‘Writing poetry is the best study break for me’

Sleep is a mysterious phenomenon. Different beliefs permeate in different cultures regarding sleep. Many believe that while we sleep, our soul communicates with the spiritual forces around us. Psychologists have claimed that as we sleep, the dreams we see are nothing but our unconscious thoughts coming to us in a novel way. 

As much as good dreams give us a ray of hope and bliss, bad dreams can affect us the same way with their terror. This is where the role of a poet and the dreamcatcher come into play.  The dream catcher catches the bad dream and helps us slide into a sweet sleep. The poet too in a similar way catches the thought and helps the reader slide into a happy reading. 

Meet Niva Agarwal, the promising poet from Apeejay School, Kharghar, who understands the importance of dream catchers and writes about the same. Read edited excerpts: 

At what age did you start writing poetry?

I began composing poems when I was thirteen years old.

Every poet has a story of how they began their journey. What’s yours? 

My mother maintains a diary in which she writes her opinion about some topic, poem or song, whenever she is free. Three years back, she was writing a poem and I was sitting beside her. I had nothing to do so I asked her to recite her poem. The poem was simple, nevertheless, I was fascinated. Several thoughts ran through my mind. All this inspired me to write a poem. And so the journey began. 

Tell us the thought behind your lovely poem: ‘To a sound sleep’?

I had a free period at school. The whole class was busy working on the class magazine as the due date was near. The theme of the magazine was a dream catcher. I had nothing to do because I had already done my part. So, I decided to try writing a poem. And this is how the poem ‘To a sound sleep’ came into existence.

 Who is your favourite poet and what is your favourite poem?

Robert Frost is my favourite poet. I’ve read a lot of his poems. ‘The road not taken’ is my favourite poem. It was part of our 9th grade course. It’s a simple poem with a powerful message. In the book ‘Rich Dad Poor Dad‘, Robert T. Kiyosaki mentions this poem.

Rhyme or free verse?

I prefer rhyming over free verse because I think it is easy for a majority of people to enjoy and understand a poem that rhymes.

Writing poems in the day or night?

I typically write during the day. However, I don’t set aside time for poetry writing; instead, I write during my study breaks.

 How does your school help you to write such lovely poems?

My school has been quite beneficial to me. My first poem was well received by my school friends as well as teachers. After writing my first poem, I had no plans on writing more. But I kept writing because of various school projects.  For me, writing a poem is more fun than writing a prose paragraph or drawing.

How do you approach writing a poem? 

Whenever I get an idea, I quickly jot it down in my diary. Then in my free time, I start writing. It mostly takes a day or two to complete my poems as they are mostly short. (laughs) The theme of the poem is most often closely related to things happening around me.

One advice for budding poets?

The best advice I got which I can pass on to others is, ‘Don’t think too much. Whatever is in your mind just write it down, no matter how silly it is’.

Finally, the best thing about writing poetry?

The best thing about writing a poem is they are my favourite study breaks. They help clear my mind.