Local poet Charissa Ong Ty has always been aware of the healing and therapeutic power of poetry. Fans of her previous two books told her how her verses had given them comfort in tough times, and encouraged them to look at their life through a different lens.

It was for this and several other reasons that the Subang Jaya-born poet decided to go with ‘My Medicine’ as the title of her third book.

“The book was written through the last five years, so a lot of its poetry was influenced by the pandemic. I feel the title is also a good reflection of today’s current generation, who are more woke, or socially aware. They are more perceptive of what you put in your body, and of the importance of mental health,” Ong, 31, told FMT in a recent interview.

The poet has full-heartedly committed to this medical theme for her latest offering. The book’s shiny black-and-gold trimmed cover, illustrated by Adrianus Harris, sports images of a medieval plague doctor and a caduceus, a traditional symbol of healing.

The fun-loving poet even organised a special photoshoot to promote the book at the Benua Stables in Cheras. There, she donned a traditional plague mask and rode a real horse!

“We tried to conceptualise the idea as much as we could. So we thought of me as this old-time plague doctor, riding from town to town to deliver medicine, in this case the book. Yes, I know, sometimes I am very extra,” Ong said with a laugh.

Ong is the author of two poetry collections, 2016’s ‘Daylight Dialogues’ and 2018’s ‘Midnight Monologues’, both of which were bestsellers in Malaysian bookstores.

She also founded her own company Penwings, in 2016, which has published titles such as Zack Shah’s ‘More Than Words’ and Germaine Thai’s ‘Generation Fragile’.

Her latest book is divided into five sections, each named after a type of medication.

‘Blue Pills’ are sad poems, ‘Happy Pills’ are cheerful, and ‘Adrenaline Shots’ are motivational in nature. ‘Sleeping pills’ are short stories intended to be read before bed: most of them written by Ong during a nature retreat in Negeri Sembilan last year.

‘Psychedelics’, on the other hand, showcases more experimental works. These include acrostics, verses with hidden messages within, and a series of 26 poems, each heavily featuring one letter of the alphabet.

While Ong is fond of all the writing in ‘My Medicine’, she has a special spot for her dystopian short story ‘Pseudo-immortals’, as well as ‘A lvoe Peom’, which feature words that appear to be gibberish, but make sense upon a closer look.

This book, she felt, had some of her best work ever, and was a clear reflection of how she had grown as a writer and poet.

“It’s been five years since my last book, so I can really see the difference. In my earlier works, I feel I was a lot more literal. But as I grew older, and practised a lot more, I started to appreciate metaphors and musicality, so my later works see a lot more of that,” Ong said.

She has also explored feelings she’s never written about before like heartbreak but said she doesn’t want to keep writing about only one theme.

“Now, I’m looking at feelings of languishing, or the different aspects of sadness. I hope these poems help people unearth new emotions which they never thought they had.”

Some of Ong’s poems were previously published on her personal and company’s social media, before making their way into the new book.

The poet said she believed that platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Tik Tok were invaluable for creators nowadays, allowing them to receive direct feedback and build deep connections with their fans.

She said poetry was popular at present and many online poetry communities had sprung up, including Bookstagram.

“Most people don’t have the resources of a big publishing company to get their book on Oprah (Winfrey) or have a massive publicity campaign. But through social media, you can build a presence and connect with those who enjoy your work,” said Ong.

Ong has major plans for the rest of the year: Penwings will soon be publishing new books from two local poets.Will she be releasing a fourth collection anytime soon?

No, she said candidly. Her next mission is an entirely different creative endeavour. Ong has always wanted to write a novel: she intends to get to work as soon as she settles on its genre and subject matter.

While waiting for this magnum opus however, the poet said she hoped readers will enjoy ‘My Medicine’, and be inspired to discover the wonders of writing.

“I love poetry, and so hope people who read this will go out and create their own work. I hope the book helps people discover their own unique voices for themselves,” Ong concluded.

‘My Medicine’ launches today and is available at major bookstores nationwide.