April 6 2021. 100 Weeks Ago.
That was the date I published the first edition of Hello Universe.
Since then, 291 readers have signed up and read these fun, thought-provoking poems. Together we joked about texting, traveled through time, went places, and grew up. We’ve lived through the pandemic, through storms, and seasons. We’ve missed friends and met them. Again and again.
What a blessed life. Feels like magic!
Making It Happen
Back in 2021, when I wrote 100 poems in 100 days, I felt a sense of pride and satisfaction, followed by an immense sense of relief that I was done with the target I had set for myself. The sense of achievement aside, pushing myself to write everyday in that way was a stressful experience that made me wonder if I would ever write poems again.
It was after cooling off for a couple of months that I realized two things:
I love writing poems. It is fuel for my soul.
Writing daily was unsustainable. It was not creatively fulfilling.
After much introspection, Hello Universe and its weekly cadence were born. Writing every week to a reader who found me organically, who likes my rhymes, who engages with me in the comments, and who checks out the “Fun Stuff” that I recommend, is more gratifying than any achievement.
Writing Poetry
I started writing poetry as a way to capture the lost poems of my childhood that had a catchy meter, fun rhyming schemes, and were really memorable as a result. With each passing week, I have found myself thinking about concepts and topics I would hardly think about otherwise. I have become more introspective, less pensive, and more grounded in reality. I have made new friends. I have rediscovered myself again and again. This is magical.
Please accept my gratitude. This magical place would not exist without you, dear reader.
Celebrating A Milestone
Long ago, I started wondering how to celebrate 100 weeks of Hello Universe. It was crucial that the celebration included you somehow, dear reader. Thus, a simple idea was born - I started responding to comments on Hello Universe with mini poems! It allowed me to explore a whole new dimension of engaging with you.
Today’s post is a compilation of these mini poems. Each one comes straight from the heart. Each one was written with the hope that we would all see this day. The day of the 100th week.
Feels unreal to even write it.
Alright, poems start in 3… 2… 1!
1. About Life
Dolph Lundgren’s life story really is quite insane.
2. About Music
You MUST listen to NTO in case you haven’t already.
Kevin literally sends music recommendations twice a week on his Substack. Go subscribe now.
And here’s Jesse James to blow you away with his drumkit
3. About Writing
Arjan is an amazing poet. His kind words have fueled the creativity of many poets on Twitter and Substack. I feel thankful for the day he searched for “poetry” on Substack and found me. What a guy. Subscribe to him now!
I met Igor as part of a Substack writer’s event. We have exchanged notes frequently and he is a great friend. He writes about Berlin in his newsletter, and I highly recommend that you check him out.
Saurav’s the friend with whom I messed around to create a GPT bot. He’s super cool. Read more about this experience here:
Alright, this celebration has obviously gone on for way too long.
But the party doesn’t have to end! Let’s continue it in the comments. Tell the Hello Universe community about yourself and your relationship with poetry. I’ll try my best to reply with a mini poem specially for you!
That’s it for this week, see you next Tuesday!
My dear friend
Punit, you did so well!
One hundred poems, let's ring a bell,
so you know we love when
you hit send.
Congrats, Punit, on this milestone. Your poems make me happy. And your mention is too kind and generous. Keep writing, my friend. You rock.
Cheers bud!