this is the recipe of life
said my mother
as she held me in her arms as i wept
think of those flowers you plant
in the garden each year
they will teach you
that people too
must wilt
fall
root
rise
in order to bloom

*sigh* here we go.

i've had this book for AGES. the amount of times i've seen rupi kaur quoted has built up my expectations for her work, but this was less than decent.

it just looks
like someone pressed
the enter key
a bunch of times
(not exaggerating)

sure, her language was poetic. the ongoing metaphor of nature really tied the book together nicely. the things she wrote about were meaningful, too.

how do i shake this envy
when i see you doing well
sister how do i love myself enough to know
your accomplishments are not my failures

- we are not each other's competition

or

they have no idea what it is like
to lose home at the risk of
never finding home again
to have your entire life
split between two lands and
become the bridge between two countries

- immigrant

so there were some poems - the longer ones, mostly - that i actually liked. but most were just...

a
man
who cries

- a gift

sure the "message" is great but like????? do you see what i mean because??????????

it just seemed too tumblr-y; not my cup of tea. most of the poems were kinda like someone wrote a sentence, slapped it on a piece of paper, and called it art.

also, i went into this without knowing the trigger warnings and it was uncomfortable so i highly recommend you read up on them. or just don't read this book. either one is fine.