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Home Body
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best Poetry (2020)Rupi Kaur constantly embraces growth, and in home body, she walks readers through a reflective and intimate journey visiting the past, the present, and the potential of the self. home body is a collection of raw, honest conversations with oneself – reminding readers to fill up on love, acceptance, community, family, and embrace change. Illustrated by the author, themes of nature and nurture, light and dark, rest here.
i dive into the well of my body
and end up in another world
everything i need
already exists in me
there’s no need
to look anywhere else
– home
i dive into the well of my body
and end up in another world
everything i need
already exists in me
there’s no need
to look anywhere else
– home
192 pages, Paperback
First published November 17, 2020
About the author
Rupi Kaur
18 books28.4k followersA breakout literary phenomenon and #1 New York Times Bestselling Author, Rupi Kaur wrote, illustrated, and self-published her first poetry collection, 'milk and honey' in 2014. Next came its artistic siblings 'the sun and her flowers' and ‘home body’, both debuting at #1 on bestseller lists across the world. These collections have sold more than 11 million copies and have been translated into over 43 languages. Most recently in 2022- she released her 4th book ‘Healing Through Words’ which is a journey of guided writing exercises to help the reader explore their creativity.
As she has done from the very beginning, Rupi self-produced ‘Rupi Kaur Live’, the first poetry special of its kind, which debuted on Amazon Prime Video in 2021.
Rupi Kaur graces stages across the globe on sold-out world tours. These shows are a poetic theatrical experience interlaced with her own touch of stand-up. Her work touches on love, loss, trauma, healing, femininity, and migration. She feels most at home when creating art, performing her poetry onstage, and spending time with family and friends.
As she has done from the very beginning, Rupi self-produced ‘Rupi Kaur Live’, the first poetry special of its kind, which debuted on Amazon Prime Video in 2021.
Rupi Kaur graces stages across the globe on sold-out world tours. These shows are a poetic theatrical experience interlaced with her own touch of stand-up. Her work touches on love, loss, trauma, healing, femininity, and migration. She feels most at home when creating art, performing her poetry onstage, and spending time with family and friends.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 8,315 reviews
November 27, 2020
idk why
i picked up
this
tumblr poetry shit
-a poem by me, in the style of rupi kaur
i picked up
this
tumblr poetry shit
-a poem by me, in the style of rupi kaur
March 18, 2023
"what a relief
to discover that
the aches i thought
were mine alone
are also felt by
so many others"
One of the best collections so far!
The content is divided into 4 sections: mind, heart, rest and awake.
The most hard-hitting, liberating read for me is the first section which actually made me come out of my comfort zone of thinking and believing in what we women ought to believe.
If reading such lines still make us feel uncomfortable then I feel we still have a long way to go. I feel we need to express ourselves and it's our right to celebrate our bodies and our thoughts which others are so ready to judge and demean.
I find the writing thoroughly genuine and refreshing. I appreciate it more when the author expressed her concern over the unrealistic expectations to write more so that her work would bring her 'more' of what others believe would bring.
The sketches in between presently represents the sentiments behind the lines.
As always, I love her poetry when it brings up issues about mental health, relationships and women. But what I loved more about this collection was the way how the issues of productivity, writing, immigrants and a bit of politics were brought up.
I find the cover a bit underwhelming but yes, it's the contents that matter more!
to discover that
the aches i thought
were mine alone
are also felt by
so many others"
One of the best collections so far!
The content is divided into 4 sections: mind, heart, rest and awake.
The most hard-hitting, liberating read for me is the first section which actually made me come out of my comfort zone of thinking and believing in what we women ought to believe.
If reading such lines still make us feel uncomfortable then I feel we still have a long way to go. I feel we need to express ourselves and it's our right to celebrate our bodies and our thoughts which others are so ready to judge and demean.
I find the writing thoroughly genuine and refreshing. I appreciate it more when the author expressed her concern over the unrealistic expectations to write more so that her work would bring her 'more' of what others believe would bring.
The sketches in between presently represents the sentiments behind the lines.
As always, I love her poetry when it brings up issues about mental health, relationships and women. But what I loved more about this collection was the way how the issues of productivity, writing, immigrants and a bit of politics were brought up.
I find the cover a bit underwhelming but yes, it's the contents that matter more!
November 20, 2020
She didn't write 3 books, she wrote the same book 3 times.
November 21, 2020
Creo que son 3.5 estrellas. Me gustó, hubo algunos poemas muy buenos, pero en general no me llegó tanto como los otros poemarios de Rupi.
November 20, 2020
There is a quote that led the feminist movement in 1969 that reads, "The personal is political."
I believe Rupi Kaur and many other trendy, political, pseudo-intellectual group of people on the internet have this mixed up. They make it, political is personal. They take everything to heart which is understandable, but there's something genuine lacking when that is the case. There's a political cry in something personal. People on the internet need to stop pandering this progressive, woke stance to garner attention. I believe honesty and vulnerability is more important. Which I know many reviewers believe that is Rupi Kaur's intentions which I have nothing to say about that, but, sadly, it falls short.
Everything she wrote is way too general. There is more to dive into, there has to be. Instead of her writing about how she wants to be in the present over and over, how about describing the present around her. How does she wake up? What surrounds her home? What's inside her home? What does she do to relax or when she's alone? I think people need to stop describing themselves like warriors and survivors and definitely stop making themselves victims and instead open up. Tell me who you are. All I know about Rupi is that she is a woman of color, but you can just google search her for that. Everything is so vague. There's nothing deep here. I wanted to think that as a poet she will develop and become a better writer. Unfortunately, I think she is regressing, because this is the same stuff she has been selling.
But, hey if it's not broken, don't fix it right? Oh wait... Doesn't she hate capitalism? The hypocrisy. If she truly, TRULY, hates the system, HATES capitalism, she would have gone balls deep into this. She would have broke all boundaries, took a chance on a new writing style. You can't stay stagnant as an artist. Yes, you can have a style, but it's fun evolving and she claims she changes every month. Well, it's not being shown through her writing.
Share a moment of time with your readers. Don't lecture them. Don't tell them things they already know. Yes, the earth is heating up. Yes, there is racism. Yes, the world is chaotic and no one will live forever. Not you. Not me. Not your mother or your father. We all experience pain. No one is special. Depression and anxiety are everyday occurrences. We are all apart of this experience. But, who are you? That's what matters. Who are your loved ones? What are some of your bad habits? What are you interested in?
Stop wasting paper, Rupi. You literally wrote a vague poem on climate change that could be ripped off of anyone's twitter account. The lack of originality and uniqueness deems this book detrimental to Earth's ecosystem.
(Not my best review. I have things to do that I've been avoiding. If I have time, I'll work on this, but for now, it's alright.)
