Your Heart is the Sea — Nikita Gill

People aren’t born sad.
We make them that way.

This poetry collection was stunning. This is easily one of my favorite books of poetry I’ve read this year, or in many years, and it’s made me so eager to read more of Nikita Gill’s works. The cadence is stunning; in a world of contemporary poets who create their own formats (which there’s nothing wrong with, don’t get me wrong), Nikita manages to stick to something a little more familiar and classic while still offering her own spin. It’s executed brilliantly. There are a lot of difficult topics within these pages but they’re delicately balanced with reassurances and optimism that I so desperately needed, and I know many of you do, too, even if you don’t know how badly you do.

Keep your tales about
a hideous villain named Hades,
when my King has the eyes of a storm,
a wicked smile fashioned
from both hurricane and a nebula bursting
and I gave my heart to him willingly.

Near the end, there’s an entire section on mythology and deities that is absolutely gorgeous. I loved this even more than her entire collection on the gods and goddesses, actually, because this gave such tidy little glimpses into so many different stories and lives — but the one I quoted above was easily my favorite. Not to get too in-depth into my own spirituality, but anything celebrating Hades and Persephone tends to nestle itself pretty snugly into my heart, so by the time I reached this poem, I couldn’t 5-star this collection fast enough. ♥

Even a lion will think all it is worth
is a circus cage and a whip for a home
if that is all it has ever known.

So, here we have a collection that focuses on trauma and healing, self-care and hope, deities and worship, nature and politics, and everything in between; every facet of the human existence, I think, is touched on here, not the least of which is on learning to keep growing and coping after the painful times come.

Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for an honest review!

discussions of abuse, rape, gaslighting, self-esteem struggles, mental illness

According to her GR bio, Nikita Gill is an Indian Sikh author

An incredible and mesmerizing book of modern poetry that offers reminiscence of a classic style while discussing timeless topics.
WOULD I RECOMMEND IT? Yes, yes, 100% YES.

— destiny ♥

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