FemLIT: My Thoughts on Milk & Honey and "Insta-poetry"

This month for FemLIT, we finally caught up to the trend and read Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur. I'd been aware of its categorization as a feminist work of poetry, and though I had my severe skepticism, I thought it was worth giving a read...possibly so I could critique it even more. 

I finished the book in two sittings, had some thoughts, then went on twitter and had a tiny angry rant. 

To put it simply, I cannot stand Rupi Kaur's poetry, or basically any "insta-poetry" for that matter. 

Before I'd read Milk and Honey, I'd seen a few of Rupi Kaur's poems on instagram and all over pinterest. I'd seen Milk and Honey on the bestseller list on Amazon, in Barnes & Noble, and in Urban Outfitters. I got to say, my first reaction when I read some of her poems was just laughter. I didn't believe anyone would take this seriously.

I was obviously wrong- she's now hailed as the poet of our generation. And I've got to admit my initial dismissal of her work was pretty rude. But after reading her book, I feel like I can express my distaste in a more constructive, respectful way. Her work, and the trend of "insta-poets" that she's continued, still concerns me so much.

I'm no expert on poetry, but I do write it and read it quite often. More than anything, I am amazed by its almost magical quality to transcend any other form of writing - poetry is the closest to an encapsulation of a feeling that words can achieve.

To me, the beauty of poetry is in its mystery, its deliberation. The best poems are the ones that make us feel and sense something without saying anything blatantly - the ones with language that makes our head buzz, our hearts sing. Poetry is inherently complex and intricate, but that's what makes it so special as an art form. 

Insta-poetry has no complexity. Rupi Kaur's poems are sentences with lines breaks strewn in-between them. They speak their meaning so blatantly that there could be no possible dispute about their message. The meaning of a poem should not be stated in the poem. It takes away so much of the wonder and awe of poetry. 

What makes me the most worried about this insta-poem trend is that it seems to be a reflection of a society that keeps turning to instant gratification and convenience. We can't seem to take time for anything anymore - we want everything condensed, we want meanings to be clear, we don't have time for complexity and thought. 

Art in general should be time-consuming, but especially poetry. It takes a while to really take in a poem, and that's why the poems we remember in our lives are so impactful. If we turn away from the complexity of poetry, how will we express complexity in anything? Why are we putting simplicity on a pedestal? 

I do have to say, after reading the whole book, I understand that it is one whole experience. I think the individual poems don't give an idea of reading the whole book through, where you can see the threads being connected throughout. I'm also not advocating for only 19th century poets - in fact, I'm the first to say I find old poetry SO difficult to get through. 

But the danger of insta-poetry is not only that in the process of making things easier to understand, we lose the appreciation of chaos and intricacy of humanity. It's also that the money and fame goes to poets like Rupi Kaur, when there are other poets currently writing that have poems that are so stunning and ground-breaking, poems that will surely live on after us. Poems we'll regret not reading. 

I know that I'm just one reader in a whole world of readers, and usually, I don't like to judge other people's reading or writing habits. But this particular trend hits home for me because I find it so detrimental and revealing of our collective state of mind. I'd love to hear the other side though, as I know these poems have connected with a lot of people. 

Let me know your thoughts! I'd love to hear them and have a good discussion about this stuff :)