I believe Rupi Kaur and many other trendy, political, pseudo-intellectual group of people on the internet have this mixed up. They make it, political is personal. They take everything to heart which is understandable, but there's something genuine lacking when that is the case. There's a political cry in something personal. People on the internet need to stop pandering this progressive, woke stance to garner attention. I believe honesty and vulnerability is more important. Which I know many reviewers believe that is Rupi Kaur's intentions which I have nothing to say about that, but, sadly, it falls short.
Everything she wrote is way too general. There is more to dive into, there has to be. Instead of her writing about how she wants to be in the present over and over, how about describing the present around her. How does she wake up? What surrounds her home? What's inside her home? What does she do to relax or when she's alone? I think people need to stop describing themselves like warriors and survivors and definitely stop making themselves victims and instead open up. Tell me who you are. All I know about Rupi is that she is a woman of color, but you can just google search her for that. Everything is so vague. There's nothing deep here. I wanted to think that as a poet she will develop and become a better writer. Unfortunately, I think she is regressing, because this is the same stuff she has been selling.
But, hey if it's not broken, don't fix it right? Oh wait... Doesn't she hate capitalism? The hypocrisy. If she truly, TRULY, hates the system, HATES capitalism, she would have gone balls deep into this. She would have broke all boundaries, took a chance on a new writing style. You can't stay stagnant as an artist. Yes, you can have a style, but it's fun evolving and she claims she changes every month. Well, it's not being shown through her writing.
Share a moment of time with your readers. Don't lecture them. Don't tell them things they already know. Yes, the earth is heating up. Yes, there is racism. Yes, the world is chaotic and no one will live forever. Not you. Not me. Not your mother or your father. We all experience pain. No one is special. Depression and anxiety are everyday occurrences. We are all apart of this experience. But, who are you? That's what matters. Who are your loved ones? What are some of your bad habits? What are you interested in?
Stop wasting paper, Rupi. You literally wrote a vague poem on climate change that could be ripped off of anyone's twitter account. The lack of originality and uniqueness deems this book detrimental to Earth's ecosystem.
(Not my best review. I have things to do that I've been avoiding. If I have time, I'll work on this, but for now, it's alright.)
November 21, 2020
I finished this in a day! Not because it was so enchanting & fantastic, but simply because the poems were SO. SHORT. As a fan of Rupi’s long-form poetry, I’m disappointed with this collection honestly. It felt rushed. I felt like she *touched* on many deep topics, but did not dig that much into them. I kept thinking “Where are her words? Where is the grit?” It all just felt a bit like reading a page full of Instagram mantras. I’m really not trying to be pretentious... This is obviously just my personal opinion. I still love Rupi & think her work is incredibly necessary for keeping poetry alive on a mainstream, digestible scale, but this just didn’t do it for me. I dog-eared pretty much all of the longer poems in this because they were GREAT! I just wish there were more of them included. This collection could’ve been half the size if it didn’t include the filler, “Instagram poetry” as we now have learned to call it... But that is what Rupi is! She has a huge IG following & understandably caters to what will be reposted from her books. Complaints aside, I enjoyed the structure of this collection a lot & hope to read more poetry that’s broken up like this. It was split up into “MIND | HEART | REST | AWAKE” sections. She touched on many important themes like depression & anxiety, sexual trauma, friendship, productivity, having immigrant parents, feminism, representation, & healing. This was a collection about coming home to yourself & treating yourself with the love & respect you deserve. This book contains important mantras for young women who need to realize their worth, but it was just nothing special for me personally.
Want to read
July 25, 2020my poetry queen is gonna release a new book and I'm so ready for it ✨
2020 isn't cancelled people
Dear Rupi:
2020 isn't cancelled people
Dear Rupi:
November 19, 2020
Having shamelessly really enjoyed Rupi’s first two collections, I was sad that this one fell really flat. There were some poems scattered throughout that really spoke to me, but the majority of this felt unoriginal. It felt very heavy handed and too on-the-nose with its commentary on capitalism and white feminism - important topics to explore through poetry, definitely, but ones that really lacked artistic handling in this collection. Feels like Rupi succumbed to the very capitalism she mourns and pushed this through too focused on the hot-button topics of the past year and lacking her normal inspiration and power.
Read
June 30, 2020how can they write ratings on yet unpublished book???
December 3, 2020
It feels gross to give a 1 star rating on a book of poetry written with her trauma woven throughout, but man, this was really bad. Nothing but cringey (mostly) one line platitudes
December 22, 2020
Where was Rupi Kaur and her poetry when I was in my teens and 20s? My younger self would have been obsessed with her words, found healing and solace within them.
This collection is similar to Ms. Kaur's other volumes of poetry. The poems are short, sometimes one phrase, and drawings are scattered throughout the book. Like her other work, these poems deal with topics such as anxiety, dissociation, depression, lack of self worth, abuse, and reminders to be gentle with oneself and that there is hope for healing.
There are also some poems describing the emptiness of capitalism that I appreciate.
The shortest poems are often the most profound. Nuggets of wisdom and insight packed into the tiniest of packages.
Home Body would make a wonderful gift for young women on your list, especially those who are struggling to overcome abuse or sexual assault, or simply struggling to find, to love, and to accept themselves in a world that consistently places unrealistic demands upon young women. A world that determines her value by how much she produces or what she can offer to a man.
Though I think young women would benefit the most from Rupi's words, I recommend this book to anyone struggling with issues of self worth or past abuse.
These poems are not something I personally need at this time and Home Body's similarity to Rupi's previous books makes this a 3-stars read for me. However, I'll up it to 4, knowing what it would have meant to my younger self.
This collection is similar to Ms. Kaur's other volumes of poetry. The poems are short, sometimes one phrase, and drawings are scattered throughout the book. Like her other work, these poems deal with topics such as anxiety, dissociation, depression, lack of self worth, abuse, and reminders to be gentle with oneself and that there is hope for healing.
There are also some poems describing the emptiness of capitalism that I appreciate.
The shortest poems are often the most profound. Nuggets of wisdom and insight packed into the tiniest of packages.
Home Body would make a wonderful gift for young women on your list, especially those who are struggling to overcome abuse or sexual assault, or simply struggling to find, to love, and to accept themselves in a world that consistently places unrealistic demands upon young women. A world that determines her value by how much she produces or what she can offer to a man.
Though I think young women would benefit the most from Rupi's words, I recommend this book to anyone struggling with issues of self worth or past abuse.
These poems are not something I personally need at this time and Home Body's similarity to Rupi's previous books makes this a 3-stars read for me. However, I'll up it to 4, knowing what it would have meant to my younger self.
November 25, 2020
This fell short for me. I really loved her other two books, but this one didn’t offer anything new or really profound. The transitions were, as I read in another review, choppy. It really feels like she is just riding on her aesthetic, a lot of her poems lack real creativity.
That being said, there were a few relatable poems that I screenshotted and I really respect Rupi’s vulnerability.
