Of the 17 talents that presented their creative pieces on an evening of poetry, spoken word and music at the recent Words & Strings event at Katara, presenter-producer Nabil al-Nashar’s poem stood out for its refreshing flair as much for its depth and delivery. Community caught up with the young poet for a long chat.

How and when did you start getting interested in poetry?
My mother always loved Arabic poetry and knew quite a bit about it. When I was younger, she would recite Arabian epics and ballades that always fascinated me. The stories were cool but the rhyme, musicality and sheer playfulness of some poets as they tickled different parts of your brain with their words, got me hooked. There is something about the eloquence of using your words as a weapon sometimes and others as a romantic tool, which I found captivating. My interest for poetry grew from there. As a child, I wrote a few poems in Arabic and I always had support from my family and at school. It was later on in my late teens when I started exploring English poetry that I stumbled upon “spoken word” and poetry slams. It was then I knew that I found my style.
 
What does writing and reading out poems do to you?
It sure is a special feeling. There is nothing quite like it. When I am writing a poem and I am feeling inspired and “in the zone”, I find myself engrossed by an overwhelming sensation of urgency. I feel like I have something important to say and that I need to get it out now, lest I lose that thought in the recesses of my mind. I know it’s hard to imagine, but it’s a thrill, much like riding a roller-coaster or jumping out of a plane. I’ve done both of these things and to me it’s a similar experience. The heart rate elevates, breathing becomes faster and the whole body is in a general state of excitement. Unfortunately these “in the zone” moments are rare. Most of the time, I’ll write lines and lines and eventually throw it all away. Either because I wasn’t inspired or it didn’t reflect how I felt inside. I look at poetry as a vessel to carry not just thoughts and ideas but also feeling.
 
Can you elaborate?
Some poetry can be read but some “spoken word” in my opinion must be heard and observed on a stage. It must be performed. The reason is simple. Two people can read the same line and yet interpret it emotionally very different from one another. Only the poet can deliver his words with the pace, pitch, tonality, inflection, and of course body language, that best reflect the feeling he/she means to deliver with the lines. Needless to say performing on stage is an exhilarating experience because that too has a certain “zone”. I like to imagine like it’s taking the audience on a journey into my mind. You always hope that they enjoy the ride and appreciate your overall message. But the fact that they allowed me to take them on a ride in the first place means a great deal to me.
 
What sort of themes and emotions do you usually explore in your poems?
I like to explore anthropological and societal issues. My poetry mostly revolves around analysing human behaviour. For example, how we feel and deal with the concept of “time”, why our ideals and morals change as we age, or modern issues that trouble most of my generation concerning identity and where we fit in the world. I try to share whatever answers I have for some of these questions and hope that it sparks enough conversation after so I hear other people’s answers. I like to talk about family and relationship with parents, considering the generational gap on top of the cultural complexity we have as young Arabs living in a world where western culture is dominant. A lot of my poetry tries to highlight the struggle of reconciling our identity with nationality and globalisation. I don’t say it quite on the nose as I am explaining now, but rather explore it through fiction and scenarios. I always try to end my poems with a solid, clear message almost as a “lesson learned” kind of moment. At least, the lesson I have learned. The best part is when I discuss later with people and see what lessons they have learned.
 Do you think poetry as an art form is still relevant to the youth and society today?
Of course, it’s relevant. I would argue that it’s ever more relevant. With the rise of the Internet generation and social media tools, everyone now has a voice. A lot of people are talking but most don’t have something to say. Any kind of speech delivered is better improved when the person actually has something he/she personally are invested in saying. It gives it that authenticity. In that regard, poetry can be seen as anyone who has something to say and can make it rhyme. It’s really that simple. Rappers are poets! Some of them are lyrical geniuses who influence millions of youth every day.
 
Can you share your favourite moment or anecdote related to coming up with a poem?
Every poem is different in terms of the process and the inspiration that leads to it. Some poems I wrote by sitting down and focusing on the message I wanted to get across, but most come from the least expected muses. My latest poem On How to Be Free is a one-sided dialogue that erupts between an old alchemist sitting in his apothecary and a customer who just walked in. I was walking through an old part of Cairo when I saw such a man sitting just outside his shop full of herbs and spices.
I thought to myself, if I asked him about some of the problems I had today, what would he say? An old-timer like him would surely have a wildly different perspective to modern wisdom on how to answer today’s difficult questions, I wondered. I saw him for a fleeting moment but if it wasn’t for me seeing that man, I never would’ve thought of writing this piece. It still fascinates me sometimes how anything, a certain image, a fleeting moment could inspire something inside of you strong enough to make you write poetry.