By Rae Wilitshire
“I believe art ought to be out there. Once art has been created it doesn’t belong to the creator anymore. It belongs to other people…the reader, the viewer,” non-binary poet, Akbar Singh, said. “Posting my work has inspired people to create and love poetry; it inspires them to write, and that is the kind of example that I love to set. Art is beauty, but it also should be an inspiration.”
Singh explained that poetry is a succinct way of expression and, although they were involved in other artistic mediums, they started writing poems in childhood and have had an indelible relationship with the art form. They said poetry allows them to write down their thoughts and feelings, giving them a sense of connection to self and a form of mental sustenance.
“Poetry is like my scream into the void. Sometimes people listen back, sometimes they respond, but I don’t care if there is anyone listening. It is my scream into the void. I need that outlet,” they said.
While they write poetry for themselves, they also explained that the people in their life are a great source of inspiration in their writing. “I read once that when a poet cares for you, they can immortalise you forever, and that is my form of showing my love to [my friends and family], and what I have for them is forever and very deep,” they expressed. “People make life bearable. People are my greatest source of joy and support, and they inspire me daily. [I write about] people in life who I care about… people who I fall in love with… sometimes people who fall in love with me.”
Singh went on to recall a relationship with a friend who gives good advice and is always lending a shoulder to other people but sometimes forgets that the shoulder might not always be available. Some of the poems Singh sent to this person were an encouragement for self-care. Singh said that the friend expressed appreciation for the gift because it came at a time when the friend was in the doldrums. They explained that this is one of the joys of writing poetry for friends. It can serve as meaningful support too.
While most of Singh’s poems are for personal use and are posted on their Instagram page, they did manage to attract the attention of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Singh’s work for the agency was one of their first commissioned pieces. “It was one of the best feelings in the world. It is people saying we want your work. We want you especially. It is people seeing examples of your work and they are like, you’re good and we want this to be performed,” Singh said. “As a creative you want your work to be shown out there. And it is an amazing feeling to be out there and to be called out for it. It is really amazing, and recognition is like food and water to creatives.”
While recognition is good, they expressed it is not the main reason for writing and said their poetry can serve as a roadmap for hope in life. “Life is already hard, but poetry as an art form shows that things aren’t so helpless. We have beauty to look at, we have beauty to read, to feel, and poetry helps people to understand that things aren’t so hopeless,” they said. “People need hope. People need faith. Art gives you that strength to live. Art gives you hope and we need that. Poetry is part of that.”
When asked to read one of their poems and share its meaning, Singh was reluctant. As part of their life’s philosophy, they do not like labels on things, and it is one of the reasons they chose to do away with binary pronouns. They feel it puts them in a box with a set of expectations and said they do not even name their poems. “I really don’t like explaining my poems because it is an art form that should be enjoyed by the reader and each one can mean something different from one reader to the next, and so, me as a poet explaining it can kind of define it for a reader, which I don’t like,” they said. You can read Singh’s poetry at https://www.instagram.com/akbarjaidev/.
