I write poems for people. Fully customized, completely original and typed out on the typewriter above. Yes, this very one. A more than half-a-century old Underwood 315.
Writing a poem for someone versus writing a poem for yourself is a completely different experience. I started doing this in mid-2024 at a farmer’s market in Toronto, and it was both exhilarating and terrifying, knowing you have 15 minutes or less to knock out a poem.
Writing a poem on the spot with nothing more than a few words, or the briefest of emotions as a guide is like trying to build a castle in the middle of a housing estate. A poem drops into the morass of greengrocers and mushroom vendors, elevated and yet accessible, personalised and yet speaking for more than its moment.
Having a poem written for you is like a personalised artwork, something that you’ve had some say in its input, but ultimately, you yield the creative execution to the artist to shape and mould. And, in writing the poem, I have learned to channel the invisible energies that bind us all. There are words unsaid, things felt but unable to be articulated. These, too, make their way into the poem.
I wrote the poem below as part of a video I made for primary school students in Singapore. I had to film myself typing a poem on the spot using five words I had selected from their school song: record, zest, best, treasure and lives.
I also take poetry commissions from anywhere in the world. So far, I’ve had commissions from the UK, Singapore and Canada. These are more developed poems that require a longer conversation, either in person or over the phone/zoom. The poem will be typed and mailed to you anywhere in the world. Drop me an email at marcnair@gmail.com if you’re keen to have a personalised poem!