be in love.
6. “there is nothing
more painful than
make someone suffer
who is still alive”
mourning is not just for those who have passed away. Perhaps one of the worst things is acknowledging the fact that there is now a stranger instead of an old friend or significant other.
You look them in the face and those deep blue eyes no longer make you feel safe or comforted. you look at his hands, which are bigger than you remembered, and have held people you don’t know ever since. you seek to find his heart, which is now completely hidden from yours. you are left alone to cherish the memory of who they once were and who they will never be again.
7. “our backs
tell stories
no book has
the backbone to go”
everyone has a story. there are scars on your body, wrinkles on your skin and bruises on your back. you have an identity that no one else shares and experiences that only exist within your own world. While authors can write all they want about other people’s lives, nothing compares to you writing about your own life.
although sharing can be in the form of a quiet whisper, it can also be shouted and declared empowerment, strength and victory. your past does not define you, but rather constitutes who you are in the present, serving as the backbone for the rest of your body. you have a story full of joys, disappointments, excitement and anguish. you have a story, so share it.
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