Darkness held me like the toxic lover it was
it is
Firm grasp and unwavering strength
It whispers in my ear
that I will never be good enough
that I simply could never be “enough”
so I submit
and watch as it takes fragments of my soul
and pollutes them.
watch as it rips pieces of my heart
and hides them
watch as it strips me of my skin
and leaves me broken.
vulnerable
and afraid 
It's the closest I've ever been to a crime scene
Darkness is the closest I've ever been to a murderer
​

i am a museum full of art
but you had your eyes shut
- Rupi Kaur

i am a beautiful day
but you never left your house
​-Bryan Clavel

you taught me there was beauty in fragility
so I learned to love myself.
- Bryan Clavel

Rupi Kaur is a contemporary poet writing on topics such as love, loss and trauma. Her work is often recognized as "one of few commercially popular works of poetry in recent years" and yet simultaneously noted as "unchallenging ‘Instapoetry’ by some critics."
That said, I describe Rupi Kaur's work as honest, vulnerable built on a simple composition that is easy for most readers to follow. In fact, it is public knowledge that  "Kaur does not subscribe to the belief that poetry must be difficult to be meaningful" and therefore continues to write poetry widely recognized as direct.

One who does what the Friend wants done
will never need a friend.
 
There's a bankruptcy that's pure gain.
The moon stays bright when it
doesn't avoid the night.
 
A rose's rarest essence
lives in the thorn.
-Rumi
__________________________________

​My mother asked me to come forward 
and so I did.

There's pain in honesty, but I'd gladly hurt again.
How can you live 
if you never leave the house.

A queer mans strength
lies in visibility. 

- Bryan
 

This poem is about lineage. Narrated by an unknown speaker, the reader intrinsically becomes part of the story as we unravel the connections between Lucy and presumably her children. The opening line "Lucy is the Ocean" grounds the reader with the knowledge that Lucy represents a monumental figure, something vast and unending. However, as the reader progresses the lines appear to overlap with one another, appearing to signify both the closing of a line and the opening of another.  For instance;
"Lucy is is the Ocean 
extended by her girls
[Her Girls]
are the river
fed by
Lucy
[Lucy ]
is the Sun"

this stylistic choice further gives the impression that story of both Lucy and her girls are twined, twinned and woven together. In retrospect, the work speaks on the reflection of a mother in her children. Ultimately closing with a premise grounded on the idea that we are an extension of our family.

Severed Wings 
and lost hope
I could hear the angels cry
I stitched feathers in your light
you made sure I could fly
but now these wings feel like weights
and your image evokes shame
I was never meant to be angel
I was never meant to remain pure
if your love is unconditional 
let my mistakes just open doors
and the wisdom that I gain
be the thing which sets me free
so take these feathers
clip my wings
if it means that I can see 

To my mother the moon
I never realized how much I look just like you 
I spent my whole life blinded by the sun 
blinded from the truth 
everyday I see myself in you
but the sun 
oh the sun
to be a son
and feel like a child of the moon
I was always torn in two 
the person that I wanted to be 
​and the person that you knew

Those boys will never love you
They love music
a sweet tune
They love art
but you will never be their muse
Because you are a summer secret
something dark
they must keep hidden
They don't call you by your name
As if this alleviates the shame
The Shame they carry
for “loving” someone like...
“loving” someone broken
“loving” someone so...
Those men will never love you
they will never hold your hand
They will never treat you to lunch
but how can you eat
when you've already swallowed
swallowed your tongue
swallowed your words
swallowed your pride
and forgotten your worth.
You have never loved you
and so you don't understand
That They...
they will never love you.

​