Dubai: It’s not very often that you come across an 11-year-old published poet, who discusses profound issues such as bullying and running after success, but Dubai-based Gulmehek Khan has managed to do just that.
Through her poems, inspired by her positive experiences in both Dubai and Canada, the young Canadian poet, who goes to Nord Anglia International School, is using her passion to also send strong messages and make a positive difference in people’s lives.
Her first collection of 30 poems has been recently published by Motivate Publishing in Flowers, making her among the youngest published poets in the world.
Her deep observation of the world around her has helped her create vibrant images through her verses about culture, climate, people and the places she has visited, while also sharing her thoughts about more serious topics such as defending oneself from being bullied through her poem Stand up for yourself.
“I draw my inspiration from three people, my mother, who suffers from Parkinson’s and has taught be how to be brave and positive, His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and Indian film star Salman Khan, who have touched people’s lives in many great ways,” she told Gulf News.
From mature poems talking about the patience needed for success and how important life is to less mature ones about birds, pumpkins, Santa Clause and Arabian horses, Gulmehek said: “Through my poetry, I hope to touch people’s lives in positive ways. I have also written three poems about Shaikh Mohammad because he inspires me to a be a good person like him.”
Her mother, Naureen Khan, said her daughter, who is also an avid tennis player, began writing poems at the age of seven and has since then developed her hobby of writing poems. “She has even written about the Peshwar killings and the Paris killings,” she said.
With the money she has made from selling 300 copies of her book, she had decided to donate this for an anti-bullying campaign.
Naureen said. “Gulmehek’s deepest desire is to get the book launched by Shaikh Mohammad at her school and to gift him a copy at the same time. She is also aiming for a Guinness World Record.”
The book is available in leading bookstores across the UAE.
