Comfort Media Series: When the story ends, we begin to feel it all

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"what is stronger than the human heart

 which shatters over and over and still lives"

 

I have always been the biggest fan of reading ever since I was a kid, and it has eventually turned into my escape from the busy and cruel world. Being the introvert that I am, I was always the listener in all my friend groups, and as people turned to me for comfort, I came to wonder who was there for me when I needed a shoulder to cry on. The perfect answer to that was my books. They are the comfort I plead for when I am running low on steam to deal with everything.

 

Written by Rupi Kaur, The Sun and Her Flowers is a book of poems featuring stories of breakups, depression, and struggles with cultural identity and physical image. While each poem can range in length from a few short lines to several pages, all conjure up a distinct picture of the author's emotions and what she wants us to experience for ourselves. Its theme circles around how we heal and cope from the depths and thrive to grow into a new leaf. The book imparts the notion that growing up entails parting ways with someone you have been amorously and passionately committed to. It uses a metaphorical comparison between flowers (the lady) and the sun (the male) to describe the emotional torture we go through.

 

With each page turn, Kaur leads us on a trip through the book's five sections—wilting, falling, roots, rising, and blooming. Each resembles the stage of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance). The first and second chapters put into words the darkness she experiences when she is unable to accept the situation, when she is unable to gather herself, when she slowly begins to lose interest in the person she has loved deeply, or when she is irrationally furious with herself and the things that are out of her control. The final chapters focus on navigating the phases of sorrow and coming to terms with her predicament. Healing and forgiveness are the forerunning subjects.

 

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Reading this is a therapeutic and cathartic activity for me, and helps me let go of the repressed feelings that have made me socially isolated. Because of how unmistakably genuine and emotional her words are, I am sure that I find comfort as well as tranquility in them. The book "The Sun and Her Flowers" has established itself as a staple on my reading list as I found parallels between my experiences and Kaur's.

Kaur's words are timely and reassuring and serve as a source of consolation during trying times. There are many instances in Kaur's writing when you feel like someone finally knows what you're going through; perhaps this is why I keep finding my way back to her despite having other self-help books. If I were to pick one part/excerpt from the book that resonates with me the most, it would be this.

 

"I hardened under the last loss. It took something human out of me. I used to be so deeply emotional I'd crumble on demand. But now the water has made its exit. of course, I care about the ones around me. I'm just struggling to show it. A wall is getting in the way. I used to dream of being so strong nothing could shake me. now. I am. So strong. That nothing shakes me.

And all I dream is to soften."

 

The Sun and Her Flower is frequently criticized with the implication that people might take poems lightly, in a mundane perspective and away from the conventional Shakespearean manner. While it is indeed true that Kaur's poems come off as stilted and imperfectly constructed, they work to represent the very human nature of us and the experiences we go through. Despite the lack of mastery of poetic conventions, The Sun and Her Flowers became a constant lookout for me because of its underlying feminism and vital female empowerment. No matter what topic is covered in whatever chapter of the book, Kaur maintains her 'hurting nonchalant girl boss' mentality. Her feminist overtones are present throughout, and this is the main reason I keep reading and enjoying her poetry, as her words are genuine, raw, and veritable.

 

Kaur's words are a work of art and serve as an ever-comforting source of encouragement and motivation for people like me who are having a difficult time coping with or overcoming challenges in their lives. Her encouraging remarks are a breath of fresh air in her poetry, which deals with weighty, consoling subjects. She reassures the lonely that "the irony of loneliness is that we all feel it together at the same time," uplifts those who are hopeless that "Like the rainbow after the rain, joy will reveal itself after sorrow," and reminds those who hasty that "you do not just wake up and become the butterfly."

 

It is a shame that writing hundreds of words still gives little justice to its profundity of art. As I go through the hurdles of every day and glue my pieces back together, this book fills the space of vulnerability and draws comfort in reading it. Hence, to anyone that finds it hard to open up to others, who shy away from discussing their personal life, and who cannot put to words their feelings, try flipping through the pages of this book— The Sun and Her Flowers.