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Planting Gardens in Graves III
From the beloved author of Whiskey, Words, and a Shovel comes the third and final volume in his newest series.
r.h. Sin completes his bestselling series with Planting Gardens in Graves III, another powerful collection of poetry that hones in on the themes dearest to his readers. This series celebrates connection, mourns heartbreak, and above all, empowers its readers to seek the love they deserve.
r.h. Sin completes his bestselling series with Planting Gardens in Graves III, another powerful collection of poetry that hones in on the themes dearest to his readers. This series celebrates connection, mourns heartbreak, and above all, empowers its readers to seek the love they deserve.
192 pages, Paperback
First published November 6, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
January 11, 2019
I am not a poetry hater. I love the work of amazing poets/writers; people full of talent, inspiration, major purposes and so on. Among those I mention, I could easily include Nayyirah Waheed and her work Salt, or Alberto Ramos and his amazing work eighteen. I could even include the charismatic Rupi Kaur and both of her works, Milk and Honey and The Sun and Her Flowers which, although they may be at times too simplistic, have a worth considering message underneath and a beautiful design. This author, nevertheless, leaves me speechless in the worst of ways (ironic because I am writing in this review more letters than most of his books contain).
I literally feel like he throws some inmature, random and EXTREMELY clichéd thoughts in his books, with no special style nor theme, with no artistic features nor any type of talent. All I could see while reading his words was his macho attitude claiming to know everything about women and being the best guy a woman could ever had. Simply pathetic. And I get why people buy it: he makes so many books with such little pages (even 50) and then prices them so "low" (not low considering the book characteristics, even expensive) and fools his instagram followers into believing he is selling an art piece for a super low price, and when people express their opinions on his comments sections he straightforward deletes it and even blocks you. And I am of course not talking about insulting him nor his work on his account, but rather asking a question literally like "i'd like to see you writing books with more themes than love, i'd be nice" LITERALLY he has deleted comments of the kind. I bet he spends way more time fooling the Instagram community and misguiding them to fill his pockets than actually crafting his books. Not to even talk about what's within the actual book which I refuse to call poetry: "run away from any guy who claims to love you while treating you like shit" (enter space x5) Wow. Lorca who dis.
All in all, save your precious time and money on scammers like this and if you are trying to find some good poetry, check out the amazing book eighteen combined with stunning illustrations made by the author Alberto Ramos who is just 18, or Nayyirah's work too, which is so deep and beautiful although more simple than eighteen; if you liked this r h Sin book, you'll fall in love with the authors I mentioned and on my humble opinion, will discover the genuine essence of contemporary poetry, and if you disliked Sin's books, you may even love the ones I said more.
That was hella long. But hey, hope it helps you. I wish someone had said this to me a little while ago.
I literally feel like he throws some inmature, random and EXTREMELY clichéd thoughts in his books, with no special style nor theme, with no artistic features nor any type of talent. All I could see while reading his words was his macho attitude claiming to know everything about women and being the best guy a woman could ever had. Simply pathetic. And I get why people buy it: he makes so many books with such little pages (even 50) and then prices them so "low" (not low considering the book characteristics, even expensive) and fools his instagram followers into believing he is selling an art piece for a super low price, and when people express their opinions on his comments sections he straightforward deletes it and even blocks you. And I am of course not talking about insulting him nor his work on his account, but rather asking a question literally like "i'd like to see you writing books with more themes than love, i'd be nice" LITERALLY he has deleted comments of the kind. I bet he spends way more time fooling the Instagram community and misguiding them to fill his pockets than actually crafting his books. Not to even talk about what's within the actual book which I refuse to call poetry: "run away from any guy who claims to love you while treating you like shit" (enter space x5) Wow. Lorca who dis.
All in all, save your precious time and money on scammers like this and if you are trying to find some good poetry, check out the amazing book eighteen combined with stunning illustrations made by the author Alberto Ramos who is just 18, or Nayyirah's work too, which is so deep and beautiful although more simple than eighteen; if you liked this r h Sin book, you'll fall in love with the authors I mentioned and on my humble opinion, will discover the genuine essence of contemporary poetry, and if you disliked Sin's books, you may even love the ones I said more.
That was hella long. But hey, hope it helps you. I wish someone had said this to me a little while ago.
August 27, 2019
The kind of "poetry" that makes you want to slam your head in a door frame. This book as inspired me to write a piece in the same style as R. H. Sin;
POEMS CAN BE GOOD
These ones
are very
bad
POEMS CAN BE GOOD
These ones
are very
bad
November 2, 2020
Ok, let's talk about this.
This is going to be a mean review, and although the author will never see this I'm scared to write it anyway as he is active on Goodreads. But I'm doing this for Daphne. Do not read this review if you liked the book or are not Daphne (as if anyone else was going to anyway lmao.)