That being said, there were a few relatable poems that I screenshotted and I really respect Rupi’s vulnerability.
November 22, 2020
“but every experience i’ve had, is memorised in my flesh, even if my mind forgets, my body remembers, my body is the map of my life, my body wears what it’s been through, my body signals the alarms when it thinks danger is coming…”
Rupi Kaur really is out here, reclaiming poetry and defining the pathway for herself.
I loved this collection. As always, there’s focus on love, self-love, feminism, immigration and mental health amongst a whole array of other things.
I love her simplistic style. A style that invites you to look deeper within yourself and uncover your own truth. Her words always seem to come from a place of genuine self awareness and brute honesty and I love that. It’s uncomfortable to read and sit with. But your filled with comfort by the end.
Rupi Kaur really is out here, reclaiming poetry and defining the pathway for herself.
I loved this collection. As always, there’s focus on love, self-love, feminism, immigration and mental health amongst a whole array of other things.
I love her simplistic style. A style that invites you to look deeper within yourself and uncover your own truth. Her words always seem to come from a place of genuine self awareness and brute honesty and I love that. It’s uncomfortable to read and sit with. But your filled with comfort by the end.
November 14, 2022
How could someone so different than me see inside my mind and describe my feelings as simply, strongly, and eloquently as this poet?
Thought provoking therapy and awareness in a small book.
If I knew where to mail my thank you card, I would.
Brilliant!!
Thought provoking therapy and awareness in a small book.
If I knew where to mail my thank you card, I would.
Brilliant!!
November 26, 2020
Brutally honest.
The Personal. This book is like looking into a mirror if you suffer from depression and anxiety. The latter is an old friend of mine but the former? I had no idea she was there in the background all this time, following me wherever I went and waiting for me to turn around and acknowledge her.
The writing. Mind. Heart. Rest. Awake. Those are the four segments in this collection of poetry. Each offers an honest look at some key moments in her (and our) life that ultimately helped shape the woman she has become. Some poems will make you a little uncomfortable, some will force you to take a closer look at yourself and others will make you smile. But there will never not be one moment when you don't feel.. something.
The special. Even though a lot of the topics Rupi wrote about aren't anything new, it felt good reading this book. Depression, sexual assault, immigration, love, sex, racism, capitalism and hope are just a few of the issues she addresses. It’s a reminder that so many of us go through various difficulties, often feeling hopeless but it doesn't mean we should give up fighting. She didn't.
The verdict. Hats off to Rupi Kaur for writing about something so incredibly personal and putting her fears, hopes and dreams on these pages as a reminder that things can get better and that despite how we sometimes feel, we are in fact, not alone.
The Favorite. Page 114. i am complete simply because i am imperfect
The Personal. This book is like looking into a mirror if you suffer from depression and anxiety. The latter is an old friend of mine but the former? I had no idea she was there in the background all this time, following me wherever I went and waiting for me to turn around and acknowledge her.
The writing. Mind. Heart. Rest. Awake. Those are the four segments in this collection of poetry. Each offers an honest look at some key moments in her (and our) life that ultimately helped shape the woman she has become. Some poems will make you a little uncomfortable, some will force you to take a closer look at yourself and others will make you smile. But there will never not be one moment when you don't feel.. something.
The special. Even though a lot of the topics Rupi wrote about aren't anything new, it felt good reading this book. Depression, sexual assault, immigration, love, sex, racism, capitalism and hope are just a few of the issues she addresses. It’s a reminder that so many of us go through various difficulties, often feeling hopeless but it doesn't mean we should give up fighting. She didn't.
The verdict. Hats off to Rupi Kaur for writing about something so incredibly personal and putting her fears, hopes and dreams on these pages as a reminder that things can get better and that despite how we sometimes feel, we are in fact, not alone.
The Favorite. Page 114. i am complete simply because i am imperfect
November 19, 2020
People had so many good things to say about Rupi’s other books, I thought I would give this one a read. Sadly, it’s not for me. I would say not my kind of poetry, but I don’t think what I just read can even be considered poetry. Seems more like statements, I’ve read quotes that were more poetic.
March 1, 2022
One of the things I love about Rupi Kaur books is that they’re
broken up into sections and they each have a title. I think poetry might be my new favorite form of writing.🥺 It really makes you feel and I’m in love. “Awake” was my favorite part of the book. I think it’s always hard for me to rate poetry. I’m new to reading it. All it really comes down to is that it made me feel and I wanna read it over and over again. Would recommend this book and this author especially. 💛 The only thing I’ll ever change about poetry is that it’s a quick read. I don’t wanna stop reading it.😩
broken up into sections and they each have a title. I think poetry might be my new favorite form of writing.🥺 It really makes you feel and I’m in love. “Awake” was my favorite part of the book. I think it’s always hard for me to rate poetry. I’m new to reading it. All it really comes down to is that it made me feel and I wanna read it over and over again. Would recommend this book and this author especially. 💛 The only thing I’ll ever change about poetry is that it’s a quick read. I don’t wanna stop reading it.😩
January 6, 2022
1,5.
Rupi Kaur touches on so many important topics but her work lacks serious depth. This collection felt like a dull repetition of milk and honey and the sun and her flowers. Even though I find her openness about personal trauma and mental state courageous, unfortunately it is not enough.
In my opinion her work is overhyped. She writes (with very few exceptions) cliché poems that give the illusion of depth when in fact they are lacking any real political or literary agency. The mode of writing is not new and I am happy she introduced Western whites, like me, to this mode of poetry even though I am not particularly touched by it.
The broad ideas in her collection are powerful, exactly because of their universality, but the execution is just not. She capitalizes on that. Good for her, don't get me wrong! but this is not poetry. Also, I find it disappointing that her work does not foster public discourse. She conveys a simple and very agreeable message and it ends there. She is not engaging with us! I am not even sure she actually can. Her goal is accessibility but poetry has never been about *simplicity* and *mass culture or readership*.
It was interesting to read her take on a trans-inclusive feminism. As she is often so fixated on her womb and the "female energy" that comes out of it, I have thought many times that she excludes trans women by doing so. Maybe if she had written more than 3 words regarding this topic, her views would have been more clear to me.
The sun and her flowers might have been her best one so far.
Rupi Kaur touches on so many important topics but her work lacks serious depth. This collection felt like a dull repetition of milk and honey and the sun and her flowers. Even though I find her openness about personal trauma and mental state courageous, unfortunately it is not enough.
In my opinion her work is overhyped. She writes (with very few exceptions) cliché poems that give the illusion of depth when in fact they are lacking any real political or literary agency. The mode of writing is not new and I am happy she introduced Western whites, like me, to this mode of poetry even though I am not particularly touched by it.
