For junior Keshav Nair, poetry is more than a hobby; it’s a medium for exploring what it means to be human. 

Keshav has been writing poetry since middle school, using it to navigate and understand himself and others. He is the first winner of the National English Honors Societies’ spoken word poetry contest held in the library April 23. 

“I think of expressing myself through words sort of like coffee,” Keshav said. “You can write like making [diluted] coffee; long, slow burn essays, but writing poetry is like making concentrated coffee. It’s potent and really tests the boundaries of the English language.” 

Keshav began writing poetry in eighth grade. He enjoys poetry because it is “free form” and doesn’t have to be grammatically correct. He sends his poetry to his friend, junior Carter Nichols, to read over. 

“His poems get better and better,” Nichols said. “Over time, he used more obscure language and went deeper than surface level stuff. I think poetry gives him an opportunity to write it all out when he gets stressed with band and his classes.” 

During his sophomore year, English teacher Kaysi Sheehan suggested Keshav join the National English Honor Society (NEHS) after reading his poetry. He submitted a poem for his application to join. 

“Keshav is a very spirited student,” Sheehan said. “He was sending me poetry from the get-go. He has always been really interested in putting his poetry out there, so it didn’t surprise me he won. Not only did he write a really good poem, but he also had a great presence.” 

When Keshav heard NEHS was hosting their first ever poetry contest, he submitted his poem that same day. However, he hadn’t known it was a spoken word contest. Upon arrival, he was unprepared to perform. 

Before the contest began, he quickly printed out his poem and channeled his fight or flight instinct. 

“I used my experience in band to help me out,” Keshav said. “Preforming is all about contrast and emotions. You should know what to accentuate and what to make subtle. [But] I was obviously nervous because I hadn’t prepared at all and there were some really good poets.” 

When his name was called to perform, he was nervous. He trembled as he introduced his poem to the audience, but as he began reciting, he stood his ground and increased his volume. He spoke more direct and disguised his unsteady voice as a part of his performance. 

He was adapting on the fly. 

“If I read my poem in a monotone voice, it wouldn’t have hit as hard,” Keshav said. “Writing is about delivery and it’s up to interpretation. There are different ways to perform.” 

The poem Keshav performed is called “Cycle of Tragedy.” His poem was inspired by “The Circular Ruins,” a short story written by writer Jorge Luis Borges about a man who travels to an ancient temple to dream a man into existence, only to discover at the end that he is a figment of someone’s dream, revealing a cyclical, infinite nature of reality. 

His poem was also inspired by the animated show “Avatar: The Last Airbender” character Prince Zuko. Keshav aimed to capture the inner turmoil of what Zuko went through. He also drew inspiration from his personal life. 

“I see a lot of other people in toxic relationships,” Keshav said. “Or people who really want something and keep hurting themselves trying to get it. I wanted to mimic that in my writing.” 

Students performing poetry were judged by NEHS officers and assistant principal Casey Edwards. After winning first place, Keshav received a gift card to Barnes & Noble. 

Outside of the competition, poetry also helps Keshav understand and work through his emotions. Keshav is an advanced placement (AP) student, and is involved in the school’s band. He said poetry helps him calm down and think rationally when life gets overwhelming. 

“This marching band season, I was going through a lot of new things,” Keshav said. “Being able to just write [my feelings] down and understand them helped me [know] that while I wasn’t in the best position, things would get better. There was a light at the end of the tunnel.” 

Writing poetry has also taught Keshav communication skills. As he writes, he searches for new words and phrases, deriving his inspiration from Greek Mythology. Keshav also writes poetry as commentary on historical events, with him working on a poetry critiquing artificial intelligence (AI), interweaving movie quotes within the poem. 

As he looks towards the future, he plans to continue writing poetry.

“I think anybody who writes is an artist,” Keshav said. “Poets are artists and I’ve learned a lot from writing. It’s a good tool to have in the future.”