(Disclaimer: I'm not rereading this review so sorry if some of it doesn't make sense.)
So there were some passages that I did like, I liked "The Letdown", "soul break", "near day" was ok, as well as "rock bottom". That's the whole list, out of like 180 "poems", that I enjoyed reading. I think the title is kinda cute too.
I also think I haven't had similar life experiences to this author and furthermore, who am I to critique poetry when this is legitimately the first poetry book I've ever reached for. However, if this is poetry then maybe I should submit one of my high school journals for publication.
Dead seriously though, many of these passages could have come straight from my own previous self-reflections and self-advice. This is mostly because many of said "poems" are incredibly vague and generic.
For Example:
"Always Never"
A woman
will never need
to chase after a man
who truly wants
to be a part of her life
Ok, fine. Great idea, though I have heard it a million times before and have myself said it a million times before. In fact, my housemates have "SPERM CHASES THE EGG" written on our kitchen whiteboard and frankly I find it more poignant/poetic than this version. (Also, there is a great movie on this entire idea called "He's Just Not That Into You", a 10/10 movie.) This degree of genericism is probably 80% of the poems in this book. Which, granted, could make this a useful book for some people. Although even still I'd sooner recommend Pinterest (The book is 24.99$ in Canada!!! For 15 minutes of my life I'll never get back! Crazy) I had bookmarked a lot of these, the more "general statements of fact" ones, but can not find it in me to list them all. It's just ideas like "I struggle to take the advice I give" and other useless low-hanging fruit.
"Archives"
My poetry is an archive
of heartache and disappointment
Yes, we can tell. Is this the section that was supposed to be for the back of the book? What is this? (also, why is the actual quote on the back of the book by some other poet?) This poem made me question if maybe the book was a parody or brilliant satire that was going over my head, and I am genuinely still somewhat wondering if that's what it is. This book is a good case of Poe's Law.
"Do it now" was also terrible. This was generic advice, but bad generic advice. I'm not going to type it out because it surmounts what the title is with no depth, or perspective, or anything interesting to support the idea that you should "do it now".
The lowercase "i"s? Is that a general poetry thing or just this author?
Some of the poems, such as "too many illusions" and "other" felt really unjustifiably negative. I also think the tone of the book overall was very negative (other than a few self-love and acceptance poems), but you'd hope a book named "planting gardens in graves" would maybe be a tiny bit more optimistic?
It did end on a decently high note, but I still did not love the author's mindset. This opinion is definitely subjective and has more to do with personal taste. These days I'm thinking of trying to be more optimistic, but I'm not looking forward to it (haha, ba-dum ching! Sorry that was terrible).
"ready" was horrifying, made me laugh out loud. "on repeat" ("sex doesn't keep people, they cum and they go.") also made me laugh out loud. I don't know if it was supposed to be funny or not though.
"Angry women" was potentially problematic? Imagine if you switched the word "woman" for "man". "An angry man is powerful... an angry man is beautiful..." sorry why is there beauty in anger? What is this? Why are we romanticizing this?
Even if I disagree with the sentiment, the idea could be better thought out or articulated because I don't really feel like I know what he's going for. Anger when justified could be potentially thought of as beautiful, but nothing in these lines alluded to anything that could serve as justification or at least allude to some type of justification. I'm definitely overthinking this. Especially considering I don't think the author even though it over as much.
Not to mention all the preachy woman stuff was already questionable and finding out the author was a man, made some of it not sit right with me. I literally feel like he's either pandering really hard to women, as they are his demographic, or straight-up mocking the more extreme feminism found in a lot of internet culture these days.
A lot of it felt very self-serving, which is ironic because he has a poem labelled "self-serve" that actually preaches self-love. I recommend he looks up the definition of "self-serving", but potentially this is the wink I was looking for to prove this is all more self-aware and brilliant than it seems.
(Hopefully, this poem is actually a critique of some of the bs and unhelpful "self-love" advice you can find on the internet because some of it is genuinely bad advice and rightfully should be critiqued. That is a whole other conversation though.)
If it is all to be taken sincerely, then a lot of these poems come across very...narcissistic. Another example would be this line where he's like "Saying goodbye is like knives...I've cut so many people." What is this edgy teen bs? Like ok, so your mindset is that you're this huge loss to people...? I'm not doing a good job of illustrating the (albeit mild) narcissism point I'm trying to make, might edit this review later with cross-references to my philosophy and psychology notes if I find it within me. But more than any particular line, the book feels immature.
The author ended with "the end..." is that also a poetry thing? I really feel like this is a genius satire or some guy taking the piss with us all.
This book (in my opinion) is why people make fun of poetry, and the only way it can be redeemed is if it is actually making fun of itself.
If you prefer swimming in the shallow end of the pool, this book is for you.
