Cailin Hargreaves: Five Things You Need To Write Powerful And Evocative Poetry
An Interview With Heidi Sander
Poems are little machines of their own and to get good at producing them you need to understand yourself on a deeper level, on an almost visceral level. This is because if you know what environment and mindset you need to create for yourself in order to get the poem machine working, then inspiration has a much easier time of finding you. In contrast if you find yourself in an environment that is overly stimulating and stressful, you have a much harder time at staying present and letting the words flow out of you.
As a part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Cailin Hargreaves @caywords_
Cailin Hargreaves is a South African-born British Instagram poet, artist, and politics graduate. She uses short contemporary poems to discuss themes of personal affliction, self-healing, and growth. Her work encourages introspection through honesty, accountability, and positivity.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive into the main focus of our interview, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share a story about what first drew you to poetry?
I studied English literature in school, and fell in love with reading and analysing different forms of writing. During my studies I was introduced to a variety of poets and their work, which inspired me to start creating some of my own pieces.
Can you tell us a bit about the interesting or exciting projects you are working on or wish to create? What are your goals for these projects?
I’ve just released my first poetry e book called ‘The Life of a Wildflower,’ and I’m now working on finding a publisher to release a hard copy. Also, I’ve started to create my own illustrations for my poems using procreate and abode fresco, which I will add into my book before it is released.
Wonderful. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. Let’s begin with a basic definition so that all of us are on the same page. What is your definition of poetry? Can you please share with us what poetry means to you?
To me poetry is the art of using language to make imagery come alive. It’s also about bending words to suit your narrative, and creating a combination of lines that flow together in perfect harmony.
What can writing poetry teach us about ourselves?
Poetry is a beautiful form of self expression that brings to life the different emotions and feelings that live inside us all. When I first started writing I was struggling to deal with the turbulence and instability that was present in my life. I had been battling with different health issues since a child, and was still learning to accept the limitations of my body and make peace with my reality. Writing poetry allowed me to express my anger, heartache and fears without judgment or shame. Back then the pain consumed me and I was incapable of feeling anything else. I kept things inside and let the emotions build up until they became storms instead of waves, but writing gave me the space to be the rawest version of myself which taught me that there is so much more for me to feel. There is infinite joy, happiness, and beauty in this world for us to experience. All we have to do is look past ourselves and see that this beauty lives inside us too.
Who are your favourite poets? Is it their style, the content or something else that resonates with you?
From the classics my favourite has to be Robert Browning, I adore his gothic style of writing and imagery. He is a master at creating suspense and twisting words to suit his purpose. My favourite piece from him is titled ‘The Laboratory,’ in which he describes the jealousy, turmoil, and anger that arises with the betrayal of a lover. Ironically, despite being influenced by Browning in my earlier works of poetry, my current use of imagery centres around light, positivity, and growth. As well as Browning, Nayyirah Waheed is a contemporary poet who’s work resonates deeply with me. Waheed’s style of bold language evokes a variety of different emotions from her readers. Her use of beautifully vivid metaphors and descriptive imagery is captivating. I love her use of salt and water to reveal the similarities between the beauty of the world and the beauty inside us.
Poetry can be transformational. Is there a particular poem that spoke to you and changed your life or altered a perspective you held in some way? Can you share the story?
Poetry has always been transformational for me, I am moved by the words I read in poems everyday. At the beginning when I first started reading poetry I was captivated by the words of earlier poets such as Browning, Wordsworth, and Keats. They have a way with words which is undeniable. But the collection of poems by Nayyirah Waheed in her book ‘Salt’ transformed the way in which I viewed poetry. Her words have such a strong connection to who we are as individual, who we are as a species and how we are connected to the world around us. She highlights the difficulties of navigating the world we live in today, how we fit into this world, and how the world fits into us. Using short and powerful pieces, she grips the reader in a flawless and effortless way and I can’t get enough of her work. It made me want to improve my own writing style so that I could move people in the same way, and that is the definition of good poetry.
Today’s world needs so much healing. Can you help articulate how poetry can help us heal?
Poetry can help us heal by showing us that we are all emotional beings, and we all have our turbulent days. Even the most confident individuals have moments where they question their abilities, and doubt their potential. No one is immune to the human propensity to feel, though some may appear better at cultivating emotions, they still experience the darkness that comes with our existence. And the lows that accompany the highs. They still experience fear, grief, heartbreak and pain. There is no antidote for feelings, there is no antidote to the reality of our biology. So when the lows come to strengthen our humility, it’s vital to not be ashamed of our softness. Or of our vulnerability, and the ease in which we are affected. Poetry is a form of expression that helps us to understand and heal from the darkness we carry in our hearts. It allows us to be honest with ourselves, and tackle the mountains that are laid out in front of us.
