Category: NaPoWriMo’24

how to write poetry.

Posted on by Jahnavi Dhir

I have a feeling I wont be able to keep up with NaPoWriMo’24. I had to write 30 poems and here we are with 3 poems at day 13. I have tried writing everyday and the fact is, I have. I just haven’t completed 30 poems. For this month, I’ll do like 2 poems a week. More realistic of a goal, isn’t? Praying to all poetry gods (and to Dhriti). Have mercy on me. God bless. 

to write a poem one has to bare 
his naked soul on a window seat
inside a caravan to nowhere 
is what great philosophers say 
but today i’ll tell you what they really mean 
be 6, inside your house on a rainy day and watch your dad open the forbidden cabinet 
he takes a swig and then two 
and you ask what he’s drowning into 
he screams at your tiny self
wake up at the tender age of twelve
to screaming matches of your parents 
sounds resembling demons from hell 
16 and beg your father to stop 
his horrid ways of coping with life, 
plead till you drop 
in the meantime 
make some friends, lose all
make some poor decisions and make embarrassing falls 
fall in love, fall out of love for self 
be the man and regret never being the girl you once thought you were 
reminisce your childhood for what you never lived 
curse distant relatives for what they did
gossip and learn, indulge in books, 
banish socialisation and human interaction 
regret about never being your truest selves’ fraction. 
read Faulkner and the kinds, 
be indecisive, do not make up your minds 
and then when you have had enough and the blade is at your wrist 
pick up a pen and scream into the abyss 
write like the world’s on fire and your words can save the day 
be young, be the hero,
be the lover, be the villain, 
be old and be grey 
find people who listen when you scream of  the end 
redefine your definition of a friend 
trust more freely 
give people yet another chance
gamble on your first romance
be rigid 
and then be flexible with your stance 
think deeply but don’t forget to be vast 
don’t forget the lies, for the idiom goes- jack of all trades, master of none, is always better than master of one. 
forgive all, but be selective with what you forget
get a tiny dog, a tiny cat, or a random pet
do not let go of the pen that made it all possible 
start writing about the hard times 
move on to brighter themes 
be stuck in darkness then suddenly 
find sunshine beams 
be a flower. follow the stars. 
fall in love with the moon, despite of all the scars. 
i hope you understand now what it means
to bare ones naked soul on a window seat

Thanks for reading. Bye snakers.

Only pride and no prejudice

Posted on by Jahnavi Dhir

This is my first time doing NaPoWriMo- a friend of mine was kind enough to make me aware about the existence of this challenge. And I was excited enough to be able and willing to do it. Here is my first entry- first of 30.

The challenge has prompts- optional, but I am not creative enough to write 30 poems without prompts. The first one said to write about a book plot- a book I hadn’t read in a long time. Here’s my version of pride and prejudice, and my recent discovery that I had in fact lived through a couple scenes in the book. Oh how I love Mr. Darcy. 


I was walking through the ruins of the mansion above the ocean
When I came across Darcy
Running through the grass fields by the ocean
He held his vision high and mighty
A strain of his hands
Flex of his fingers
And I came to the crude realisation that he wasn't inked on paper anymore
He was there- and I stood dumbfounded with a vigour that changed my bones
My own gown dipped to the core, from the rain that soaked my flesh
My flesh and my conservations
He was a god to my devotion that had no place to go before
I screamed at Darcy, he couldn’t be true but he simply swayed 
To the beat of the sun and the clouds that covered the rays
He shone so bright
I had to close my eyes
He had done everything to help my existence in the oceans 
And what had I done?
I didnt know- doesnt matter
I wasnt aware- I was too rude
But the look in his eyes
The simple acceptance of my being
The adoration of my smiles
The simple loving of my skin
And I couldn’t fathom he didnt ask for anything in return
What was this man- no Darcy wasnt this humble
And then my eyes burst into a thousand lights
And I saw myself sitting- in a temple- far away from the mansion above the ocean
And there sat my Darcy
In his glory, on my lap 
And the world made sense 
Only pride and no prejudice for the man I thought didnt exist
But my life had colour now,
Gowns dried down and flesh scratched
He kissed my scars away
My Mr. Darcy. 

The purpose of the challenge is to simply write. Not write masterpieces. Therefore this piece. Please forgive my horrid writing.

Bye snakers.