Milk and Honey

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of sexual violence, child sexual abuse, sexual content, bodily functions

Rupi Kaur’s milk and honey is made up of over 180 poems, divided into four titled sections, which reflect an emotional journey. The individual poems flow into each other so seamlessly that milk and honey can be read as one long work, which Kaur has herself suggested: “this is an entire body […] the entire book to me is one long poem front cover to back cover” (“How Rupi Kaur Used Instagram to Transform Poetry.” Rebecca Szkutak, Interview Magazine, 2017). 

The four sections center on specific themes, with some overlap. “The Hurting” deals primarily with childhood sexual assault, parent and child relationships, and cultural expectations. “The Loving” deals with how sexual relationships are impacted by childhood experiences. “The Breaking” considers toxicity in relationships. “The Healing” outlines the struggles and triumphs of healing and how individual healing can extend to the collective.

The poems are written in free verse—that is, without rhyme or meter. Most are no more than six lines, though a few