In the span of two hours, Rupi Kaur made me revisit my love for writing and creativity. The 26-year-old poet is just about to finish her American tour for her latest book, The Sun and Her Flowers. I had the opportunity to attend one of Kaur’s final shows in Miami. I came down from Tallahassee to see the author and it was worth every single second.
In case you haven’t been exposed to this poetry goddess, Kaur is a #1 New York Times bestselling author. Her two works of poetry are Milk and Honey and The Sun and Her Flowers. On top of writing, Kaur has also drawn every single illustration in her collection. In fact, she self-published her first book Milk and Honey. Her poetry touches on a variety of subjects including love, femininity, strength, abuse, sex, gender dynamics, family and so much more.
This was my first time going to any type of poetry reading, so I didn’t exactly know what to expect. The only types of shows that I have been to were concerts and stand-up comedy. I arrived at the beautifully and intricately designed Olympia Theater in Miami, FL. The venue was intimate, which gave audience members the opportunity to see the author from any seat. Initially, I expected to see a majority of young adult women, and instead saw a variety of people.
When Kaur stepped on stage, she immediately held the audience’s attention with her humor and charming personality. Right from the start, she addressed that she didn’t just want snaps from the crowd like typical poetry readings. She wanted people to clap and for the audience to actually respond to her performance. The Miami crowd had absolutely no problem with Kaur’s wishes. After the show, her Instagram caption said, “miami we set the stage on fire tonight. this tour has been such a great experience for me. i’ve never felt more present. more confident and more in love with the stage. only 2 more shows left. d.c my loves- you’re next.”
Courtesy: Carelyn Tiburcio
Personally, I found the show to be very moving and inspiring. I’ve read both of her poetry books way before the show and the words just always seemed to hit me hard. Watching her perform live made me experience her work differently, which made it so special for me. This time I got to see the author play with her words. I even got goosebumps from time to time.
The greatest thing about Kaur is that she’s never going to stop creating art, which she clearly addressed before the end of the performance. Whatever this 26-year-old poet decides to do after The Sun and Her Flowers is going to be amazing. If you ever have the chance to see Kaur live, then I highly recommend going. She may not be on tour for a while after this but I would still suggest going to a poetry reading. We value music and dancing as forms of art, but many of us have not appreciated the beauty of spoken words. I know that I gained a new perspective after hearing and watching Rupi Kaur.