By: Jeeya Parasbhai Khavadia, SFU Student

Poems, stories, and other types of creative writing have piqued my interest since I was a child. I used to tear poems from magazines and place them inside my school textbooks to lift myself up. However, I never imagined I could be a poet. Thankfully, my mother did! She noticed my interest and purchased several books about how to write poetry. She used to take me to creative writing workshops, force me to compete in school competitions, and teach me rhyming techniques.

Five years after writing my first poem, I can proudly call myself a poet. Poetry for me is like toys for a kid; like a kid is attached to their toys, I am deeply attached to poetry. Some days, I will even get teary-eyed if words don’t go together in a poem or if it doesn’t turn out how I envisioned.

Poems have the potential to convey far beyond what long prose can. My favourite line of poetry is from “Dreams” by Langston Hughes: “hold fast to dreams for if dreams die / life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.” This is such a profound sentence, but it’s explained so succinctly. Using symbolism, imagery, and metaphor, a deep meaning is conveyed in a beautiful way.

Both reading and writing poetry can be a therapeutic process. Poetry therapy, a subtype of bibliotherapy, involves reading and writing poems for personal growth and healing. Writing poetry is therapy for me and an important part of my daily life. Sitting in a park or garden with a notebook and a cup of coffee gives me a sense of calm and stability, which benefits my studies and how I deal with difficult situations in my life. In my own piece, “The Truth of Life,” I wrote about how “In this play called life / we are just puppets who never survive.” 

All of this is possible because my mom believed in me and encouraged me to pursue my passion. Don’t underestimate encouragement from those around you because those who care want to see you succeed in life. Even if you feel insecure in your abilities, you can excel in areas you had no idea you could. 

Finally, I’d like to motivate you to experiment with something new in your life by quoting some lines from Catherine Pulsifer’s poem, “You Can:” “And as you move towards your goal / you may find potholes in the roadway / But with a plan and a determined attitude / You can achieve a new beginning / if you want to!”