Modassir Khan

I'm 36, and I love poetry. I grew up reciting the holy Qur'an, which is very much like poetry. It always felt wonderful to hear it rhyme, word after word.

One day in my final year at primary school, my teacher asked us to memorise a poem and read it to her. While trying to find a nice poem, I came across the shortest poem I had ever seen, "flower, power." I still remember how such a poem had great meaning. Without plants, would we survive? They are also very beautiful.

In secondary school, when I was learning how to explain and describe the emotions and images poetry creates, I found my consciousness go into other realms, places in my imagination, whether good or bad, it was exciting to be drawn into a world made only by words!

I started writing continuously since the 2019 lockdown. Poetry helped me feel secure and safe. It was my only connection to the outside world. Surprisingly, I also started gardening. Flowers and bees are very heartening to watch. I had a need to escape in a time no one was permitted to even walk down the street. Gardening and writing was the world I made in my mind.