Book Review: Your Heart is the Sea
Nikita Gill's anthology on wounds and healing is a well-crafted, often emotionally triggering collection that you will relate to.
I made poems out of the things
that tried to eat my body-mind-soul
Now I ask you.
What do you do in the dark
when the monsters come for you?
-From Your Heart is the Sea, by Nikita Gill-
Right from the start, when I read the above verses, I knew I was going to like this book. A lot.
I’ve followed Gill’s work on Instagram for a few years now and I’ve rarely been disappointed by her work. Her poetry is startlingly realistic, but also deeply emotional and empathetic for those seeking an emotional connection with their own stories of suffering and perhaps, a yearning for healing and recovery.
I had never read any of her books, however, and so I picked up a copy of Your Heart is the Sea because I liked the cover art.
Boy, was I in for a ride. One that I almost regret because it was so emotionally-charged, but I didn’t, in the end. Because Gill’s truth is also my truth.
Some of my favourites: Promises, A Ghost Called Depression, Lover or Prey, Pain is No Love Story, How To Remind Yourself That You Exist When The World Says You Do Not and The Brutal Lesson In Escape.
In Pain is No Love Story, Gill writes about how pain is often romanticised. My favourite lines are the final two:
You are still here for a reason.
And the reason is not to fall in love with your pain.
In the poem On Hurt, the last stanza left me speechless. Because I had been that “someone”, long ago:
You do not get to
destroy someone
and decide how ruined
they are allowed to feel.
If you’ve ever had this happen to you, I’m sorry it did. It shouldn’t have, but it did and you deserve a hug.
Gill is skilled at using imagery, metaphor and everyday elements in prose that is heady, yet earthy. Brutally honest, yet gentle. More than these, Gill is deeply personal and unrelenting in her exploration of the depth of your wounds and how you can truly heal from them.
One fine example is Gill’s The Fall:
And my love, you will fall,
and you will fall hard,
every bone in your soul
will shatter a million times over.
But what you must remember
is every time you crash downwards,
you learn to stitch your spirit
back faster.
You learn to hold
these wings prouder and stretch them further.
You let the fall
make you stronger.
After thoroughly exploring pain and recovery, Gill includes a section on mythology and deities in her profound collection of poetry and prose, which opens with the following:
“Where did all the Gods go?”
“The humans,” she answered quietly,
“They turned them all into
stories and bone.”
How To Become A Myth is definitely a favourite, as is Cora Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Surreal, yet strangely and subtly empowering, the section on mythlogy was a refreshing addition to this book.
I was intrigued. Up to this point, the book had been an intense page-turner. I was curious to find out how Gill was going to wrap-up what had already solidified my opinions of her writing.
Gill follows this with The Wonder, an inspiring and introspective selection of verse to help you rise above your troubles. I particularly liked Lessons From A Tiny Navigator, The Theory Of You and Limestone. And finally, The Beginning professes the different shades of self-love and affirmation, to conclude this pretty awesome book.
The final verdict? Your Heart is the Sea is by no means delicate or fragile, although it traverses these topics with plenty of heart and soul, thanks to Gill’s excellent way with words and the obvious feeling in them. Read this book, it’s too good to miss.
The Kindle version of Gill’s collection is available here.
Love and light,
Sharmila