This is going to be a mean review, and although the author will never see this I'm scared to write it anyway as he is active on Goodreads. But I'm doing this for Daphne. Do not read this review if you liked the book or are not Daphne (as if anyone else was going to anyway lmao.)
(Disclaimer: I'm not rereading this review so sorry if some of it doesn't make sense.)
So there were some passages that I did like, I liked "The Letdown", "soul break", "near day" was ok, as well as "rock bottom". That's the whole list, out of like 180 "poems", that I enjoyed reading. I think the title is kinda cute too.
I also think I haven't had similar life experiences to this author and furthermore, who am I to critique poetry when this is legitimately the first poetry book I've ever reached for. However, if this is poetry then maybe I should submit one of my high school journals for publication.
Dead seriously though, many of these passages could have come straight from my own previous self-reflections and self-advice. This is mostly because many of said "poems" are incredibly vague and generic.
For Example:
"Always Never"
A woman
will never need
to chase after a man
who truly wants
to be a part of her life
Ok, fine. Great idea, though I have heard it a million times before and have myself said it a million times before. In fact, my housemates have "SPERM CHASES THE EGG" written on our kitchen whiteboard and frankly I find it more poignant/poetic than this version. (Also, there is a great movie on this entire idea called "He's Just Not That Into You", a 10/10 movie.) This degree of genericism is probably 80% of the poems in this book. Which, granted, could make this a useful book for some people. Although even still I'd sooner recommend Pinterest (The book is 24.99$ in Canada!!! For 15 minutes of my life I'll never get back! Crazy) I had bookmarked a lot of these, the more "general statements of fact" ones, but can not find it in me to list them all. It's just ideas like "I struggle to take the advice I give" and other useless low-hanging fruit.
"Archives"
My poetry is an archive
of heartache and disappointment
Yes, we can tell. Is this the section that was supposed to be for the back of the book? What is this? (also, why is the actual quote on the back of the book by some other poet?) This poem made me question if maybe the book was a parody or brilliant satire that was going over my head, and I am genuinely still somewhat wondering if that's what it is. This book is a good case of Poe's Law.
"Do it now" was also terrible. This was generic advice, but bad generic advice. I'm not going to type it out because it surmounts what the title is with no depth, or perspective, or anything interesting to support the idea that you should "do it now".
The lowercase "i"s? Is that a general poetry thing or just this author?
Some of the poems, such as "too many illusions" and "other" felt really unjustifiably negative. I also think the tone of the book overall was very negative (other than a few self-love and acceptance poems), but you'd hope a book named "planting gardens in graves" would maybe be a tiny bit more optimistic?
It did end on a decently high note, but I still did not love the author's mindset. This opinion is definitely subjective and has more to do with personal taste. These days I'm thinking of trying to be more optimistic, but I'm not looking forward to it (haha, ba-dum ching! Sorry that was terrible).
"ready" was horrifying, made me laugh out loud. "on repeat" ("sex doesn't keep people, they cum and they go.") also made me laugh out loud. I don't know if it was supposed to be funny or not though.
"Angry women" was potentially problematic? Imagine if you switched the word "woman" for "man". "An angry man is powerful... an angry man is beautiful..." sorry why is there beauty in anger? What is this? Why are we romanticizing this?
Even if I disagree with the sentiment, the idea could be better thought out or articulated because I don't really feel like I know what he's going for. Anger when justified could be potentially thought of as beautiful, but nothing in these lines alluded to anything that could serve as justification or at least allude to some type of justification. I'm definitely overthinking this. Especially considering I don't think the author even though it over as much.
Not to mention all the preachy woman stuff was already questionable and finding out the author was a man, made some of it not sit right with me. I literally feel like he's either pandering really hard to women, as they are his demographic, or straight-up mocking the more extreme feminism found in a lot of internet culture these days.
A lot of it felt very self-serving, which is ironic because he has a poem labelled "self-serve" that actually preaches self-love. I recommend he looks up the definition of "self-serving", but potentially this is the wink I was looking for to prove this is all more self-aware and brilliant than it seems.
(Hopefully, this poem is actually a critique of some of the bs and unhelpful "self-love" advice you can find on the internet because some of it is genuinely bad advice and rightfully should be critiqued. That is a whole other conversation though.)
If it is all to be taken sincerely, then a lot of these poems come across very...narcissistic. Another example would be this line where he's like "Saying goodbye is like knives...I've cut so many people." What is this edgy teen bs? Like ok, so your mindset is that you're this huge loss to people...? I'm not doing a good job of illustrating the (albeit mild) narcissism point I'm trying to make, might edit this review later with cross-references to my philosophy and psychology notes if I find it within me. But more than any particular line, the book feels immature.
The author ended with "the end..." is that also a poetry thing? I really feel like this is a genius satire or some guy taking the piss with us all.
This book (in my opinion) is why people make fun of poetry, and the only way it can be redeemed is if it is actually making fun of itself.
