A few weeks ago I paid a socially distanced visit to my nan in her flat, where she proudly showed me how she always keeps two books containing my poems to hand so she can show people when they come round. She asked me if I still wrote, to which I had to reply: 'No, I haven't written anything in a long time.'

I don't know why I stopped writing. Maybe my poetry was a manifestation of 'teenage ennui', though looking back at what I put to paper in my early 20s seems more like a catalogue of my dreams for the future. I wrote of love and heartbreak for example, feelings I wasn't familiar with at all. Yet somehow I seemed to have an accurate imagination of what they would be like.

And so this 30-second exchange with my nan took root in my mind and sparked the idea to use my birthday month August to challenge myself to write a poem every day. I'm starting this on the 2nd so technically I'm a day behind but I'm eager to catch up! 

As an extra motivator, I'll be raising money for Radio Lollipop in the UK who I've been volunteering with since May 2019. They bring comfort and play to kids in hospitals all year round, making live radio so kids can request their favourite songs (even if it means playing Baby Shark three times in half an hour) and taking games and crafts onto the wards for fun and entertainment.

Due to COVID-19, the last time we were allowed to visit the hospitals was early March 2020 and I really miss volunteering as well as all the lovely people. I'm hoping that once the pandemic ends we can go back with extra enthusiasm (and some extra funds). Can't wait to beat everyone at Dobble again! 

Please consider donating a little something if you can and keep me motivated to write a poem every day this month! I'll keep them short enough to fit on a postcard and will send them out as a little 'thank you' to people as well. Pictures of each will be on my Instagram @meetbookgirl so you can track my progress. You can also message me on Instagram if you'd like to challenge me even more by suggesting a topic to write on.

Let's get poetic!

#poemonapostcard