Producing a good piece of writing that the public applauds — or cries over — is not an easy feat. Trust me, I’m writing this piece. But Megumi Jindo ’28 doesn’t just write poems that are celebrated by others. Rather, the process comes to her with ease, and is necessary to her self-expression.
Sitting next to me in her “The Phoenix” sweatshirt (she’s a writer and editor for the paper), it was clear to me that Megumi is a natural writer. When she began describing her first encounter with poetry, Amanda Gorman’s performance of “The Hill We Climb” at President Biden’s Inauguration, her excitement over Gorman’s speech transferred onto me. Suddenly, my eyes were opened to her love of the written form.
“Through poetry, I noticed that [Gorman] was able to move a country and awaken [people] through a tumultuous time,” she said, adding, “I was really inspired by that, so I started to write poetry.”
From then on, Megumi was off to the races. She quickly started turning out poetry that caught readers’ attention, and made a name for herself in the process. By the time she arrived at Swarthmore last fall, she already racked up the titles of New York State Youth Poet Laureate Finalist, Scholastic Arts and Writing Awards Gold and Silver Key recipient, and finalist of The Ruth Weiss Youth Poet Award.
Though she’s accomplished so much at such a young age, Megumi doesn’t dwell on them; she’s too busy producing new works to spread her message.
Megumi told me her goal is to use poetry to remind people that if you keep fighting for justice, there is a way forward. To her, hope is a way to “inspire a country to do better.”
In 2023, Megumi shared this message at the Vital Voices Mentoring Walk on International Women’s Day, which was attended by artists, musicians, and world leaders. After, she learned that her words had moved Milck, one of the musicians in attendance, to tears.
“I didn’t think my words had power, but they had meaning, and were able to touch even such an [influential] figure,” she said.
To Megumi, performing poetry allows people to connect with the feelings within the piece, providing a sense of comfort. She explained how writing is also a way for her to better understand herself, and express her emotions. Through sharing these vulnerable emotions, she hopes to bring her words to people who can relate to them.
Megumi doesn’t just take inspiration from her own experiences; music is also central to her writing process. While writing her piece for the Women’s History Month celebration, Megumi took inspiration from music like “What a Wonderful World” by the great Louis Armstrong — specifically, music that has a strong connection to America’s roots.
“Through that, I was able to, in a spiritual way, feel their prayer upon this country. I use that feeling and put it into words,” she told me, adding, “My main aim is to bring hopes alive and kind of stir something within people’s hearts.”
While Megumi has already published some of her poetry, she has a more ambitious goal for her promising future: to become a National Poet Laureate, following in Amanda Gorman’s footsteps.
“When you’re on a higher stage, you can reach millions of people, versus just me writing in my room,” she said.
Spreading her message won’t stop with writing poetry. In the future, Megumi hopes to become an English professor, and share her love of literature and the power of words with future generations.
What better way to spread the message of hope — and mix in some awesome poetry every now and then?
With this aspiration in mind, what tips would Megumi give to someone who’s just getting started with poetry? She broke down her suggestions into three simple steps for me:
- Find that one shimmering thought in your brain, and write about it. This could be a fear, a dream, a passion, or something that you simply want to let go of.
- Just write it down. No, you don’t need a fancy typewriter to do this, a simple note in your handy-dandy notes app will do (or maybe even on that crusty and dusty napkin in your pocket. I’m not judging).
- Edit, edit, EDIT!!! What’s that one shining message that you hope to leave your audience with?
And there you have it: Megumi’s master guide to poetry. Pretty simple, right?
As Megumi explained her process to me, it became clear that writing isn’t just her fun hobby. It’s essential. For her, documenting her feelings and sharing them with the world is not just personally satisfying, it forges connections with people and maybe even transforms their lives.
With that being said, swipe out of this article, and go write something down. Yes, you heard that right! I’m telling you to click out of this article that I worked very hard on, and go create your own amazing poem. Who knows where it will take you!