The broad ideas in her collection are powerful, exactly because of their universality, but the execution is just not. She capitalizes on that. Good for her, don't get me wrong! but this is not poetry. Also, I find it disappointing that her work does not foster public discourse. She conveys a simple and very agreeable message and it ends there. She is not engaging with us! I am not even sure she actually can. Her goal is accessibility but poetry has never been about *simplicity* and *mass culture or readership*.
It was interesting to read her take on a trans-inclusive feminism. As she is often so fixated on her womb and the "female energy" that comes out of it, I have thought many times that she excludes trans women by doing so. Maybe if she had written more than 3 words regarding this topic, her views would have been more clear to me.
The sun and her flowers might have been her best one so far.
November 16, 2020
I don't think that Kaur's style of poetry is for me. I don't typically read poetry so the lack of impact may be from that but I think it has more to do with how she writes. There are always maybe 4 poems that I like but nothing after that. Also trigger warning for depression and sexual assault. There were so many different topics mentioned in this collection and they didn't always connect fluidly within the sections and the transitions just felt choppy. Powerful content but not delivered in a way that resonates for me.
May 26, 2021
Amazing, I love every part of it. This is my second poetry by Rupi and this is as good as the other one I read. The writing is great and very relatable, I love that about this book. Below are some quotes from the book.
“Nothing lasts forever
let that be the reason you stay
even this sick twisted misery
will not last
- hope”
“You are lonely
but you are not alone
- there is a difference”
“Abuse doesn’t just happen
in romantic relationships
abuse can live
in friendships too”
“I measure my self-worth
by how productive I’ve been
but no matter
how hard I work
I still feel inadequate
- productivity guilt”
“I have this productivity anxiety
that everyone else is working harder than me
and I’m going to be left behind
cause I’m not working fast enough
long enough
and I’m wasting my time”
“How do we sleep at night
knowing the systems we uphold
treat the foundations of our society
as second-class citizens
when they are the reason
the wheels of this world stay turning”
“I get so lost
in where i want to go
I forget that the place I’m in
is already quite magical”
“oh but the pussy is brave
lest we forget
how much pain
the pussy can take
how much pleasure it delivers
unto itself and others
remember
how it spit you out
without a flinch
now here you are
using the word pussy
like an insult
when you’re not even
strong enough to be one”
“I became confident
once I decided that having fun
was far more important than
my fear of looking silly
- dancing in public”
“Nothing lasts forever
let that be the reason you stay
even this sick twisted misery
will not last
- hope”
“You are lonely
but you are not alone
- there is a difference”
“Abuse doesn’t just happen
in romantic relationships
abuse can live
in friendships too”
“I measure my self-worth
by how productive I’ve been
but no matter
how hard I work
I still feel inadequate
- productivity guilt”
“I have this productivity anxiety
that everyone else is working harder than me
and I’m going to be left behind
cause I’m not working fast enough
long enough
and I’m wasting my time”
“How do we sleep at night
knowing the systems we uphold
treat the foundations of our society
as second-class citizens
when they are the reason
the wheels of this world stay turning”
“I get so lost
in where i want to go
I forget that the place I’m in
is already quite magical”
“oh but the pussy is brave
lest we forget
how much pain
the pussy can take
how much pleasure it delivers
unto itself and others
remember
how it spit you out
without a flinch
now here you are
using the word pussy
like an insult
when you’re not even
strong enough to be one”
“I became confident
once I decided that having fun
was far more important than
my fear of looking silly
- dancing in public”
December 15, 2020
Rupi Kaur has such a way of telling a story. Everything she writes is very real and raw and so inspirational. She touchs your heart with her words and builds you up all at the same time. She's truly an amazing person
July 9, 2021
"Lo pierdes todo cuando no te quieres a ti misma, y lo ganas todo cuando lo haces"
Primera vez que conozco a Rupi Kaur, y debo decir que me ha dejado... es que.. ¡wow!
"No conozco nada más silenciosamente ruidoso, que la ansiedad"
Escuché el audiolibro, y simplemente fue.. exquisito. Es tan.. fuerte.. las palabras llegan tan hondo que te hacen pensar, temblar...llorar.
"Cómo puedo ser tan cruel conmigo misma, cuando estoy haciendo lo mejor que puedo"
Esto ha sido como un huracán de emociones.
Yo necesito comprar el libro
Primera vez que conozco a Rupi Kaur, y debo decir que me ha dejado... es que.. ¡wow!
"No conozco nada más silenciosamente ruidoso, que la ansiedad"
Escuché el audiolibro, y simplemente fue.. exquisito. Es tan.. fuerte.. las palabras llegan tan hondo que te hacen pensar, temblar...llorar.
"Cómo puedo ser tan cruel conmigo misma, cuando estoy haciendo lo mejor que puedo"
Esto ha sido como un huracán de emociones.
Yo necesito comprar el libro
December 3, 2020
Literally this book got me crying my heart out at 3 am. As an immigrant I related to so many pages and I loved it. I have no words to describe how much I loved it, just read it please I promise you’ll enjoy and love it.
January 5, 2023
yowch. this was my last read of 2022, and hopefully it will also be my last rupi kaur.
i didn't particularly enjoy her last two collections, but still wanted to give this one a try. perhaps because her poetry is so fragmentary and easily digestible, and because she occasionally does have some beautiful nuggets of wisdom in her words.
sometimes i do vibe with her sentiments (i.e. "i will never have this version of me again, let me slow down and be with her"). sometimes she has good reminders.
but this was the last straw:
what?? seriously, rupi? capitalism is destroying the earth, wearing down our mental health, corrupting our culture, and all you can do is use a two-liner to state the obvious? you have nothing else on the subject, nothing to say of substance? nothing thoughtful or compelling?
honestly, printing those empty words, calling them a poem, and selling them is a pretty capitalist move. you can do better.
i didn't particularly enjoy her last two collections, but still wanted to give this one a try. perhaps because her poetry is so fragmentary and easily digestible, and because she occasionally does have some beautiful nuggets of wisdom in her words.
sometimes i do vibe with her sentiments (i.e. "i will never have this version of me again, let me slow down and be with her"). sometimes she has good reminders.
but this was the last straw:
i was trying to fit into a system
that left me empty
-capitalism
what?? seriously, rupi? capitalism is destroying the earth, wearing down our mental health, corrupting our culture, and all you can do is use a two-liner to state the obvious? you have nothing else on the subject, nothing to say of substance? nothing thoughtful or compelling?
honestly, printing those empty words, calling them a poem, and selling them is a pretty capitalist move. you can do better.
September 20, 2022
I am not broken
Because of depression
I am not lesser version of myself
Because of anxiety
I am a whole
Complete
And complicated version
-full
To be honest I don't understand the disagreement that many times polarizes as hate to Rupi Kaur. I think the problem is they compared her with poets as Maya Angelou, Emily Dickinson, Pablo Neruda and other big ones, just to mention a couple. But, we have to understand that poetry is volatile and erratic, and with just a couple of verses you can communicate a dozen of emotions. That's what happens with Kaur.