We’d like to learn more about your poetry and writing. How would you describe yourself as a poet? Can you please share a specific passage that you think exemplifies your style or main message?
I would describe my poetry as short, positive, and inspirational. My main platform is Instagram, so I post bite-size words of positivity to encourage my readers at the start of everyday to be the best version of themselves.
your heart is so heavy because
you hang yesterday on its walls
- let go, today’s a new day
slow down and breathe
there is a missed life waiting for you
outside the walls of chaos
when you start to notice
all the joy hidden in the small moments
you will see
that happiness is there for you to be
What do you hope to achieve with your poetry?
Through my poetry I hope to honour the beauty of our personal scars, and celebrate the strength that lives inside all of us. For those who have forgotten this strength, I hope to remind them that they have the courage to overcome any difficulties they are faced with.
In your opinion and from your experience, what are 3 things everyone can learn from poetry?
Self-love: poetry can help you to understand yourself better and the personal wars that are raging inside of you. It reveals to you the heaviness inside your heart, and teaches you to be unashamed of the vulnerability that comes with the act of living honestly. There is an element of poetry that demands self-acceptance, as you cannot write about your experiences if you keep running away from them.
Empathy: poetry vividly shows us the connection we have with those around us and the similarities in emotions and feelings we experience. We wrestle with different demons, yet we still feel the same joy, love and pain as the next person. Poetry humbles us, and helps us to extend kindness to the next person as we begin to realise that they are an extension of ourselves.
Boldness: poetry allows us to express ourself in a way that is absent of judgment. There’s no expectations before you write a poem, you are free to explore and express everything that your heart is carrying. There is no right way to write poetry and because of that we have the space to fill a poem with anything we desire.
Based on your own experience and success, what are the “five things a poet needs to know to create beautiful and evocative poetry?” If you can, please share a story or example for each.
Emotional intelligence — poets need to understand their emotions, and how to comprehend the things they are feeling so they can effectively convey this in their writings.
How to use language effectively — half of being a poet is using the right language to engage the reader, and enticing them to connect with the things you are describing.
Understanding structure — though poetry is filled with a disarray of emotions, the way in which a poem is structured is very important. So knowing how to structure words on a page so that they can have the most impact possible is a skill that is worth refining.
Creativity — Knowing how to describe things in new and refreshing ways is what sets apart a good poem from an unforgettable one. The poems that have really stuck with me are ones that have the ability to create vivid imagery in my mind, or have used new ways to describe familiar experiences. Rudy Francisco is a master at doing this, there is a piece in his book Helium called ‘mess’ that is so cleverly described, I read it and couldn’t stop thinking about how powerful his use of metaphors were for the rest of the day.
A good understating of different forms of poetry — In order to develop as a poet you have to understand what writing style works best for you, and to know this you need to have a general idea of the different forms and styles that already exist. To do this you have to dive right into the world of poetry and get a lay of the land, so that you can see how you can pave a path for yourself. Also, to see what could set you apart from your fellow poets.
If you were to encourage others to write poetry, what would you tell them?
Poems are little machines of their own and to get good at producing them you need to understand yourself on a deeper level, on an almost visceral level. This is because if you know what environment and mindset you need to create for yourself in order to get the poem machine working, then inspiration has a much easier time of finding you. In contrast if you find yourself in an environment that is overly stimulating and stressful, you have a much harder time at staying present and letting the words flow out of you.
How would you finish these three sentences:
Poetry teaches… us that we are connected by the similarities in the emotions that we feel and experience.
Poetry heals by… allowing us to be honest about the darkness we carry inside ourselves so that we can heal from it.
To be a poet, you need to… articulate the reality of your experiences in a captivity and comforting way so that people can personally connect to your words.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Entertainment , Business, VC funding, and Sports read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we both tag them :-)
Jordon Peterson — there is something about the way he articulates the meaning of life and the great themes of existence in an emotive and digestible way, which I think is poetry in itself. He tackles topics such as psychology, mythology and philosophy in a tactical way, highlighting the importance of taking responsibility over our lives and creating a live that is beneficial to our family and the society in which we live in.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
The can find me on instagram: @cayswords_
My book ‘The Life of a Wildflower’ is available to read on the Kindle Store.
Thank you for these excellent insights, and we greatly appreciate the time you spent. We wish you continued success.
