#somali poets

[beerlula-00]

Ninkii ooridiisii rag kale, loo igdhaan ahaye

Ninka ilo biyo leh soo arkoo, oomman baan ahaye

I’m the man whose fiancé has been given to another,

I’m the man who sees springs but whose thirst remains unquenched.

~ - Raage Ugaas

[kemetic-dreams]

Elmi Boodhari (Somali: Cilmi Ismaaciil Liibaan, Arabic: علمي اسماعيل ليبان) (1908 – 1940) was a Somali poet and pioneer in the genre of Somali love poems. He is known among Somalis as the King of Romance (Boqorkii Jacaylka). He was born near the border between Ethiopia and Somalia in 1908 and hailed from the Eidagale sub-clan

He is known in the Somali world for his love poems that he wrote to a girl named Hodan Abdulle that he fell in love and met in Berbera. Boderi was working at a bakery shop in the port city of Berbera when he fell in love with Hodan Abdi. Bodari began to write her romantic poems, and in one of his poems he spoke of once seeing Hodan’s naked body, which was considered a serious offense in those times given and still is, in addition to several other elements that stood in the face of him marrying her. Hodan got married and it is said that he died from the resulting heartbreak.

Elmi Boodhari differed from the poets of his generation in that he eschewed the popular theme of Tribal war and vengeance in Somali poetry, instead wholly focusing on love and composing all his poems for Hodan, which was seen as highly unconventional and scandalous, for this reason he was ridiculed by society.

Author Mohamed Diiriye in his book Culture and Customs of Somalia, writes:

Among the poets of the past century, a poet who has gained the hearts of all Somalis in every district is Elmi Boodhari, many major poets such as Mohamed Abdallah Hassan and Abdi Gahayr, aroused resentment among some Somalis, as they addressed diatribes against the members of a certain clan, or urged bloodletting; such poets are known as viper tongues, and the poems of such poets have been known to cause feuds and clan wars. But not so with Elmi Boodhari, his subject was romance and only that. While the poets of his day where addressing serious subjects such as war and feuds, Boodhari composed all of his poems for the lady of his affection Hodan, who was given in hand of marriage to a man much wealthier than him. Instead of getting literary kudos for his beautiful verse, Boodhari was made the object of public ridicule. Somali society had not been of course devoid of romance either in song or prose in any age, but to proclaim the object of ones love was frowned upon in the social mores of Somalis.

Boodhari also faced alienation and ridicule from his fellow Eidagale kinsmen and composed the following verse:

If a man has a wound he is taken to the doctor, but the braves of Daud are ridiculing me

Mohamed Diiriye commenting on the above verse writes:

It was enough that Hodan's relatives were infuriated and felt that their daughter's name had been soiled by a man who was proclaiming in public his love for her, but Boodhari also had to face the fury of his kinsmen, the Daud, who all together disowned him for spending his days pining for one woman when they could get him a girl as beautiful or more beautiful than she. Boodhari tried in lament to remind his kinsmen that the wounds of the heart merit the same attention as the wounds of the flesh.

She is altogether fair: Her fine-shaped bones begin her excellence; Magnificent of bearing, tall is she; A proud grace is her body’s greatest splendor; Yet she is gentle, womanly, soft of skin. Her gums’ dark gloss is like unto blackest ink; And a careless flickering of her slanted eyes Begets a light clear as the white spring moon. My heart leaps when I see her walking by, Infinite suppleness in her body’s sway. I often fear that some malicious djinn May envy her beauty, and wish to do her harm.

— From “Qaraami” (Passion), as presented by Margaret Laurence in A Tree for Poverty.

Influence on Somali Music

Boodharis poetic style and subject matter heavily influenced Somali Music and musicians such as Abdullahi Qarshe who was one of the pioneers the popular Balwo and Heello Genres.

Matters began to change following World War 2 as musicians and composers, like Abdullahi Qarshe, popularly known as the father of Somali music, began to pioneer a new genre- that of Balwo and Heello, both of these terms refer to forms of lyrical verse, the difference between the two being that balwo is four lines only while heello is considerably longer. Both styles broke new grounds in style and content. the subject matter differed radically from the past, as compositions focused in on love and nationalism, rather than the epic tales of war and adversity as in the old hees, at least some of this shift can be accredited to Elmi Boodhari, a baker who composed during the 1930s. He is said to have recited his compositions describing his unrequited love for a woman named Hodan until he wasted away and perished in 1941. ~Africa: An Encyclopedia of Culture and Society [3 volumes]: An Encyclopedia of Culture and Society

[hsofiyayusef]

I used to be a spoken word poet. In a past life, I won many awards, competitions and even competed in the National Canadian Spoken Word Festival when I was 19. My team came in 2nd. I love poetry. I love writing. Its one of the only ways I can get through life.

My poetry collection is called True Gold Never Fears Fire. Its an ancient Chinese philosophy. It means if you have integrity and strength, you can get through anything.