In these poems, she speaks about strong topics, the type that are hard to handle, like immigration, sexual abuse, depression, anxiety, love, heartbreak, empowerment, personal growth, and many others. At 30 years old, Kaur walks solemnly between these subjects, dancing through verses, prose, and drawings to present the reader a majestic work, where she says "This is my body, this is my home”.
Because of depression
I am not lesser version of myself
Because of anxiety
I am a whole
Complete
And complicated version
-full
To be honest I don't understand the disagreement that many times polarizes as hate to Rupi Kaur. I think the problem is they compared her with poets as Maya Angelou, Emily Dickinson, Pablo Neruda and other big ones, just to mention a couple. But, we have to understand that poetry is volatile and erratic, and with just a couple of verses you can communicate a dozen of emotions. That's what happens with Kaur.
In these poems, she speaks about strong topics, the type that are hard to handle, like immigration, sexual abuse, depression, anxiety, love, heartbreak, empowerment, personal growth, and many others. At 30 years old, Kaur walks solemnly between these subjects, dancing through verses, prose, and drawings to present the reader a majestic work, where she says "This is my body, this is my home”.
March 6, 2021
Mình biết đến cuốn sách này cũng được một thời gian rồi, hồi đó có thấy tác giả Rupi Kaur đăng thông tin trên tài khoản Instagram của cô ấy, mà giờ mình mới nhớ ra để down ebook về đọc. Cuốn sách này đã tìm đến mình (hoặc mình đã tìm đến sách) khá đúng thời điểm. Dạo gần đây, cõi lòng mình chất chứa đầy những tâm tư, suy nghĩ, đớn đau mà mình chỉ muốn chui vào căn phòng riêng để khóc cho thỏa. Thực sự, cuối tuần này mình đã khóc rất nhiều, một mình, trong phòng. Căng thẳng trong công việc chỉ đóng một phần rất nhỏ khiến cảm xúc của mình tuôn trào như thế thôi; chủ yếu là hình như nỗi đau khi sống gần 30 năm trong một gia đình đầy những bất công, chứng kiến mẹ mình cô đơn trong chính cuộc hôn nhân của bà, cuối cùng đã bắt kịp lấy tâm hồn mình. Nhất là khi mình chứng kiến bạn bè xung quanh mình can đảm yêu và can đảm lựa chọn hôn nhân, còn mình thì vẫn chưa thực sự dám phá bỏ bức tường mình đã tự xây dựng xung quanh trái tim mình để có thể thử yêu ai, luôn sợ hãi bất kỳ những cảm xúc lãng mạn nào, chỉ vì mình s��� mình sẽ lặp lại sai lầm của mẹ mình. Nỗi đau ấy có lẽ vẫn luôn thường trực trong mình, và có lẽ giờ đây nó đòi hỏi được chữa lành chăng?
Và rồi mình đọc được “Home Body”, và rồi mình thấy cõi lòng mình nhẹ đi một chút. Và rồi mình thấy nỗi đau ấy, dẫu vẫn còn lưu lại ở đó, trong tâm hồn mình, nhưng đã bớt dữ dội đi phần nào, và trong khoảnh khắc, mình có thể thấy bản thân yên lòng được một chút…
Tương tự như các tập thơ trước của Rupi Kaur mà mình đọc, “Home Body” đề cập đến nhiều vấn đề khác nhau, từ tình trạng tâm lý, những cảm xúc của mỗi cá nhân, cho đến các mối quan hệ độc hại, tình yêu, sắc tộc, sự bòn rút sức lực người lao động của các ông chủ lớn, niềm tin vào bản thân, chủ nghĩa nữ quyền,... Và đúng như phong cách viết tập thơ nào giờ của Rupi Kaur, các bài thơ trong “Home Body” cũng được chia thành các phần khác nhau theo các chủ đề, cụ thể là 4 phần riêng biệt, lần lượt là “mind”, “heart”, “rest”, “awake”. Mỗi phần đều có những đoạn thơ thật sự chạm đến tâm can mình, và mình sẽ ghi ra sau đây.
Trong phần “mind”, Rupi Kaur đã đưa ra những cảm nhận rất chân thực, rất hợp lý về tất tần tật những thứ liên quan đến những suy nghĩ sâu thẳm bên trong những người nhạy cảm như mình. Như thể thơ của cô có khả năng nói chuyện trực tiếp với mình vậy. Đây là cách mà Rupi nói về chứng lo âu:
“i have never known anything more
quietly loud than anxiety”
Còn đây chính xác là những gì mình đôi khi cảm thấy về chính bản thân mình - nỗi lo sợ rằng mình không đủ tốt như mình nghĩ, rằng mình sẽ không chạm được đến cái hình dung mà người khác nghĩ về mình:
“i want to live
i’m just afraid
i won’t measure up to the
idea people have of me in their heads
i’m afraid of getting older
scared i’ll never write anything
worth reading again
that i’ll disappoint the people
who are counting on me
that i’ll never learn how to be happy”
Nhưng rồi thì, mình biết, đối với tình hình hiện giờ, tất cả những gì mình có thể làm là tin tưởng vào sự không chắc chắn của hiện tại, và nuôi dưỡng niềm tin rằng mình sẽ ở một nơi nào đó tốt hơn, phù hợp hơn trong tương lai:
“i am trusting the uncertainty
and believing i will
end up somewhere
right and good”
Mình không được định nghĩa bằng những ngày tồi tệ nhất của mình, khi áp lực công việc chỉ khiến mình muốn buông xuôi tất cả, khi nỗi đau trong mình cứ khiến nước mắt mình tuôn rơi. Mình là một chỉnh thể hoàn thiện, trọn vẹn của toàn bộ con người mình, một con người phức tạp:
“i am not my worst days
i am not what happened to me”
“i am not broken
because of the depression
i am not a lesser version of myself
because of the anxiety
i am a whole
complete
and complicated person”
Và nếu sau này mình gom đủ can đảm để yêu, thì mình muốn có một tình yêu như thế này:
“most of my life has been spent
with the two of us touching
skin to skin
our nights together
and sometimes our days
you carried me when my limbs refused to
when i was so sick i could not move
not once did you tire of my weight
not once did you complain
you’ve witnessed all my dreams
my sex
my writing
my weeping
every vulnerable act of my life
has been with you
the two of us knee-deep in laughter
and when i’ve been a fool to trust a fool
made love on top of you
left for days only to
return empty-handed
you always took me back
when sleep abandoned me
we lay awake together
you are the embrace of my life
my confessional
my altar
i went from girl to woman on top of you
and in the end
it will be you—old friend
delivering me to death well rested”
“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” - “Điều gì không thể giết được bạn thì sẽ khiến bạn mạnh mẽ hơn”. Có lẽ đây là con đường mình phải đi, là nỗi đau mình phải vượt qua để trở thành một phiên bản chiến binh mạnh mẽ mà mình tự hào được trở thành:
“what we lived through
is living in us
i am not a victim of my life
what i went through
pulled a warrior out of me
and it is my greatest honor to be her”
Và hãy luôn có hy vọng, hãy luôn tự bảo bản thân rằng “tôi sẽ”. Tôi sẽ vượt qua, tôi sẽ bước tiếp, dẫu cho nỗi đau như bóng tối bên trong mình cứ chực chờ kéo mình lại:
“for the love of my life
i am trying my best to have hope
i’ll keep greeting each morning
with an i will
when it feels like i can’t
i will
i will
i will
meet a day that will melt me
i will move and the sadness will
fall off my shoulders
to make room for joy
i will be full of color
i will touch the sky again
i want a parade
i want music
i want confetti
i want a marching band
for the ones surviving in silence
i want a standing ovation
for every person who
wakes up and moves toward the sun
when there is a shadow
pulling them back on the inside”
Và câu thơ này có lẽ là đúng nhất đây: nỗi đau là cánh cửa dẫn đến niềm vui. Có lẽ đúng thế, bởi nếu không biết ��ến nỗi đau thì làm sao chúng ta cảm nhận được hạnh phúc?
