Milk and Honey

by Rupi Kaur

every time you tell your daughter you yell at her out of love you teach her to confuse anger with kindness which seems like a good idea till she grows up to trust men who hurt her cause they look so much like you

the closest thing to god on this earth is a woman’s body it’s where life comes from

how someone can pour their entire soul blood and energy into someone without wanting anything in return - i will have to wait till i’m a mother

you might not have been my first love but you were the love that made all the other loves irrelevant

you whisper i love you what you mean is i don’t want you to leave

i am not police sirens i am the crackle of a fireplace

i am not the whiskey you want i am the water you need

i am a museum full of art but you had your eyes shut

i don’t know what living a balanced life feels like when i am sad i don’t cry i pour when i am happy i don’t smile i glow when i am angry i don’t yell i burn

i will not have you build me into your life when what i want is to build a life with you

love is not cruel we are cruel love is not a game we have made a game out of love

you cannot leave and have me too i cannot exist in two places at once

loneliness is a sign you are in desperate need of yourself

perhaps the saddest of all are those who live waiting for someone they’re not sure exists

there is a difference between someone telling you they love you and them actually loving you

Words are meaningless without action

what terrifies me most is how we foam at the mouth with envy when others succeed but sigh in relief when they are failing our struggle to celebrate each other is what’s proven most difficult in being human

give to those who have nothing to give to you

That is a source of joy!