Please! It’s high time to save trees

Khanak Verma is a Class 11 student at Apeejay School, Kharghar. Her poem, ‘Our future’ is a short, crisp and to the point wake up call to save trees. She compares the world our ancestors have left for us and the one we will leave behind for our children. In this week’s Promising Poet interview, the young poet speaks about her journey into the land of verse and how she prefers writing on topics of pressing urgency to humans. Read edited excerpts: 

Since when have you been writing poetry?

I started writing poems in 2020 during the lockdown. I had a lot of time to think and read about nature back then. I was also able to have a clear view on different topics as I kept writing.   

What inspired you to write poems?

The situation of the world during the pandemic inspired me to write poems on the environment and natural disasters.

Tell us the thought behind your poem on ‘Our future’?

My poem ‘Our future’ is basically a comparison between the world’s past and future. The world where our ancestors lived, satisfied all their needs and in return our ancestors also protected the natural environment. But as time has passed, the current generation did not bother about the importance of nature and to be more precise the importance of trees. The percentage of land that forests cover is barely 35%. This is a great issue for the whole world because the population is rapidly increasing and if this issue is not taken care of, then our future is assured to be miserable.

Everyone studies about the importance of nature and its deteriorating state, but no one takes a step forward to save our future. Thus, I have written this poem to remind people about the world’s condition. The poem is a request to all to use natural resources carefully.

Your favourite poet and poem

My favorite poet is Robert Frost. I have always liked his short and simple poems. He is well known for his precisely written poems. My favorite poem however is ‘We Wear the Mask’ by Paul Laurence Dunbar. This poem reflects on the reality of the current times. It shows how fake a human can be and how we tend to hide our reality from others. 

Rhyme or free verse?

I prefer a particular rhyme scheme as it is much more fun to write and hear the poem in that case.

Writing poems in the day or night?

I like to write poems free mindedly once all my work is done. So I usually write at night. 

How does Apeejay School, Kharghar help you to write such lovely poems?

The insightful thoughts of the teachers have always inspired me to write on different topics. Once, one of my teachers taught me about the equilibrium of life and the importance of living. After listening to her words, I was certain to apply those teachings in my life and I ended up writing another poem titled, ‘Equilibrium of life’.

What’s your approach towards writing a poem?

Whenever I wish to write a poem, I ponder upon a topic and write the key points first, which I want to add in my poem. Then I try to arrange those points in a meaningful order and get a rhyme scheme out of them. To develop a better rhyme scheme, I often look out for new words and add those words in the poem. It usually takes me an hour to write a poem but if the topic is complex, it may take half an hour more. I love to write about nature, the living world and humans and their behavior.

One advice for budding poets?

Have faith in yourself! In the beginning, you may feel that it’s not worth it or that it is a waste of time but remember practice makes you perfect. So keep writing and I’m sure that you’ll realise your potential.  

Best thing about writing poetry?

I love poetry because it allows us to demonstrate our thoughts to the world. As for me, I’m really happy to share my thoughts to others as my poems usually aim at problems which people tend to ignore for the sake of their personal growth. I try to put my thoughts in a convincing manner, which leads the reader to think about it and if possible take necessary actions.