Qiqing Goh on ‘the queen of hearts’
A snack aisle fixture, imposter-turned-lawyer, and a very fortunate lover, Qiqing hopes to be able to weave the whimsy and turmoil of life into her poetry. Also a habitual bird-watcher and an awful chess player.
What was the last thing that made you smile?
A silly meme :)
Where did your poetry journey begin?
I think I’ve started scribbling random bits of poetry and prose ever since learning how to read, but I probably only seriously began writing poetry (again?) during the height of the pandemic. The virus foiled and thwarted all my plans for travel and adventure, but in the confines of my room my mind wandered and ventured to places that needed revisiting, to spaces never visited. With some encouragement I started posting poetry online under a pseudonym. Since then the responses and feedback I received have been indelibly precious and have motivated me to keep trying and experimenting with new poetry styles!
What is a core theme of ‘the queen of hearts’, and what called you to write about it?
A core theme of ‘the queen of hearts’ is young love that, though not strictly forbidden, is strongly discouraged, because more often than not it is a road that leads only to heartbreak. If I’m being completely frank the initial draft was inspired by two fictional characters and the tragedy of their romance: think a girl who is a bit of a country bumpkin and has always lived under her callous, neglectful father’s rule(s) since her mother’s death; a village outcast who is pretty much doomed to a life of isolation and mediocrity under the shadow of her father’s reputation as a reclusive genius. Then one day a boy, wide-eyed and bubbling with zeal and hope comes-a-knocking, and the rest is history... and technically tragedy... feel free to reach out to me in private if you’re keen to read more!
Tell us about the experience of writing this poem.
This poem is special to me because I wrote this in the middle of taking the bar – eight exams crammed into the span of two weeks is definitely enough to turn anyone’s brain into mush, but writing this was a tremendous reprieve from the drudgery of legal writing. (It was also a huge relief to know that I was still capable of writing something remotely creative!) I wrote this in one sitting before making subsequent edits – an approach which I think really helps my ideas and thoughts to flow better.
Writing this poem has also made me explore deeper the idea of weaving in extended metaphors: the title is a reference to the playing card itself, and is intended to echo the extended metaphor of the deck of cards that one’s life is dealt.
Where does poetry fit into your life?
Everywhere, really!
What inspires you?
I think everything and anything can form the basis for and breathe life into a poem yet unborn – a falling leaf, a murky puddle, a chipped rock, a stranger’s smile. So much can be gleaned from the most seemingly mundane and ordinary of things if we just paused to breathe and take in our surroundings, which is honestly something I struggle with but aspire to achieve in everyday life.
Aside from nature and the universe, love, loss and grief have inspired my writing too. In many ways poetry is an outlet for grief untold (or told, but misunderstood). And of course, there is nothing quite like a sudden epiphany or an inchoate rumination in the middle of the night!
Is there a poem you read over and over again?
I can’t pick one, but I’ve tried to limit it to three... ‘The More Loving One’ by W.H. Auden, ‘The Summer Day’ by Mary Oliver, and ‘Eden, Then and Now’ by Ruth Stone! And because I technically consider Taylor Swift to be a poet (and probably one of the greatest songwriters of the 21st century), the folklore and evermore albums are anthologies that I read (and listen to) over and over again...
Do you have a favourite poet?
Dr. Taylor Alison Swift! But also, Plath, Neruda, Auden, Rilke, Mary Oliver and Carol Ann Duffy (the line ‘there you are / on the bed, like a gift, like a touchable dream’ will never not make me melt), just to name a few!
What advice would you give to someone new to poetry?
Keep writing, keep trying! Most of all, don’t be afraid to be honest, open and true. Someone once told me that poetry was terrifying and probably the module she dreaded the most during her creative writing course because of the emotional vulnerability required, but there is truthfully no better vessel for confession than poetry (your secrets are probably safer with it than with a church).
Why do you write poetry?
Catharsis (it’s free therapy babes!!!), mainly, but also because I cannot envision a life without writing. I reckon it’d be dreadfully dull. Probably how Jack and Jill felt when they worked all day with no play...
I think this quote from Rilke sums it up most neatly (and very aptly, considering the theme of this issue is ‘Roots’): “Find out the reason that commands you to write; see whether it has spread its roots into the very depth of your heart; confess to yourself you would have to die if you were forbidden to write.”
You can read Qiqing’s poem here.