This genre is poetry. These are all some of my favorite poems by Rupi Kaur. She has many others that I love – I couldn’t pick just one. I decided to choose from the many poems that she has regarding womanhood and female empowerment. I couldn’t not include the genre of poetry, since Rupi Kaur is the queen of poetry. She uses the medium of poetry to reach an audience that may be facing similar struggles that she has faced. Her poems are personal, real, and authentic – which creates an outlet for girls and women everywhere. It creates a space where they aren’t alone in the issues they may face. Theses poems may give voice to some of the complex emotions and conflicts girls are facing. Much of what Rupi Kaur writes about are her own experiences, or from people that are close to her. At the end of milk and honey, she says “this is the journey of surviving through poetry / this is the blood sweat tears of twenty-one years / this is my heart in your hands…”. Kaur is displaying some of the most raw and intimate details of her life and sharing and offering them to the world. Through her own poetry, she is able to portray herself as anything she wants, it is then in the audience’s hand to interpret her work however they want. Kaur exhibits herself in the genre of poetry as a confident, brave, and strong female figure. This is very important for her audience of mainly women and girls, alike.

The poems above speak to empower the feminine. What I appreciate about Kaur’s poetry, is that she shows there are many ways to do this. Her poetry is known for its few words, but its powerful messages. For example, the last poem tells a story about women of color. In just 10 words and a simple illustration, she speaks to the historical discrimination of women of color and leaves a powerful statement in return. The third poem above uses more words than a lot of her others, and speaks to the flaws of how a woman’s appearance is her most prized attribute in the eyes of society. Her poems overall create a safe and empowering space for women. Rupi Kaur has well represented herself as a leader within the genre of poetry

I want to apologize to all the women I have called pretty.

-Rupi Kaur

Citation:

Kaur, Rupi. Milk and Honey. Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2015.

Kaur, Rupi. The Sun and Her Flowers. Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2017.