World Poetry Day: Kalki Koechlin says writing poetry is like therapy for her
On World Poetry Day, actor Kalki Koechlin opens up about her journey of using poems to express her emotions
Kalki Koechlin doesn’t remember exactly when she started writing poetry, but it has turned out to be a way of living for her. The actor says the craft helps her get in touch with her feelings, and address them.
On World Poetry Day, the actor opens up about her journey of finding words to express her emotions.
“I don’t remember how it all started for me. I was very young when I started writing poems. And the only reason I know about it is because my mom kept all of it. I wrote when I was six about butterflies and other things that a kid can write,” Koechlin tells us.
The 40-year-old shares reading poetry as a kid helped her get inclined towards the craft, as she says, “My mother gifted me books on poems when I was a kid. I enjoyed spending time reading and then writing poems”.
As she started writing poetry as a kid, is her daughter, Sappho, also following in her footsteps? “Well, I am not doing it consciously. She is curious about drawings. hShe has emotions to describe which she does by drawing. She has not started on poetry yet, but she has some introduction to storytelling,” she says.
Talking about her own experience, she admits that her writing reflects her experiences. “It is like therapy for me… It is a way for me to articulate my deep emotions. There are times when you might be feeling certain emotions, like anger, sadness and anxiety, on the outside, but don’t exactly know why you are feeling those emotions. When I write poems, I feel like I am peeling the lawyers one by one and getting in touch with my deep emotions and feelings,” says the mother of one, calling it “writing poems as self examination”.
When it comes to the topics, the actor reveals everything about her inner turmoil and the world around her inspires her.
“The struggles that I am going through. Motherhood, I was reborn as a mother. I am in toddler years of motherhood. So, that is inspiring me at the moment. All the changes in life, especially In women as we turn 40, be it mental or physical change… How we see things… All of that is inspiring me at the moment.” says the Made in Heaven actor.
What about publishing her poetry? “People have asked me about it. At some point, it could be true when I think they are worthy of getting printed. I don’t feel that way yet. I feel there is more to the craft. I am working on it. Maybe at some point, I will have a collection of poems long enough to publish,” she ends.