“our pain is the doorway to our joy”
Trong phần “heart”, Rupi Kaur đề cập đến chủ đề tình yêu và các mối quan hệ định nghĩa của một mối quan hệ độc hại và một mối quan hệ lành mạnh là như thế nào. Cô đã làm rất tốt trong việc dùng những từ ngữ giản đơn để miêu tả cảm xúc và suy nghĩ của nhiều người, đặc biệt là những phụ nữ trẻ như Rupi, khi yêu:
“why does everything
become less beautiful
once it belongs to us
it took me getting into a healthy relationship
to realize i shouldn’t be scared
of the person i love”
Có lẽ đây cũng là một trong những lý do mình chưa đủ can đảm để yêu, vì mình luôn sợ bản thân không đủ tốt, không đủ tuyệt vời để ai đó ở lại, rằng sẽ luôn có người khác đẹp hơn, tuyệt vời hơn để thay thế mình…:
“i’m afraid i won’t find the one who sees me
and rushes to breathe me in
i have a fear of seeming too desperate
i’m scared i will be cheated on
with a woman more brilliant
more striking
more of me in every way
terrified this will confirm what i know already
that i am not enough for someone to stay”
Và đây là mình, dẫu có cô đơn đi chăng nữa thì cũng không bao giờ chấp nhận kìm hãm tinh hoa của mình lại để người mà mình hẹn hò cảm thấy thoải mái. Bởi vì mình biết rằng người nào thực sự yêu mình thì sẽ luôn muốn điều tốt đẹp nhất cho mình, và muốn giúp mình phát triển bản thân mình thêm chứ không phải nhún nhường để “xứng” với người đó:
“i’m not going to pretend
to be less intelligent than i am
so a man can feel
more comfortable around me
the one i deserve
will see my greatness and
want to lift it higher
i want someone who is
inspired by my brilliance
not threatened by it”
Với phần “rest”, Rupi Kaur một lần nữa đã đưa ra những quan điểm, nhận xét mà đối với mình là rất hợp lý về định nghĩa của thành công và năng suất làm việc. Ví dụ như:
“we can work
at our own pace
and still be
successful”
Đây đích thị là bản miêu tả cực kỳ chính xác những gì mà cuộc sống bộn bề công việc đã thay đổi đời sống cá nhân của mình. Suốt tuần đi làm mệt mỏi quá rồi, cuối tuần mình chỉ muốn ở nhà thư giãn mà thôi, chả muốn đi đâu nữa…:
“now we have our very important jobs
that fill up our very busy schedules
we compare calendars just to plan coffee dates
that one of us eventually cancels
cause adulthood is being too exhausted
to leave our apartments most days”
Những đoạn thơ bên dưới chính xác là lý do vì sao chúng ta cần thay đổi cái nhìn về việc thế nào gọi là năng suất làm việc, hay cái gọi là “luôn luôn phải cải thiện bản thân”, nhất là đối với những người có thiên hướng làm nghệ thuật như tác giả:
“productivity is not how much
work i do in a day
but how well i balance
what i need to stay healthy”
“not everything you do has
to be self-improving
you are not a machine
you are a person
without rest
your work can never be full
without play
your mind can never be nourished”
“if you want to be creative
you need to learn how to
do stuff that has no purpose
art isn’t made by
working all the time
first you’ve got to
go out and live”
Còn đây là một đoạn thơ mình nghĩ đối với một đứa luôn thích giữ hình tượng như mình cần ghi nhớ để lâu lâu bung lụa cho thêm phần tự tin :D
“i became confident
once i decided that having fun
was far more important than
my fear of looking silly”
“awake” là phần cuối của “Home Body”, chủ yếu tập trung vào self-love và các vấn đề xoay quanh nữ quyền, sự tự tin vào bản thân. Tác giả đã đưa ra cách thực sự để yêu lấy bản thân mình, đó là yêu cả những phần không hoàn hảo, những phần khó ưa luôn tồn tại trong mỗi chúng ta:
“it’s easy to love
the nice things about ourselves
but true self-love is
embracing the difficult parts
that live in all of us”
Còn đây là một trong những đoạn thơ mình ấn tượng nhất trong toàn bộ tuyển tập, bởi tác giả đã yêu cầu định nghĩa lại cách dùng từ “pussy” (hay còn gọi là “bộ phận sinh dục nữ”). Nếu bạn nào rành tiếng Anh sẽ biết, từ “pussy” thường hay được dùng với nghĩa miệt thị, trong khi bộ phận sinh dục nữ là một bộ phận đầy can đảm. Nó đã chịu đựng nhiều đớn đau để mang không biết bao nhiêu sinh linh đến với thế giới này; khi nó có thể cho và nhận khoái cảm. Và nó xứng đáng được tôn vinh, chứ không phải bị xem thường:
“oh but the pussy is brave
lest we forget
how much pain
the pussy can take
how much pleasure it delivers
unto itself and others
remember
how it spit you out
without a flinch
now here you are
using the word pussy
like an insult
when you’re not even
strong enough to be one
live loud and proud like you deserve
and reject their bullshit definition
of what a woman should look like”
Và đoạn thơ cuối, một lời nhắc nhở dành tặng tất cả mọi người: sẽ có nhiều thập kỷ thắng lợi tươi sáng thành công ở trước mắt nha:
“you have only scratched the surface
of what you’re capable of
there are decades
of victories ahead of you”
Và rồi mình đọc được “Home Body”, và rồi mình thấy cõi lòng mình nhẹ đi một chút. Và rồi mình thấy nỗi đau ấy, dẫu vẫn còn lưu lại ở đó, trong tâm hồn mình, nhưng đã bớt dữ dội đi phần nào, và trong khoảnh khắc, mình có thể thấy bản thân yên lòng được một chút…
Tương tự như các tập thơ trước của Rupi Kaur mà mình đọc, “Home Body” đề cập đến nhiều vấn đề khác nhau, từ tình trạng tâm lý, những cảm xúc của mỗi cá nhân, cho đến các mối quan hệ độc hại, tình yêu, sắc tộc, sự bòn rút sức lực người lao động của các ông chủ lớn, niềm tin vào bản thân, chủ nghĩa nữ quyền,... Và đúng như phong cách viết tập thơ nào giờ của Rupi Kaur, các bài thơ trong “Home Body” cũng được chia thành các phần khác nhau theo các chủ đề, cụ thể là 4 phần riêng biệt, lần lượt là “mind”, “heart”, “rest”, “awake”. Mỗi phần đều có những đoạn thơ thật sự chạm đến tâm can mình, và mình sẽ ghi ra sau đây.