If you prefer swimming in the shallow end of the pool, this book is for you.
January 2, 2023
"I wish my skin was a suit, I'd unzip it and change to keep myself from remembering you."
I really like how this author writes, some of it really hits deep, and some of it is also really beautiful.
I really like how this author writes, some of it really hits deep, and some of it is also really beautiful.
April 9, 2020
3.5 Stars
November 4, 2020
TIL that hitting the "enter" button randomly in the middle of a sentence of how you write poetry
Seriously though, this was so bad.
Now, I am not a poetry critic. I don't read poetry often and I have such low standards. Literally all I want are some pretty words. If it has an interesting meaning that’s a bonus but isn’t necessary for me to enjoy it. Well, the poems in this collection saw that low bar and decided to limbo right under it.
My favorite poem was probably dark waltz.:
I don’t think there’s that much meaning there, but it’s pretty and I’m a sucker for devil imagery. That is how low to bar is. I just wanted the poems to be pretty and vaguely artsy. Unfortunately, most of the poems sounded like ugly sentences with random line breaks.
Some of the poems were extremely obvious with no deeper meaning:
(No shit, sherlock)
Or:
(Ya, that’s how time works. It’s not that deep.)
Other poems just didn’t mean anything at all:
(WTF does that mean? Is it an ode to circadian rhythms?)
A lot of them were just plain bad:
and:
These are not poems — they are badly written Medium articles that I’ve seen before.
The rest of the poems were extremely repetitive. They were either someone being angsty about being in/just having left a loveless relationship or badly written women’s empowerment chants. Cohesion is good, but all of these poems had the same theme. Nothing was explored further than “being in a bad relationship is sad” or “women are cool!” Like, I get it! You miss your ex and think pandering to women is artsy! This is not ground-breaking territory!
Maybe I don’t understand poetry or maybe this is just bad. Either way, if I ever decide to pick up another poetry collection it likely won’t be from this author.
Who knew
That I Was A
Poet?
Seriously though, this was so bad.
Now, I am not a poetry critic. I don't read poetry often and I have such low standards. Literally all I want are some pretty words. If it has an interesting meaning that’s a bonus but isn’t necessary for me to enjoy it. Well, the poems in this collection saw that low bar and decided to limbo right under it.
My favorite poem was probably dark waltz.:
I am guilty of
searching for heaven
while dancing with devils
I don’t think there’s that much meaning there, but it’s pretty and I’m a sucker for devil imagery. That is how low to bar is. I just wanted the poems to be pretty and vaguely artsy. Unfortunately, most of the poems sounded like ugly sentences with random line breaks.
Some of the poems were extremely obvious with no deeper meaning:
you can't find love
where it doesn't exist
(No shit, sherlock)
Or:
our first loves
were our first
heartbreaks
(Ya, that’s how time works. It’s not that deep.)
Other poems just didn’t mean anything at all:
maybe she couldn't sleep
because she was made
for the night
(WTF does that mean? Is it an ode to circadian rhythms?)
A lot of them were just plain bad:
cheaters think
everyone is unfaithful
liars think
no one tells the truth
keep this in mind
what people think of others
may actually tell you more
about themselves
and:
never do something
that you'll feel the need
to hid from your
significant other
this is what I have learned
this is what has saved me
These are not poems — they are badly written Medium articles that I’ve seen before.
The rest of the poems were extremely repetitive. They were either someone being angsty about being in/just having left a loveless relationship or badly written women’s empowerment chants. Cohesion is good, but all of these poems had the same theme. Nothing was explored further than “being in a bad relationship is sad” or “women are cool!” Like, I get it! You miss your ex and think pandering to women is artsy! This is not ground-breaking territory!
Maybe I don’t understand poetry or maybe this is just bad. Either way, if I ever decide to pick up another poetry collection it likely won’t be from this author.
November 5, 2019
"Planting Gardens in Graves III"
Written by R.H. Sin
Reviewed by Diana Iozzia
I had read three books of poetry by R.H. Sin before beginning to read this one. I had felt that in the previous books, far too many were false empowerment of women. Far too many were talking about how brilliant women are for things that they do, which is nice, but I felt that the focus of the book was not in line with what I personally like to read. My favorite type of modern poetry is sweet and romantic, but I do not mind a little bit of bite.
I felt that this collection was more romantic and less bite than previous poetry collections. I have always recommended Sin's work, but I had prefaced that it often has strong themes of abuse, sex, and mental illness. I did feel that this collection was very neutral and perhaps more muted than his usual standard, but I appreciated and liked this more.
Unfortunately, with the e-book format of the Hoopla app, it is nearly impossible to figure out the name of each poem. However, some of them were easier to find, so I will recommend those poems that I did enjoy. I do want to mention that there were quite a few more.
"Your Eyes Only II"
"722 Degrees"
"507 A.M."
