There is a dearth of poetry books in stores due to a lack of interest, yet the principal of The Gera School, Goa, Carol Paul Joseph, decided to embark on his first poetic journey, titled Beginnings, written in Iambic verse.
“I was told at bookstores that there are no sections on poetry books. In fact, I was told to write prose. No one reads verse, I was told. But I like reading verse. I want to keep Iambic verse alive,” says Carol.
He was speaking at the launch of his debut book at Caculo Mall, Panjim, recently.
PROCRASTINATION AND SELF-DOUBT
Talking about his journey, he says, “All of us have a book inside of us, it just never comes out. I always wanted to write."
"In my younger days, I did write a few short stories and poems. In a few years, I decided to write a book and by saying it out loud, I had made a commitment to write the book. But, it didn’t happen," he shares.
"Even before you take the plunge into doing it, you will grapple with ‘should I do it? Am I good enough? Will anyone read it? Why would anyone read it? And how will it be received?'" he continues.
"There was a struggle with procrastination and self-doubt. It was very presumptuous to say that I’ll be a writer,” he says, as he recalls the doubts that delayed the writing.
WHEN FRIENDS ENCOURAGE
To get Carol in the mood for writing, his friend designed and created a space which reminded him that he had a book to complete.
“A close friend spurred me on and said that I need to write – one way to do it is to invest time and resources. He told me that if I didn’t complete the book, it would be entirely my fault," he explains.
"So, every time I crossed that space, it made me want to write my poems. I always wanted to write a book. And, after 30 years, it’s finally here,” says Carol.
Beginnings delves into themes which are commonly felt, drawn from life stories and encounters -- from difficult relationships to love, faith, migration, trust, purpose of life and death.
He mentions, “For these 19 poems, the inspiration came from personal experiences, incidents from friends and family, movies and more."
EVERY POEM MUST BE AUTHENTIC
Stating that the challenge is to write Iambic verse, line after line, and also poetry, Carol says, “Anything we do must have authenticity and emanate from the principles we live by, the principles we espouse and the actions we live by."
"Every poetry must have authenticity. I have tried to write about different themes and people's experiences, like what siblings and friends went through. I hope to write a longer verse, based on Hindu and Christian mythology,” he concludes.
