I never associated poetry with therapy until I came across Rupi Kaur and her poems. It’s an indescribable feeling; reading powerful and bittersweet words that resonate so deeply within you and touch your most intimate and vulnerable self. When I picked up her latest book, Homebody, I was at a loss of words. Her piercing terms hit home yet again, and she managed to create an emotional rollercoaster of me, while I was going through different stages of her book. At 21, Kaur introduced her first book, Milk and Honey, and that was the beginning of her career. It’s awe-inspiring how, one day, she had decided to create something personal to her, without knowing the effects it could have worldwide.

Being an avid Kaur fan myself, I was a witness to all her past books, and I understand how this could make me somewhat biased in giving my honest opinion and applauding her in creating such a fantastic masterpiece. However, despite this, she managed to do something that not many writers could do. She managed to speak to me, without literally speaking to me. She managed to understand me, more than I understood myself, and I know I speak for many readers and fans, when I say that I am not the only one who feels this way.

What makes Kaur’s poems unique is the fact that her poems are universal and inclusive, and address individuals facing different hardships. Whether it’s someone that has been through a traumatic experience, someone not feeling comfy in their own skin, or someone facing confidence or esteem issues, Kaur seems to know exactly how to convey what she wants to say to them all. She tackles oppression, abuse, discrimination, and various other problems that she, and many others, have faced. Her feminist poems are empowering, raw, and so exposing that you feel the need to hide away while reading her work in order to feel your emotions wholly without any scrutiny.

She uses her pain to produce beautiful art, and that is a gift. She uses her art to try and cure people of their pain, and that is humane.

At the beginning of Homebody, she states “after feeling disconnected for so long/ my mind and body are finally/ coming back to each other/ – homebody”.

Based on this poem, we immediately understand the gist of her book; she is placing this emphasis on the importance of feeling internally at peace. This resonates with further themes of the book such as self-love, empowerment, acceptance, and many others. Her book has a similar format as her previous ones, where she begins with talking about her struggles, and the hardships she had faced and ends with enhancing empowerment, strength, and love that helped her overcome these hardships.

Rupi Kaur isn’t the only author who places their pain on paper, making this art a therapeutic one. There are so many great artists that introduce their books and poems in incredible ways, such as Lang Leav, and Caroline Kaufman, to name a few. Kaur is special to me though, because she was one of the first poets whose poems I ever read, and through her, I realized that words have extreme value when used in the right way.

Poetry is a form of language, one that not many may understand. It is a beautiful way to express yourself and is therapeutic in many ways because it helps you deal with various emotions that you are not able to control. Various individuals often use this way as an outlet to express themselves and splay their thoughts out on paper. Kaur uses this language in a beautiful, resonating way.

With her upcoming live performance on April 30^th, 2021, I am looking forward to actually hearing her speak her poems. This will most definitely be a performance to remember because many will be listening firsthand to how her poems no longer stay on paper and come alive. This change of dynamics is quite empowering, especially considering the sensitive topics that will be declared on air, with no barriers whatsoever.

Kaur crafted poems that are like a slap in the face, waking us up from a daydream. Her revolutionary poems teach us a lesson, one that screams power, independence, and strength. They are heartbreaking in many ways, but they stick to us like second skin.