"Disconnection I" and "II"
"After Midnight in 2009"
Additionally, I must mention that the poems in this collection had many great metaphors. As similar to Sin's writing style, he uses great figurative language to enhance his poetry. Rhymes do not often feel forced or formulaic.
This collection feels more mature than his others. Perhaps Sin has used his wisdom from growing up, starting a family, and being a more successful adult. His words seem wise and enlightened, as he has experienced more than his other collections imply. More of these poems feel sadder and more heartbreaking, but they feel very honest.
Two great points I want to mention are: the poem about coliseums and the poems about keeping your partner safe. These are two fantastic elements in this collection.
In all, I highly recommend this collection, more so than R.H. Sin's other collections I have read so far. As mentioned prior, his maturity and wisdom are well-reflected and developed in his words on these pages.
Written by R.H. Sin
Reviewed by Diana Iozzia
I had read three books of poetry by R.H. Sin before beginning to read this one. I had felt that in the previous books, far too many were false empowerment of women. Far too many were talking about how brilliant women are for things that they do, which is nice, but I felt that the focus of the book was not in line with what I personally like to read. My favorite type of modern poetry is sweet and romantic, but I do not mind a little bit of bite.
I felt that this collection was more romantic and less bite than previous poetry collections. I have always recommended Sin's work, but I had prefaced that it often has strong themes of abuse, sex, and mental illness. I did feel that this collection was very neutral and perhaps more muted than his usual standard, but I appreciated and liked this more.
Unfortunately, with the e-book format of the Hoopla app, it is nearly impossible to figure out the name of each poem. However, some of them were easier to find, so I will recommend those poems that I did enjoy. I do want to mention that there were quite a few more.
"Your Eyes Only II"
"722 Degrees"
"507 A.M."
"Disconnection I" and "II"
"After Midnight in 2009"
Additionally, I must mention that the poems in this collection had many great metaphors. As similar to Sin's writing style, he uses great figurative language to enhance his poetry. Rhymes do not often feel forced or formulaic.
This collection feels more mature than his others. Perhaps Sin has used his wisdom from growing up, starting a family, and being a more successful adult. His words seem wise and enlightened, as he has experienced more than his other collections imply. More of these poems feel sadder and more heartbreaking, but they feel very honest.
Two great points I want to mention are: the poem about coliseums and the poems about keeping your partner safe. These are two fantastic elements in this collection.
In all, I highly recommend this collection, more so than R.H. Sin's other collections I have read so far. As mentioned prior, his maturity and wisdom are well-reflected and developed in his words on these pages.
June 19, 2024
2/5 stars - I had so many high expectations for this one as his others are amazing, but just didn't resonate with many of these poems.
August 9, 2024
Despite the bad reviews, I really enjoyed this collection
September 21, 2019
3.5/5 Stars.
I have really enjoyed reading it and the writing style it just reaches out to you in some of the poems.
I have really enjoyed reading it and the writing style it just reaches out to you in some of the poems.
December 25, 2021
Based on other things I’ve read by r.h. Sin, I had high expectations for this book. I expected great things and really wanted to love it. Unfortunately that was not the case.
It wasn’t bad, just generally underwhelming.
It wasn’t bad, just generally underwhelming.
September 5, 2020
It takes a certain soul to fully understand sins work and only those souls will fully understand and appreciate his work.
July 10, 2022
this was a heartfelt collection of poetry
December 28, 2023
Now I’ve seen quite so many 1 star reviews. That are honestly very mean and triggering for me. I loved this book with all my heart. I found deep meaning in every word and the world behind the words the author was putting on paper. Even when the truth is being spoken with ink on paper and solely on one’s thoughts does not mean you’re swimming in the shallow end of the kitty pool. Nothing about this book had shallow or little meaning. Just because truth can be put on paper never means that’s it’s not still the truth.
This book is 5 stars, thank you and my opinion is not so humble right now. Many of my friends know I respect other peoples opinions but some of the 1 star reviews weren’t respecting other people opinions either.
This book was relatable to some of the stuff I have gone through and yes some poems here and there were cliche. I’ll admit that easily but the good poems that you could feel the pain from outweighed the couple cliches the author hit.
And yes I’ll be re reading and annotating immediately!
This book is 5 stars, thank you and my opinion is not so humble right now. Many of my friends know I respect other peoples opinions but some of the 1 star reviews weren’t respecting other people opinions either.
This book was relatable to some of the stuff I have gone through and yes some poems here and there were cliche. I’ll admit that easily but the good poems that you could feel the pain from outweighed the couple cliches the author hit.
And yes I’ll be re reading and annotating immediately!
August 28, 2024
The third volume of the series… the styles between the three books are slightly varied and i think this volume shows a lot of realistic thinking between even ten minutes of laying by oneself in bed and overanalyzing their relationship, where the mind just spins and continues to flip end over end in the rabbit hole.