Trong phần “mind”, Rupi Kaur đã đưa ra những cảm nhận rất chân thực, rất hợp lý về tất tần tật những thứ liên quan đến những suy nghĩ sâu thẳm bên trong những người nhạy cảm như mình. Như thể thơ của cô có khả năng nói chuyện trực tiếp với mình vậy. Đây là cách mà Rupi nói về chứng lo âu:
“i have never known anything more
quietly loud than anxiety”
Còn đây chính xác là những gì mình đôi khi cảm thấy về chính bản thân mình - nỗi lo sợ rằng mình không đủ tốt như mình nghĩ, rằng mình sẽ không chạm được đến cái hình dung mà người khác nghĩ về mình:
“i want to live
i’m just afraid
i won’t measure up to the
idea people have of me in their heads
i’m afraid of getting older
scared i’ll never write anything
worth reading again
that i’ll disappoint the people
who are counting on me
that i’ll never learn how to be happy”
Nhưng rồi thì, mình biết, đối với tình hình hiện giờ, tất cả những gì mình có thể làm là tin tưởng vào sự không chắc chắn của hiện tại, và nuôi dưỡng niềm tin rằng mình sẽ ở một nơi nào đó tốt hơn, phù hợp hơn trong tương lai:
“i am trusting the uncertainty
and believing i will
end up somewhere
right and good”
Mình không được định nghĩa bằng những ngày tồi tệ nhất của mình, khi áp lực công việc chỉ khiến mình muốn buông xuôi tất cả, khi nỗi đau trong mình cứ khiến nước mắt mình tuôn rơi. Mình là một chỉnh thể hoàn thiện, trọn vẹn của toàn bộ con người mình, một con người phức tạp:
“i am not my worst days
i am not what happened to me”
“i am not broken
because of the depression
i am not a lesser version of myself
because of the anxiety
i am a whole
complete
and complicated person”
Và nếu sau này mình gom đủ can đảm để yêu, thì mình muốn có một tình yêu như thế này:
“most of my life has been spent
with the two of us touching
skin to skin
our nights together
and sometimes our days
you carried me when my limbs refused to
when i was so sick i could not move
not once did you tire of my weight
not once did you complain
you’ve witnessed all my dreams
my sex
my writing
my weeping
every vulnerable act of my life
has been with you
the two of us knee-deep in laughter
and when i’ve been a fool to trust a fool
made love on top of you
left for days only to
return empty-handed
you always took me back
when sleep abandoned me
we lay awake together
you are the embrace of my life
my confessional
my altar
i went from girl to woman on top of you
and in the end
it will be you—old friend
delivering me to death well rested”
“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” - “Điều gì không thể giết được bạn thì sẽ khiến bạn mạnh mẽ hơn”. Có lẽ đây là con đường mình phải đi, là nỗi đau mình phải vượt qua để trở thành một phiên bản chiến binh mạnh mẽ mà mình tự hào được trở thành:
“what we lived through
is living in us
i am not a victim of my life
what i went through
pulled a warrior out of me
and it is my greatest honor to be her”
Và hãy luôn có hy vọng, hãy luôn tự bảo bản thân rằng “tôi sẽ”. Tôi sẽ vượt qua, tôi sẽ bước tiếp, dẫu cho nỗi đau như bóng tối bên trong mình cứ chực chờ kéo mình lại:
“for the love of my life
i am trying my best to have hope
i’ll keep greeting each morning
with an i will
when it feels like i can’t
i will
i will
i will
meet a day that will melt me
i will move and the sadness will
fall off my shoulders
to make room for joy
i will be full of color
i will touch the sky again
i want a parade
i want music
i want confetti
i want a marching band
for the ones surviving in silence
i want a standing ovation
for every person who
wakes up and moves toward the sun
when there is a shadow
pulling them back on the inside”
Và câu thơ này có lẽ là đúng nhất đây: nỗi đau là cánh cửa dẫn đến niềm vui. Có lẽ đúng thế, bởi nếu không biết ��ến nỗi đau thì làm sao chúng ta cảm nhận được hạnh phúc?
