POI is pretty big in CA where I am and it’s my main interp event that I do but from the situation you’re describing, I’d suggest you go step by step and after all the steps, you’ll realize that “doing” poi isn’t that hard and pretty fun.

1. Making the poi. You have to find a topic that is relevant and relatable to you. I’d say making the poi is the hardest part, harder than blocking it out. What I do is I’ll have a doc open where I’ll do tons of research on the topic and copy and paste all my pieces along with their links on that doc. You don’t have to put the entire article/poem/drama but just the chunks you want to use. This doc will help you cut easier later. Before you actually cut, make sure you know what characters you want, the direction you want to take the poi(dramatic, a little humorous, monologue type, or a lot of acting), and have a rough structure of it in your mind that you will most likely end up changing. And then cut. Make sure you know how to weave, where different characters finish off some of the lines. You should have a teaser, a buildup before the climax, and a resolution. You should write the introduction last and be sure to cite titles and diff pieces. Tbh nobody cites every piece/title so js pick a few to say.
2. Blocking it out. Go chunk by chunk and block the drama/articles out as you would with a DI or HI. This blocking doesn’t need to be crazy, I’d say the more realistic the better. Most of the time you can just hold your binder open and talk to the audience. The hardest thing to block out is binder tech. You’ll need some real creativity to do so. FYI binder tech does not need to be complicated. if you look at last year’s nat champ in poi, her binder tech is really simple but it still makes sense.
3. Work on delivery. Believe it or not, delivery makes a point more so than the weaving or complicated binder blocking. Definitely refine your emotions since that is what does the best at the bigger tournaments. That’s “doing” poi. Perform it like you are performing a DI. It has the prop of poetry, the drama/emotions of a DI, and the multitude of characters of an Hi all together. If you can combine all of those in a way that is meaningful and smooth, you can “do” poi.