January 3, 2020
First read Jan 2019: 3.5*
Reread Jan 2020: 4*
Reread Jan 2020: 4*
August 29, 2019
Favourite poems :
You can't find love
Where it doesn't exist
You'll never get
What you deserve
Holding on to someone
Who refuses
To love you completely
I
True love escapes
The hands of the lover
who latches on
To the ones
Incapable of loving them back
It's okay to put yourself first
There's nothing wrong
With choosing yourself
When others refuse to choose you
Stop giving to people
What they refuse
To give you
Maybe she couldnt sleep
Because she was made for the night
It began to fade a little like a black t-shirt
That's been washed too many times
Starting over was like buying a new shirt
Only to watch it fade once more
Then continuing the cycle
Failing to realize that maybe that t-shirt
Wasn't made with the best quality to begin with
I gave my all
But it was all for nothing
I look forward to the day
Of realizing that losing you
Meant dodging a bullet
I abandoned myself
While trying to keep you
Our relationship was built upon pillars of sand
I sat and watched
As the ocean washed it all away
Sex doesn't keep people
They cum then go
What people think of others
May actually tell you more
About themselves
Stop sacrificing yourself
And your happiness for love
Real love will never
Require you to do so
Sometimes walking away
Gives you an opportunity to run
Into someone who will love you
She won't give up on you easily
But that doesn't mean you should see
How far you can go
Because she's finally gone
You'll give them silence
Because you'll understand
That they no longer
Deserve your words
Happiness waits around the corner
Knowing when to turn is our issue
Do not give your whole
To those who are only willing
To love you half the time
They only see your flower
And so they compliment
The surface
But I admire your roots
You helped me get lost
You were once
My favourite hiding place
Struggling to be sober
I am almost clean of you
Encouraging women
Is not the equivalent
Of hating men
Somewhere a long time ago
I left behind all of the things
That made me hopeful and happy
Just to make room for you
This was my mistake
This would later become
My biggest regret
Losing me entirely
Just to keep you here
A mate should never feel
Like a maid in their relationship
I found myself competing
With your phone
Reaching for you
While you were reaching for it
Do not stay where you are no longer appreciated
Our first loves
Were our first
Heartbreaks
We didn't make love
Until we cultivated love
Outside of the bedroom
You can't find love
Where it doesn't exist
You'll never get
What you deserve
Holding on to someone
Who refuses
To love you completely
I
True love escapes
The hands of the lover
who latches on
To the ones
Incapable of loving them back
It's okay to put yourself first
There's nothing wrong
With choosing yourself
When others refuse to choose you
Stop giving to people
What they refuse
To give you
Maybe she couldnt sleep
Because she was made for the night
It began to fade a little like a black t-shirt
That's been washed too many times
Starting over was like buying a new shirt
Only to watch it fade once more
Then continuing the cycle
Failing to realize that maybe that t-shirt
Wasn't made with the best quality to begin with
I gave my all
But it was all for nothing
I look forward to the day
Of realizing that losing you
Meant dodging a bullet
I abandoned myself
While trying to keep you
Our relationship was built upon pillars of sand
I sat and watched
As the ocean washed it all away
Sex doesn't keep people
They cum then go
What people think of others
May actually tell you more
About themselves
Stop sacrificing yourself
And your happiness for love
Real love will never
Require you to do so
Sometimes walking away
Gives you an opportunity to run
Into someone who will love you
She won't give up on you easily
But that doesn't mean you should see
How far you can go
Because she's finally gone
You'll give them silence
Because you'll understand
That they no longer
Deserve your words
Happiness waits around the corner
Knowing when to turn is our issue
Do not give your whole
To those who are only willing
To love you half the time
They only see your flower
And so they compliment
The surface
But I admire your roots
You helped me get lost
You were once
My favourite hiding place
Struggling to be sober
I am almost clean of you
Encouraging women
Is not the equivalent
Of hating men
Somewhere a long time ago
I left behind all of the things
That made me hopeful and happy
Just to make room for you
This was my mistake
This would later become
My biggest regret
Losing me entirely
Just to keep you here
A mate should never feel
Like a maid in their relationship
I found myself competing
With your phone
Reaching for you
While you were reaching for it
Do not stay where you are no longer appreciated
Our first loves
Were our first
Heartbreaks
We didn't make love
Until we cultivated love
Outside of the bedroom
January 20, 2025
