Paradox ~ NaPoWriMo Day 19

NaPoWriMo/GloPoWriMo 2025

Day 19 …

Abi, the host of my guesthouse in New Delhi, described Chandni Chowk, the massive miasma of humanity and commerce spreading tens of blocks in every direction through the narrow streets and passageways of Delhi’s oldest neighbourhood.  “It is a must see. But most westerners don’t last long.” I managed a full day in my first week after arriving before moving on to Agra, Varanasi and Rishikesh. Then most of the couple days spent in Delhi before my departure back to Vancouver.

You can’t really put numbers on it. Imagine a hundred-fold more intensity than any experience you’ve ever had in North American or European city. Maybe a thousand-fold. If you’ve been to any country in Asia, you’ll have a closer approximation, though even Jakarta, Bangkok, Beijing, Hanoi, Kuala Lumpur and other Asian cities I’ve spent time in don’t really match India.

Chandni Chowk is even a step or two more than anywhere else I travelled in India, including the rest of Delhi. Though, notably, I didn’t make it to Mumbai or Kolkata.

What is NaPoWriMo? National Poetry Writing Month.  AKA GloPoWriMo for Global Poetry Writing Month because, you know, it’s a worldwide event. During the month of April, poets challenge themselves to write at least one poem a day, every day, for the entire month. So, 30 poems in 30 days.

If you’d like to join in, or just want to learn more about this annual poetry writing event, the more-or-less official website is NaPoWriMo.net.

I am also one of the admins for a small, private FB group, NaPoWriMo/GloPoWriMo 2025 if you want to follow other poets on their journey. Just click “Join”.