the first encounter
references in tweets
memes and captions
–rupi kaur
i thought i needed to read more poetry in my life. i think the voices of others, more different than me, lives lived outside of myself, will broaden my horizon, make me a better me
i tell myself this is for my own good, to subject myself to other’s emotional trauma
idiosyncratic writing style. disregard for conventions of grammar. it takes a lot of effort to paint a picture that is unconventional and meaningful at the same time.
picasso’s guernica
but is this art or pretension?
the subjects of the poems are so deeply personal
abuse, ignored by those who should not ignore
first realization that your parents are their own flawed entities outside of yourself
that their flaws are something
inherited
but inheritance is not the same as destiny
i ache for the child that was
suddenly a shift in themes
first love first sexual enjoyment first breakup
emotional highs and lows
expressed three lines at a time
“losing you
was the becoming
of myself”
like a passive-aggressive facebook post
the banality of platitude feminism
a makeup advertisement aimed at woke teenagers
you go girl
who is rupi kaur?
confirmed on wikipedia
the author is so very
very young
22 years old when this was published
the emotions of my past decade seem so distant to me, like the sky at night. did i ever feel that deeply? no, no, perhaps this is why i am not a poet and have little use for poetry. a defect in myself
so much she starts to say about so many topics
abuse, trauma, family, patriarchy, female desire and body image
love. love of self
instead she spends 60% whining about her ex
someone else’s emotional catharsis is not my thing
two stars, the saddest of constellations
– a review