R.H. Sin concludes his bestselling Planting Gardens in Graves series with a softer, more introspective tone in Volume III. This collection continues to explore themes of connection, heartbreak, and empowerment, but with a noticeable shift towards a more romantic and reflective approach. For fans of modern poetry, this volume offers a refreshing balance of vulnerability and strength, making it a standout in the series. One of the most striking aspects of this collection is how it veers away from the sharper edges of Sin’s earlier works. While his previous poetry often leaned heavily into themes of empowerment and resilience, sometimes with a biting tone, this volume takes a gentler, more subdued approach. It feels less like a rallying cry and more like a quiet conversation, which resonates deeply with readers seeking tenderness and introspection. Sin’s signature style remains intact—concise yet emotionally impactful. His ability to distill complex emotions into a few lines is as powerful as ever, but there’s an added layer of sweetness and romance that softens the overall mood of the collection. For readers who prefer modern poetry that leans into love and connection rather than confrontation, Volume III delivers beautifully. That said, this collection isn’t devoid of depth or weight. Themes of heartbreak, mental illness, and personal growth are still present, but they’re handled with a quieter grace. The raw empowerment of women that dominated his earlier works feels more balanced here, celebrating not just resilience but also vulnerability. It’s a welcome evolution that feels authentic and earned. If there’s a critique to be made, it’s that this volume feels more muted compared to Sin’s usual standard. For some readers, the neutrality might feel like a departure from the emotional intensity that defined his earlier collections. However, for those who appreciate a more romantic and contemplative tone, this shift is likely to be a highlight. Overall, Planting Gardens in Graves III is a poignant and thoughtful conclusion to a beloved series. It captures the complexities of love and heartbreak with honesty, offering readers a chance to reflect on their own experiences. Whether you’re a longtime fan of R.H. Sin or new to his work, this collection is a beautiful addition to the world of modern poetry.
May 1, 2024
I'm not intentionally hate-reading through Andrews McMeel's catalog of poetry. I'm just currently doing a lot of buying and selling of used books, and I pull the poetry aside to read before selling.
It seems like every one of these I read makes the previous ones look better in retrospect. The criticisms I had of Rupi Kaur and Amanda Lovelace are even more true of Sin's work. It has the feel of an angsty Tumblr account. There are a handful of potentially decent ideas, but no effort has been put into developing them past the point of a cliche. In short, it's unmistakably slipshod.
In a particularly wild twist, this book features nine poems that have titles corresponding to times between 5:07 am and 5:20 am leaving the reader to suspect that 5% of the book's contents were written in the space of a single 13 minute period. A further nine poems were written between 6:25 pm and 8:06 pm. Together, that's a full 10% of the book. Of course, theoretically there could have been extensive time spent editing and polishing those poems even if they were originally written at breakneck speed, but I wouldn't bet on it. For example:
5:10 am
look deep within yourself
for any and everything
you've been missing
All I'm hoping for is a little care and artistic pride to be taken in poetry. The state of these just make me sad.
It seems like every one of these I read makes the previous ones look better in retrospect. The criticisms I had of Rupi Kaur and Amanda Lovelace are even more true of Sin's work. It has the feel of an angsty Tumblr account. There are a handful of potentially decent ideas, but no effort has been put into developing them past the point of a cliche. In short, it's unmistakably slipshod.
In a particularly wild twist, this book features nine poems that have titles corresponding to times between 5:07 am and 5:20 am leaving the reader to suspect that 5% of the book's contents were written in the space of a single 13 minute period. A further nine poems were written between 6:25 pm and 8:06 pm. Together, that's a full 10% of the book. Of course, theoretically there could have been extensive time spent editing and polishing those poems even if they were originally written at breakneck speed, but I wouldn't bet on it. For example:
5:10 am
look deep within yourself
for any and everything
you've been missing
All I'm hoping for is a little care and artistic pride to be taken in poetry. The state of these just make me sad.
April 3, 2019
Phew.....I took time to read some of the other reviews. My feelings are mixed. This book feels less like poetry and more like small excerpts of journal entries. This is the first piece of writing I have read by this author and was surprised to find out from reviews that a man wrote this bc my view of journal entries read more like entries from a woman. My initial response was one of ...honesty...but now it feels less honest and more like manipulation. Never the less there are a few phrases in here that are profound even if they lack poetic voice. My feelings leaving this script are sadness, inspiration and shock. I struggle with a feeling towards hopelessness and brokenness in the overwhelming majority of pieces in this book. It reads heavy so my advice would be to not entertain it if you already find yourself in that place.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 27, 2024
My cousin gave this book of poetry as a gift to me years ago while I was in an abusive relationship. They meant for it to be a message, a lifeline, without pushing me too hard. I don't remember much of that time, a lot of memories have been repressed, but I think I remember opening the book and starting to read some of the poems, and they picked at my delicate defenses. I wasn't ready yet, so I put the book away, but kept it.
I left my ex in 2020, and it has been several years since then. Reading this book of poems was a salve on the wounds left in me from that relationship. I'm going to read it over and over again and pick out my favorites and read them until the book falls apart. Some of the poems in here really resonated with me and how I felt in the relationship and have felt since then. I'm also feeling inspired to maybe write some of my own poems of my experience specifically.
