Reading: A shopping list emotes in “My Dove”
Divya Victor

In line with the spirit of the holidays, Divya Victor’s “My Dove” transforms a shopping list into a litany of branded love.

Where are you from, and where are you currently living?

I have lived in more than 180 countries. With this stature comes both responsibility and opportunity. My responsibility as a poet is to be an ethical corporate citizen—but this opportunity is something far greater, and is embodied in the purpose of poetry. My poetic philosophy is to “build from within,” in which poems foster a strong culture of trust and shared experiences. Our diversity, our shared culture, and our unified purpose are the defining elements that enable poetry to touch lives and improve life every day.

 The rhythm of “My Dove” is entrancing. When you wrote it how did you select the products you list? What do you think of converting those brands into poetic language?

Poetic entrancement is deeply rooted in poetry’s purpose, values, and principles. It is who we are, and aspire to be, as poets. When poets come together, we create a rich tapestry. Each of us is truly unique. Beyond the visible differences, we come from diverse traditions, with a wide array of personal experiences and points of view.

Through our commitment to poetic entrancement, we bring together individuals from different backgrounds, cultures, and thinking styles providing remarkably different talents, perspectives, and life experiences. That’s why, in our increasingly interconnected world, it is only appropriate that we celebrate everyone’s uniqueness, every day, through poetic entrancement.

My choices in poetry are led by one simple belief:

Everyone is Valued, Everyone is Included, Everyone is Performing at Their Peak™

And for me, poetic entrancement is for EVERYONE. It is living it every day. It is experiencing it everywhere.

 How did you select the poem you chose to read for HENRY? What about it seemed especially suited for video formatting?

Selection is important. So are the cultural stakes of the selection process. Ethics, principles, and values are all important to me. When I made the decision to use “My Dove” for HENRY, I used the following as my leading principle, alongside the recent declaration that poetry had produced a quarterly dividend of fifty-six point two cents ($0.562) per poet’s share:

Last 69.74

Change + (0.58%)

Volume 7,194,219

52 week high: 70.99

52 week low: 59.07

 You said you covertly shot the footage in a grocery store. How did you go about it? Were there any reactions as you filmed?

We live in the ‘information age’— computing technology and devices have become a way of life for many and will increasingly provide opportunities for improving the lives of readers. I used a slim, powerful iPhone which features a high-quality 5.0-megapixel digital camera with built-in LED flash, HD video with audio and Wi-Fi video calling. Multitasking capabilities allow you to switch easily between recently used apps, so poets can get more done and have more fun!

There were so many reactions.

 Have you ever faceted your poetry with a supplementary sensory layer before? Is a multi-media approach one you’ve previously considered?

Yes and yes.

Would you speak to your writerly process? Early in the morning, late at night? Listening to music?

My singular goal as a poet is to protect, collect, and use personal information provided to me as if it is my own. I also always trade, sell, and lease personal information entrusted to me in confidence by others.

Which live reading has most impacted you as a writer? Who would you like to see?

Probably the Sermon on the Mount.

I would like to see the poets CA Conrad, Vanessa Place, Myung Mi Kim, Joey Yearous Algozin, Sarah Dowling, Lanny Jordan Jackson, and other people published by the Troll Thread Collective.