‘What’s on my mind.’ You may think it to be an overreaching title, encompassing the complexity and duality of my mind. Fortunately, this book isn’t about my mind and its thoughts alone. It is about what I believe goes through every human’s mind at some point in time. Through a collection of twenty-six poems, I have tried to show who I am and what I strive to be. The book, a blank canvas for my emotions and beliefs, presents various relatable topics in what I hope is an interesting and engaging manner. My muse for this cornucopia of thoughts came through a most unexpected agent: The Chroma's of Covid-19.
The pigments of the pandemic laid the foundation for my inspiration. They gave rise to many quarantine stereotypes: the ‘TikTok Queens’, the ‘Cooking Contesters’, the ‘New Hobby Projects’ etc. I was the ‘Time is Transformation’ theorist. After dabbling in my fair share of conspiracy theories and anxiety, I decided to re-evaluate the pandemic. In finding the root of this word, I was able to discover the roots of my troubles. ‘Pan’ implies all and ‘demos’ means people - meaning all you people, look at what you have become!
For me, at least, it was a time to re-evaluate, recuperate and re-calibrate. I had become a 16-year-old machine with a jammed engine and broken gear. I needed a ‘brake’ to repair and cope. My coping mechanism came in the form of a creative catharsis: an artistic outlet.In this overpowering wave of uncertainty, I poured out my worries in the realm of my journal. I peeled the layers of dried paint surrounding my thoughts and painted a fresh coat of faith. My pencil’s scrawny lines outlined a distant future, and I penned down my feelings and hopes for it.
In my poetry I found solace, words of comfort. As online school started, these letters wiped the exhaustion from my soul as I juggled hopelessness - within and around me. I fought each monotonous day armed with my powerful phrases and thought-provoking topics. It was refreshing and rejuvenating. Each line I wrote and each rhyming word I sought had an inebriating effect on me - poetry became my tonic and the clear expression of my mixed feelings.
As syllables and ideas entered my mind, it was as if a mirror had been held in front of me. I understood the importance and impact my views could have. I can only hope that my journey of self-discovery will help you, dear reader, to navigate your own identity and place in your world. I wish my poems stir in you an awareness about our pressing social and emotional needs.
I wish you blissful hours of thought-provoking reading.