What inspired you to “Cherry Blossoms”?
Call me a sucker for a love poem? In all reality, I’m really not a love poet. I can’t say I ever have been, but I wanted to capture a moment in the spring when I fell in love, even if that moment has gone like the seasons. Though whenever spring does come around, it’s like I can feel the memory in the breeze.

What was your writing process like for “Cherry Blossoms”?
Honesty is the best policy! There is no writing process! There never is. I wrote this in one sitting; no editing, no changes and no planning. I wanted the piece to capture the moment so whatever I wrote in the moment is how the piece would remain. Writing isn’t perfect and it doesn’t need to be. Focus on sincerity.

How has COVID impacted your creative work?
I can’t say it has impacted my work much. If anything, I wanted to take some time to break away from my usual writing style and write happier poems that could remind everyone that, “Hey, COVID changed our lives. We can’t go back to the way it was but life is still beautiful. We still have many moments to look forward to. These bad days will end soon; they have to. Just don’t give up.”

Read Arben Alovic’s “Cherry Blossoms.”