High school students typically read a lot of poems and analyze the works of many poets in English class. From Shakespeare to Edgar Allan Poe, students encounter a vast array of poetry in high school and their classes. Although that may be the case, the majority of people have never met an actual poet. Yet, there is a person in Westwood who has published poems: Rasik Jankay ‘16
Jankay had his poetry book Rays of Dawn published on Sept. 12 by SB Graphics. The novel, which is 48 pages long and has 36 poems, includes diverse types of poetry, such as haikus, Shakespearean-style sonnets, acrostic, and free verse poems. There have been over 500 copies published and current copies can be found at the Grisham and Canyon Vista Middle School libraries.
“I had a great feeling of accomplishment when I finally finished the book and got it published,” Jankay said.
Jankay spent more than three years writing the novel. He started writing poems for his book when he was in 8th grade and finished in his summer of junior year, although his passion for poetry started in the 6th grade. In his 6th grade English class he got exposed to various types of poems, and developed an interest in poetry when he discovered the work of Robert Frost.
“Robert Frost was definitely one of my inspirations and I wanted to make as a big of an impact on society as Frost did,”Jankay said.
However Jankay tried to approach poetry in a different way. He believes that most poems are ambiguous and confuse many readers which he wanted to change. That’s why many of Jankay’s poems are short and simple.
“I want the poems to be read by everyone. If they are easy to read and understand, then more young children will read them and develop an appreciation for poetry,” Jankay said.
In addition to writing poetry, Jankay wishes to raise money for the Sankara Eye Foundation (SEF). SEF is an organization that provides eye health care and optical surgeries to poor people in India. SEF is a U.S. based organization that receives its funds primarily through generous donations and charity funds. All of Jankay’s profits from Rays of Dawn will be donated to SEF.
If you are interested in reading Rays of Dawn, visit either Grisham or Canyon Vista Middle School. To find out more about the Sankara Eye Foundation visit http://www.giftofvision.org/.