Whiskey, Words & a Shovel I by R.H. Sin | Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Everything is poetry / When your heart is in flames.

Poetry is one of my favourite forms of writing, for those of you who don't know me. It's close to my heart in so many ways. Always will be. For me, it's a level of connection and intimacy--it's getting up close and personal. Whiskey, Words & a Shovel is one of many titles that explores the rawness of human emotion.

When I first began reading modern poets, R.H. Sin's Whiskey Words & a Shovel series was one of my first loves in the genre. Rupi Kaur and R.H. Sin were two of my first loves of modern poets. Recently, I decided to revisit Sin's work in particular after reading a series of critical essays on his words. Out of curiosity, I wanted to see what changed in my mind.

Before I start: anyone who has felt deeply for someone and visited the ups and downs of complex relationships, will feel the way Sin pens his emotional turmoil. Regardless of how you feel about his view of romance, of women, this much is obvious for any reader. Whiskey, Words & a Shovel is like listening to him speak of heartache and passion. It's like talking to a friend. 








In all honesty, my view of Sin's work has remained pretty much unchanged. I think that, in a rush to critic someone expressing their own story of love and loss and the inbetweens, many people take one view as The Only Point of View. Which is a mistake. Sin's prose is all his own; it's brief and real, it's sorrow, it's hope, it's passion. This is his story to tell.

I found myself moved by many moments of this collection because it reminded me of something I felt not so long ago. There's something therapeutic to it. There's just something to it that makes you want to read more of what Sin has to say--to get into his mind, to pick his brain and just hear him out. Whiskey, Words & a Shovel is what poetry is about--expression.

I still love how he captures the imperfections of loving someone. Including himself. There are times that really do feel like he is speaking to you face-to-face and it sends chills up your spine. This goes beyond the prose that is directly speaking to his muse and audience--there's just something to Sin's voice that makes you stop in your tracks and suddenly you're hypnotized.

Is his POV perfect? No. No-one's ever is. That's what makes it special. Sin is as complex as they come. Which is to say, he is human. And Whiskey, Words & a Shovel is proof of that.