Milk and Honey
2014
- canadian poetry
- survival
- poetry
- women
- poetry (poetic works by one author)
- nyt:trade-fiction-paperback=2016-05-01
- collectionid:texchallenge2021
- body, mind & spirit
- fiction
- romance
The story
The book is divided into four chapters, each chapter serves a different purpose. They deal with different pains; heal different heartaches. Milk and honey takes readers through a journey of the most bitter moments in life and finds sweetness in them, because there is sweetness everywhere If you are just willing to look.
What it’s like
Short, unadorned lines set down in lowercase across white pages, with small hand-drawn line illustrations of flowers, bodies and simple shapes that sit beside the verse like marginalia in a notebook. The voice is intimate and direct, the sort of poetry that reads in one sitting on a slow afternoon, a bath, or a sleepless night when a single page is enough. Its vibe is tender and raw, with a steady undertow of grief easing toward self-compassion. The four sections move from heartbreak and abuse through to healing and quiet self-love, so the emotional arc is gradual and hopeful, though some poems linger on sexual trauma, violence against women, and loss, described in plain, unsensational language rather than graphic detail. Expect frank talk of the body, menstruation, and desire, and a recurring focus on rebuilding after pain. It suits readers who want short, accessible verse that is honest about hurt without wallowing in it, especially those coming back to poetry after a hard stretch or looking for words to sit with their own sorrow.
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