Milk and Honey

yeah, i think Rupi Kaur is overrated too, but i also feel the need to vehemently defend her poetry. let me explain, in "poem" form (quotation marks for the purists).

why
is it a problem
for Rupi Kaur
to write
like this,
but when Bukowski
does it
it's fine?

people say...
it's not poetry, it's not big, it's not clever
people say...
some poems are beautiful but mostly it's just meh
which is exactly how millions of people feel
about all poetry

and then they open
Milk and Honey
and it immediately speaks 

to them
sometimes yelling
sometimes whispering
right out of the page
which is what poetry is meant to do

for better and for worse
it is instantly accessible
you can devour it in minutes
it is easily digestible
high on the GI index
like mashed potato or plain rice
which is sometimes all you can eat
after you've been starved of nourishment

this isn't raw carrots and whole grains
for those who have had a balanced diet
all their lives
it is of its time, like all poetry

for some
it is a warm and simple broth
the first taste of words that feel good
...so stop trying to take it away from them