"emptying out of my mothers belly was
my very first act of disappearance
learning to shrink for a family who
likes their daughters invisible
was the second
the art of being empty is simple
believe them when they say
you are nothing
repeat it to yourself
like a wish
I am nothing
I am nothing
I am nothing so often
The only reason you
know you're still alive is
from the heaving of your chest"
~The Art of Being Empty - Rupi Kaur
The vocabulary contained within this poem is relatively simple. The diversity between this and everyday word choice is not significantly obvious. The tone gives the impression that the narrator is perhaps feeling defeated, or resigned to being "nothing." Two particular things that stand out are the usage of the words "emptying" and "heaving."
The definition of 'emptying' as stated by Dictionary.com is to make empty; deprive of contents; discharge the contents of: to empty a bucket. This is an awfully apathetic way to describe ones' birth, which falls into line with the rest of the poem. The narrator does not feel loved, valued, or acknowledged by her family and even states in the poem "...a family that likes their daughters invisible..." This implies that, as a daughter, her birth must not have been too celebratory an event. As the first line, "emptying out of my mothers belly..." sets the tone for the proceeding lines and does so in a manner much more fitting with the rest of the text than if the narrator had said, for example, 'My mother giving birth to me...'
The other word, 'heaving,' is defined as meaning to breathe with effort; pant: He sat there heaving and puffing from the effort. by, again, Dictionary.com. "...the heaving of your chest." Not 'from your heart beating in your chest' or another version which would indicate a specific difficulty with controlling ones' emotions, but rather 'heaving,' as in a difficulty breathing. The narrator speaks of a family where women are second class, where they are oppressed. Oppression doesn't offer much breathing space. This could imply that the effort and weight of being empty, or invisible, is strenuous and takes a toll on the narrator.
*As this is the first one I've ever done, I have no idea if this is even remotely the way I was supposed to go about this but I'm going for it*