“our pain is the doorway to our joy”
Trong phần “heart”, Rupi Kaur đề cập đến chủ đề tình yêu và các mối quan hệ định nghĩa của một mối quan hệ độc hại và một mối quan hệ lành mạnh là như thế nào. Cô đã làm rất tốt trong việc dùng những từ ngữ giản đơn để miêu tả cảm xúc và suy nghĩ của nhiều người, đặc biệt là những phụ nữ trẻ như Rupi, khi yêu:
“why does everything
become less beautiful
once it belongs to us
it took me getting into a healthy relationship
to realize i shouldn’t be scared
of the person i love”
Có lẽ đây cũng là một trong những lý do mình chưa đủ can đảm để yêu, vì mình luôn sợ bản thân không đủ tốt, không đủ tuyệt vời để ai đó ở lại, rằng sẽ luôn có người khác đẹp hơn, tuyệt vời hơn để thay thế mình…:
“i’m afraid i won’t find the one who sees me
and rushes to breathe me in
i have a fear of seeming too desperate
i’m scared i will be cheated on
with a woman more brilliant
more striking
more of me in every way
terrified this will confirm what i know already
that i am not enough for someone to stay”
Và đây là mình, dẫu có cô đơn đi chăng nữa thì cũng không bao giờ chấp nhận kìm hãm tinh hoa của mình lại để người mà mình hẹn hò cảm thấy thoải mái. Bởi vì mình biết rằng người nào thực sự yêu mình thì sẽ luôn muốn điều tốt đẹp nhất cho mình, và muốn giúp mình phát triển bản thân mình thêm chứ không phải nhún nhường để “xứng” với người đó:
“i’m not going to pretend
to be less intelligent than i am
so a man can feel
more comfortable around me
the one i deserve
will see my greatness and
want to lift it higher
i want someone who is
inspired by my brilliance
not threatened by it”
Với phần “rest”, Rupi Kaur một lần nữa đã đưa ra những quan điểm, nhận xét mà đối với mình là rất hợp lý về định nghĩa của thành công và năng suất làm việc. Ví dụ như:
“we can work
at our own pace
and still be
successful”
Đây đích thị là bản miêu tả cực kỳ chính xác những gì mà cuộc sống bộn bề công việc đã thay đổi đời sống cá nhân của mình. Suốt tuần đi làm mệt mỏi quá rồi, cuối tuần mình chỉ muốn ở nhà thư giãn mà thôi, chả muốn đi đâu nữa…:
“now we have our very important jobs
that fill up our very busy schedules
we compare calendars just to plan coffee dates
that one of us eventually cancels
cause adulthood is being too exhausted
to leave our apartments most days”
Những đoạn thơ bên dưới chính xác là lý do vì sao chúng ta cần thay đổi cái nhìn về việc thế nào gọi là năng suất làm việc, hay cái gọi là “luôn luôn phải cải thiện bản thân”, nhất là đối với những người có thiên hướng làm nghệ thuật như tác giả:
“productivity is not how much
work i do in a day
but how well i balance
what i need to stay healthy”
“not everything you do has
to be self-improving
you are not a machine
you are a person
without rest
your work can never be full
without play
your mind can never be nourished”
“if you want to be creative
you need to learn how to
do stuff that has no purpose
art isn’t made by
working all the time
first you’ve got to
go out and live”
Còn đây là một đoạn thơ mình nghĩ đối với một đứa luôn thích giữ hình tượng như mình cần ghi nhớ để lâu lâu bung lụa cho thêm phần tự tin :D
“i became confident
once i decided that having fun
was far more important than
my fear of looking silly”
“awake” là phần cuối của “Home Body”, chủ yếu tập trung vào self-love và các vấn đề xoay quanh nữ quyền, sự tự tin vào bản thân. Tác giả đã đưa ra cách thực sự để yêu lấy bản thân mình, đó là yêu cả những phần không hoàn hảo, những phần khó ưa luôn tồn tại trong mỗi chúng ta:
“it’s easy to love
the nice things about ourselves
but true self-love is
embracing the difficult parts
that live in all of us”
Còn đây là một trong những đoạn thơ mình ấn tượng nhất trong toàn bộ tuyển tập, bởi tác giả đã yêu cầu định nghĩa lại cách dùng từ “pussy” (hay còn gọi là “bộ phận sinh dục nữ”). Nếu bạn nào rành tiếng Anh sẽ biết, từ “pussy” thường hay được dùng với nghĩa miệt thị, trong khi bộ phận sinh dục nữ là một bộ phận đầy can đảm. Nó đã chịu đựng nhiều đớn đau để mang không biết bao nhiêu sinh linh đến với thế giới này; khi nó có thể cho và nhận khoái cảm. Và nó xứng đáng được tôn vinh, chứ không phải bị xem thường:
“oh but the pussy is brave
lest we forget
how much pain
the pussy can take
how much pleasure it delivers
unto itself and others
remember
how it spit you out
without a flinch
now here you are
using the word pussy
like an insult
when you’re not even
strong enough to be one
live loud and proud like you deserve
and reject their bullshit definition
of what a woman should look like”
Và đoạn thơ cuối, một lời nhắc nhở dành tặng tất cả mọi người: sẽ có nhiều thập kỷ thắng lợi tươi sáng thành công ở trước mắt nha:
“you have only scratched the surface
of what you’re capable of
there are decades
of victories ahead of you”
Read
February 2, 2021*TRANSPARENCY....i feel that rating poetry is a very touchy line to run your finger across. The art doesn't judge itself, people judge the art. So with that being said I believe Homebody deserves a five star rating. Rupi Kaur just wrote another book that reflects her own unique experience in life. For that she did great expressing herself...I can now note what I did or didn't like about this collection.
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Like the 2 books Rupi wrote prior to Homebody, she exemplifies a particular style of poetry that is considered "instapoetry". Personally I like the style of being able to read through a plethora of thoughts to gain one big perspective. It's almost like a movie that is made of random clips of life that doesn't have to be in chronological order.
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Homebody has a lot of art illustrated by Rupi. That alone always magnetizes me to read her books. To me, some of her illustrations are slightly child like...but for some reason I enjoy them and the creativity behind them. I don't think as many illustrations existed in Homebody like the last 2 books Rupi has written. Regardless, they are very nice to look at.
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I did enjoy the long stories in Homebody...as someone who is darker skinned, it makes me feel that people from other nationalities can also relate to some of the pain that comes with being a darker skin in America.
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All in all "Homebody" is a book you can quickly breeze through to see perspectives through Rupi's life...I mean that is what poetry does regardless. Homebody is like "Milk & Honey" and "The Sun and Her Flowers"....it was just a different way to explain part of Rupi's story. I think if you appreciate her last 2 books you will appreciate this one. All of her books have been pretty much the same style poetry so far. I guess some people like it and some dislike it (Regardless it is art)
.
.
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Like the 2 books Rupi wrote prior to Homebody, she exemplifies a particular style of poetry that is considered "instapoetry". Personally I like the style of being able to read through a plethora of thoughts to gain one big perspective. It's almost like a movie that is made of random clips of life that doesn't have to be in chronological order.
.
.
.
Homebody has a lot of art illustrated by Rupi. That alone always magnetizes me to read her books. To me, some of her illustrations are slightly child like...but for some reason I enjoy them and the creativity behind them. I don't think as many illustrations existed in Homebody like the last 2 books Rupi has written. Regardless, they are very nice to look at.
.
.
.
I did enjoy the long stories in Homebody...as someone who is darker skinned, it makes me feel that people from other nationalities can also relate to some of the pain that comes with being a darker skin in America.
.
.
.
All in all "Homebody" is a book you can quickly breeze through to see perspectives through Rupi's life...I mean that is what poetry does regardless. Homebody is like "Milk & Honey" and "The Sun and Her Flowers"....it was just a different way to explain part of Rupi's story. I think if you appreciate her last 2 books you will appreciate this one. All of her books have been pretty much the same style poetry so far. I guess some people like it and some dislike it (Regardless it is art)
May 8, 2022
actual rating: 3.5 stars
May 30, 2021
Let's just say I am longing for punctuation and capital letters after reading it.
December 18, 2020
Not the best of Kaur's works, more like moral science than poetry, more like an obligation to write rather than her wanting to.
Following the pattern of her earlier books, this too is divided into 4 themes- Mind, Heart, Rest, and Awake. There are some good prose here and there, but on the whole the collection doesn't strikes you like the earlier two collections.
Following the pattern of her earlier books, this too is divided into 4 themes- Mind, Heart, Rest, and Awake. There are some good prose here and there, but on the whole the collection doesn't strikes you like the earlier two collections.
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