I left my ex in 2020, and it has been several years since then. Reading this book of poems was a salve on the wounds left in me from that relationship. I'm going to read it over and over again and pick out my favorites and read them until the book falls apart. Some of the poems in here really resonated with me and how I felt in the relationship and have felt since then. I'm also feeling inspired to maybe write some of my own poems of my experience specifically.
December 11, 2018
I love r.h. Sin! Yes, he has honed in what he does best! His poems flow seamlessly in a progressive development of his thoughts. He finds the deep innards of the emotional moments that make us human, that we share as a humanity. This is his perspective from his guts, his empathy for others. I find I can relate to his words, they are insightful and truthful. He is mighty with the words of our language. The book is primarily micro-poetry, which is a little nugget of wisdom, concise in its nature. This is today’s wanted variety of poetry. Fiction can take you on a journey outside yourself, poetry at its best takes you on an inward journey, this is what r.h. Sin does well.
February 9, 2019
I was walking randomly at the Target books section, when this book called my eye. I read a few pages and i was sold. Poetry is not a genre i read often, actually has been a while since i read a poetry book. This one made me feel since page one, so many beautiful poems in here. I didn't like the “romantic” ones, but the others hit me right in the spot.
Poems about loneliness and how is not a bad thing, others about self love and self worth. This poetry collection definitely made me feel better about my self, and at the end of the day isn't it that the only thing that matters?
Poems about loneliness and how is not a bad thing, others about self love and self worth. This poetry collection definitely made me feel better about my self, and at the end of the day isn't it that the only thing that matters?
April 22, 2023
I am giving it 4 stars because I REALLY liked some of the messages that were portrayed in this book such as:
“no going back”
“going forward”
“it pains me”
“beauty still remains”
I really liked those poems and they really helped me put perspective on my most recently failed relationship. Although, they had some really long poems that really turned me off to this particular book in the series. This author is SO good at the short but impactful poetry and it really sucked to see that art of that taken away or spoiled. Otherwise, good book and good series!
“no going back”
“going forward”
“it pains me”
“beauty still remains”
I really liked those poems and they really helped me put perspective on my most recently failed relationship. Although, they had some really long poems that really turned me off to this particular book in the series. This author is SO good at the short but impactful poetry and it really sucked to see that art of that taken away or spoiled. Otherwise, good book and good series!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 27, 2018
Unfortunately, I am done with reading r.h sin’s work. While he is a good writer, I have just not experienced backstabbing, untrustworthy relationships. Because of my lack of bad experiences, I just cannot connect to his writing at all. Plus, after reading this trilogy, and the whiskey, words, and a shovel trilogy, I feel like I’m reading the same poems over and over again. I had some major déjà vu vibes.
December 27, 2018
I was really disappointed with this book. Don't get me wrong there were a few poems that felt pure and resonated with me, but for the most part, the poems felt recycled from his previous work. It was lacking in originality, imagery and a poetic feel. I felt like I was reading depressing quotes off of Pinterest...
Also, I am all for men who want to empower women, but don't try to write about women as if you know what its like to be one because you don't.
Also, I am all for men who want to empower women, but don't try to write about women as if you know what its like to be one because you don't.
June 6, 2019
so many poems resonated with my soul, as they usually do with r.h. sin.
there was some balance lacking toward the end of the book where it felt like he put all marriage related poems together, then all cell phone relates poems together, then all his longest ones together. especially with the longer ones, i would have preferred them scattered a little more.
that's just a personal preference though, love r.h. sin.
there was some balance lacking toward the end of the book where it felt like he put all marriage related poems together, then all cell phone relates poems together, then all his longest ones together. especially with the longer ones, i would have preferred them scattered a little more.
that's just a personal preference though, love r.h. sin.
January 19, 2019
Some beautifuk words in this little book.
I lost count of how many spoke to me or how many I could relate to!!
This is definitely going to be a book I buy and keep on my shelf for years to come.
Definitely, I highly recommend it to anyone looking for that "what your best friend would say" kind of life help.
I lost count of how many spoke to me or how many I could relate to!!
This is definitely going to be a book I buy and keep on my shelf for years to come.
Definitely, I highly recommend it to anyone looking for that "what your best friend would say" kind of life help.
December 28, 2020
Beautiful, honest, heartbreaking, and encouraging: just a few words to describe r.h's poetry. While being hurt and broken by people who were supposed to love him, his pain has become his art and his experiences become encouragement. I'm not surprised I enjoyed this compilation and am happy to be gifted it, and add it to my collection.
December 9, 2022
This collection is definitely a baring of this author’s soul and I applaud her for it. That being said, it mostly felt like a journal that repeated itself the whole time. I really appreciate her vulnerability to be so honest with her struggles with relationships and self-advocacy, but the poetry left me wanting much more.
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