I love finding great pieces of encouragement if I’m bugging or feeling blue (it’s the Enlgish major coming out in me!). It keeps me going and reminds me to not stress over the little things! Feminist writer and poet Rupi Kaur does exactly this and more in her book, “Milk and Honey”. Her words and illustrations fill us with positivity and warmth. Here are some essential poems every colliegette needs to here right now!!:Â
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This was the first poem I discovered by Kaur on “International Women’s Day” this year. It caught my attention on an Instagram page. Her illustration at the bottom suggests that we’re all born with different features, but once we see how “resilient and striking” we are, we thrive! Especially going through college and meeting many women that study different majors and come from backgrounds, we should be celebrating our beauties and intelligence, not picking them apart.
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 Just another reminder to care for our hearts! Mental, physical, and emotional health is constantly tested in college. Friendships, school work, and love contribute to the different stresses that make us feel our world crumbling. Rupi reminds us that our hearts are the strongest part of us; to be able to feel, care, and love. It can seem broken, but with good self-esteem and inner confidence, it can rebuild itself (depicted in her image below)!
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Most of the time, we can’t understand the way people that disappoint us act or think. Most of the time, it’s boys–let’s be real. They frustrate and confuse us until we put into a logical sense (this is why we’re smarter, girls!!) why they did what they did. If we harp on it, we allow it to tear us down. If we move on, we demonstrate respect for ourselves! To all those ridiculous boys (past and present) that add to our anger and/or sadness, this poem is for you!! I have no time to wait for that overdue apology, as you can tell from the picture at the bottom.
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Remind yourself that you become stronger with each battle you overcome. Only the most superior women can look at their challenges and push themselves forward instead of having it weigh them down. Whether if school is stressing you out, a boy is being difficult, or there’s drama between friends the pain is going to bite. The most important thing is how you move past it that makes “the gold”.
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We are all guilty of lacking self-confidence every once in a while, blaming ourselves if nothing goes the way we want it and asking ourselves why we’re not good enough. But, try to catch yourself before you say anything, and instead, think of this poem. Don’t succumb to the negative worries in your head about your appearances or the way you are. We are “born so beautiful”; we have different attributes and personalities that make us different yet compatible with our friends and loved ones; all human.
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I admire this poem on love. It’s says  that we don’t need a significant other to fill us with joy, because our self-esteem and confidence build that for us. Once we restore that, “lighting a whole city”, and find someone worthy of sharing our love for life, working off each other’s energy ignites the new “fire”. The image demonstrates the beauty and simplicity of that connection with someone.
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The picture at the bottom caught my attention and I couldn’t stop loving this poem! No words, no sounds, no touch, but rather the beauty of someone’s company, whether that’s a significant other, a family member, or best friend. Rupi writes about the power of our vision, what we observe day in and day out, engraving it in our minds. We’ve been looking at different things, views, and people coming and going throughout our lifetime. Rupi reminds us of that beauty, holding a gaze with someone or something.
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Rupi says that, yes, you’ll get knocked down sometimes, it happens. But, because of this, you have the ability to “rise” against the difficulties you encounter and overcome them. A great poem for self-encouragement if you’re feeling blue.Â