Poetry to many of us is a marriage between thought and some remarkable phenomena. A method to process our emotions through explicit language and commentary. National Poetry Month is a celebration of diverse voices and the enriching experience of creativity. This particular month is also a catalyst for many writers to let their creativity be nourished and to create more art. Many poets across the world use this dedicated time to commit themselves to the craft of writing poetry through prompts available to them on the main NaPoWriMo page or other mediums. The #NaPoWriMo challenge encompasses 30 poems to be written in the 30 days of April. Many poets in India took to Instagram, Facebook and other social media platforms to share their works. Hundreds of poets across generations and cultures are challenging themselves and seizing this opportunity to start on a dedicated #NaPoWrimo journey. Here are some zealous poets with their enchanting poetry:-
A small piece from Meghna’s numerous poems on her Instagram @plebwrites, she talks about various topics from embracing romantic love to mental health. She told scroll , “If not for NaPoWriMo, I don’t consciously sit down to write poetry. Inspiration strikes in the most unusual spaces, and I succumb to the urge. But every time it’s Poetry Month, I have a renewed drive to discipline myself everyday to write.I really love the energy during April. Everyone is reading poetry, discussing each other’s poems, critiquing, supporting and giving prompts. The poetry community for me really comes alive during this time and the constant exchange of poems, poets and styles broadens my understanding of poetry as a subject in itself.”
‘Amma always wanted me to fall in love.
She didn’t understand modern romance
With swipe rights and warm lighting for aesthetics,
genital photographs
Video calling your lover to sleep.
Amma taught me about love.
It’s silence that echoes in a shoebox apartment with the in-laws
rejecting a cup of chai
For having too much milk
That my father would wink
And drink 3 glasses of
And tell her it was the best damn cup he’d ever sipped
(But he wanted filter coffee)’
His poem on day 28 of the #NaPoWrimo challenge was about November and the multiple scents of the season. He tells scroll that “In the NaPoWriMo setting, I feel that a poem is never finished. Before I have given a poem the chance to settle and simmer so that I can sift it, it is time to write a new poem. My biggest challenge is having to move on from a poem too quickly.”
‘November, and meandering
walks are taken amidst
sleepy trees, belated clumps
of faded leaves and used nests.
Sipping cinnamon tea.
Weaving tales of lavender.
Gently cutting away old
plants to make them new.
Asking fewer questions.
Denouncing petty Gods.
Fearing a little less.
Hoping a little more.
Watching the waves touch
the sky in the distance.
Feeling like we could do it too,
the impossible.’
On poem No.9 of #NaPoWrimo, Ishan writes about his commute to Mumbai. Ishan’s poetry is immersed in various landscapes around India and has an acute eye for observation.
‘Sometimes a man stays quiet
Around him rickshaws honk and buses cough
The tick of an indicator punctures the cab’s vacuum Sometimes a man stays quiet
Around him rickshaws honk and buses cough
The tick of an indicator punctures the cab’s vacuum
While another signal is broken into
a labyrinth of horns, through it all
A man must stay silent in the city’
Image courtesy: Sylvia Plath by Holly Lyn Walrath
If you enjoyed this article we suggest you read: