My 5 Short Poems that made it to The Bollywood

And why Instagram loved them so much

Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash

It’s been three years since I shared my first poem on Instagram.

I used to have a different account back then, which was shadowbanned, and having very little knowledge about the f*cked-up algorithm, I had to delete that account.

Then I opened a new one in 2018 but only started posting on it last year.

Since then I’ve gained more than 6.5K followers (I know that’s not too much) and some notable celebrities like Vidya Balan and Ileana D’ Cruz have shared and left comments on my posts.

So yeah, that’s something I like to boast about.

Even though I’ve started hating Instagram due to Mark Zuckerberg and how they keep changing their algorithm, there’s one thing we all have to accept: The whole world is on Instagram. So there’s no point denying that you have to be there too.

No matter what your business is about, Instagram will help you in reaching people and sharing the core values of your business with them. And boy! does that drive sales.

I’ve particularly written this story for writers, but it doesn’t matter what you post about, I’m pretty sure that your account will definitely gain something from it.

Let me start by sharing my five poems and declutter them for you.

I was raised by a woman
who could’ve ripped the sky apart
for my happiness,
so don’t ask me
why I see a goddess
when a woman walks past me.

I really didn’t know that people would relate so much to this one.

In fact, I was a little concerned about posting it because most of my followers are either into romantic kind of stuff or into the poems that revolve around self-love.

But surprisingly, this particular poem reached almost 100K people.

Although, I forgot to keep a count of how many people shared it in their stories, but its reach is more than double the amount of people I normally reach on Instagram.

So I think that says it all.

She wore the darkness
so perfectly
that her skin
twinkled like fireflies
even during the daylight.

I wrote this one for Ilena D’ Cruz after she stopped on my account and liked a few of my posts.

Ileana loved it so much that she decided to share it in her story.

You might notice on my Instagram page that a lot of poems revolve around women, and it’s not just because I like writing about them, but also because 76% of my followers are women.

According to a survey done by Hootsuite, 43% of female respondents said that they use Instagram, while that percentage dip to as low as 31% when it comes to male.

So it’s always better to create content with that in mind.

All I want
is for you
to see yourself
the way I do,
like the moon
in the dark of the night.

It’s quite simple, right? And that’s what you have to keep in mind.

Readers are not Shakespeare whom you think will understand whatever you write.

Keeping it short and simple is the key to everyone’s heart.

Be soft with yourself, sweetheart.
The loveliest flowers are the ones
grown with tenderness.

This one will always be my favourite.

I tried to be as tender as I could, and reading it gives a feeling like this poem is directly talking to you.

That’s probably why Vidya Balan loved it too.

Also, self-love is everyone’s favourite topic on Instagram. So there’s that.

It’s never the bricks
that complete a home.
It’s the people.
Always the people.

Sometimes driving the focus of people on a particular thing goes a long way.

Adding ‘always the people’ in the end is how I’m asking everyone to focus on the thing I’m talking about.

Try reading the first three lines of this poem again and you’ll understand why I’m saying that.

This poem wouldn’t have been half as good if I hadn’t added that last line in it.

5 key takeaways:

• Keep it short and simple. People are always skimming through posts. They don’t have enough time to read your long pieces.
• Women use Instagram far more than men do. That’s the reason why you’ll find a lot of poetry that talks directly to women.
• Self-love is here to stay. Yes, romantic pieces will work. But almost everyone is pissed off due to the love that left them at the bay. So, self-love and acceptance is the new trend that people love reading about.
• Drive focus of your readers. Use a particular word or a phrase that drives their focus to something you’re talking about; something that emphasizes the central element of your work.
• And finally, break your piece down and try not to stuff everything in one line. Just scroll above and see how I haven’t shared any of my poems in a single line. It’s easier to read and looks very short when you write like that.

So there you have it. If you want to read more, you can always follow me on Instagram.