The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur

Read Dates: April 12, 2019 – April 16, 2019
Publication date: October 3, 2017
Source: Owned copy

Goodreads — Amazon

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 gardens each year
they will teach you
that people too
must wilt
fall
root
rise
in order to bloom

Another wonderfully crafted book of poetry by Rapi Kaur. A lot of people say they liked the first better in terms of content and illustrations but I’m having a hard time choosing between the two.
Much like the first, this was split up into sections. Whereas Milk and Honey had four, this one has five:
Wilting, Falling, Rooting, Rising, and Blooming.

Also much like the first book, we start off with a hard hitting, no mercy account of toxic relationships, break-ups, and wanting to be like someone else. Wilting is a collection of accounts in which the author feels she should alter herself to be like the girl he left her for. She’s unhappy in her own body. She goes as far as to call herself “ugly”. She takes us through grief and self abandonment.

Falling takes us to the place we find ourselves after going through hardships. That time when we have finally hardened ourselves to the outside world. We’ve put up a wall that we don’t let others breach. A point of depression is reached where we can’t find it in ourselves to rise. She also mentions something SO important in this section. She mentions children who are taught to obey. Children who are not taught the word “no”. Children who grow into adults who still find it impossible to say the word “no” and, in turn, end up letting others hurt them. This is the section of the book and of our lives when we become detached and numb.

Rooting was such a beautiful section. The author talks of her culture and the struggles of immigration. The struggles of immigrant families who are escaping one horror for another so that their children can have better lives, more choices, happier memories… She talks of adapting to this new home and how the thick accent her mother carries is so beautiful to her because it reminds her where she came from, where her mother came from, and the things her family endured. She speaks of borders and the people who set them. Which made for one of my favorite passages in this book:

borders
are man-made
they only divide us physically
don’t let them make us
turn on each other

-we are not enemies

Rising gives way to the process of moving on and realizing how misplaced your grief was before. This section takes us through the breaking of that hard outer shell we’ve built around ourselves. It takes us through learning to adapt to a healthy relationship without comparing our new partner to our last. It shows us GROWTH. It teaches us that when we’re with the right people, we will experience growth. The “fingers” entry on page 175… oh em gee. It got me. It got me right in the feels. If you plan to read this, don’t skip ahead. Enjoy the journey this book takes you on and enjoy page 175 when it’s meant to be read. It was my favorite.

Finally we have Blooming. Blooming is all about lifting yourself up, trusting your body, finding your independence, and surrounding yourself with people who do the same. You are irreplaceable! One of a kind! Love yourself. Rejoice in the fact that your mother gave you safe passage into this world and gave you a chance to LIVE. And one of the most important points in this chapter… we are not in competition with one another. We are all different and there is no comparison. Take compliments from the people who are nice enough to give them and don’t shy away from them. Those compliments are YOURS.

These books have been so refreshing, honestly. Even through the hard parts. I enjoyed both the words written and the illustrations drawn. Beautiful. ❤

we have been dying
since we got here
and forgot to enjoy the view

-live fully