I am going to publish it piece by piece on my Substack. hudapoetry.substack.com

[deadassdiaspore]

[music-despite-everything]

Home by Warsan Shire

Warsan Shire (born 1 August 1988) is a British writer, poet, editor and teacher, who was born to Somali parents in Kenya. You might know her work as the spoken word segments in Beyoncé's 2016 feature-length film Lemonade.

Photograph by Amaal Said

---

no one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark.

you only run for the border when you see the whole city running as well.

your neighbors running faster than you, the boy you went to school with who kissed you dizzy behind the old tin factory is holding a gun bigger than his body, you only leave home when home won't let you stay.

no one would leave home unless home chased you, fire under feet, hot blood in your belly.

it's not something you ever thought about doing, and so when you did - you carried the anthem under your breath, waiting until the airport toilet to tear up the passport and swallow, each mouthful of paper making it clear that you would not be going back.

you have to understand, no one puts their children in a boat unless the water is safer than the land.

who would choose to spend days and nights in the stomach of a truck unless the miles travelled meant something more than journey.

no one would choose to crawl under fences, be beaten until your shadow leaves you, raped, then drowned, forced to the bottom of the boat because you are darker, be sold, starved, shot at the border like a sick animal, be pitied, lose your name, lose your family, make a refugee camp a home for a year or two or ten, stripped and searched, find prison everywhere and if you survive and you are greeted on the other side with go home blacks, refugees dirty immigrants, asylum seekers sucking our country dry of milk, dark, with their hands out smell strange, savage - look what they've done to their own countries, what will they do to ours?

the dirty looks in the street softer than a limb torn off, the indignity of everyday life more tender than fourteen men who look like your father, between your legs, insults easier to swallow than rubble, than your child's body in pieces - for now, forget about pride your survival is more important.

i want to go home, but home is the mouth of a shark home is the barrel of the gun and no one would leave home unless home chased you to the shore unless home tells you to leave what you could not behind, even if it was human.

no one leaves home until home is a damp voice in your ear saying leave, run now, i don't know what i've become.

[dear-indies]

fc masterlist updates:

fc wishlist:

Blake Patrick Anderson (?) - is queer - actor.

Alex Thomas-Smith (?) - non-binary - they/he - actor, model, instagrammer.

fat/plus size:

Ali Adel (1998) Egyptian - actor. 

Laura Adlington (?) - instagrammer.

disabled:

Alex Parra / alex1leg (2000) - instagrammer and youtuber.

updated that Gabe Adams come out as a trans woman**

black lgbt:

Alex Thomas-Smith (?) - non-binary - they/he - actor, model, instagrammer.

updated Yasmin Benoit's ethnicity**

nonb:

Diana King (1970) Afro-Jamaican / Indo-Jamaican - non-binary and lesbian - they/them/it - singer-songwriter.

Zanele Muholi (1972) Black South African - non-binary - they/them - artist and visual activist.

Honey Mahogany / Alpha Mulugeta (1983) Ethiopian - non-binary - she/they - drag artist and singer.

Thishiwe Ziqubu (1985) Zulu South African - non-binary - he/they - actor, director, and writer.

Honey Davenport / James Heath-Clark (1986) African-American - non-binary they/them - drag artist and singer.

Caldwell Tidicue / Bob the Drag Queen (1986) African-American - non-binary, pansexual and poly - he/her - drag artist, comedian, activist, musician, songwriter, and reality television personality.

IRAWNIQ (1986) Mexican / African-american - genderfluid and lesbian - she/they - singer and rapper.

Ian Isiah (1989) Afro-Trinidadian - pangender and pansexual - he/him - singer, director, and artist.

E. / MHYSHA (1990) African-American - non-binary - they/them - artist and singer.

Monét X Change / Kevin Bertin (1990) Afro-Saint Lucian - non-binary - drag artist.

Dahlia Sin / Erick Anthony (1991) Afro-Brazilian - non-binary - drag artist.

MegaGoneFree (2001) African American - non-binary and pansexual - she/they - singer-songwriter.

Megane Mercury (?) Black Spanish - non-binary - he/she/they - model and singer.

Anjimile (?) African-American - non-binary - he/they - folk musician.

Yves Tumor (?) African-American - non-binary - they/them - singer. 

Dreamcrusher (?) African-Ameirican - non-binary - they/them - singer.

Maxi Glamour (?) African-American -  non-binary - they/fae - drag artist and reality star.

Maya Finoh (?) African-American - non-binary - they/them - model. 

Squishyykins (?) Black - agender - it/its and any pronouns- Instagrammer.

Hollow Eve / Caitlin Crandall (?) African-American - non-binary - they/them - drag artist - tw for horror imagery. 

Alex Thomas-Smith (?) - non-binary - they/he - actor, model, instagrammer.

Grove (?) Black British - non-binary and queer - they/them - DJ.

updated Sonny Kiss' pronouns**

trans:

Louïz (1984) Réunionese - singer, dancer, Miss International Queen France 2020, and choreographer.

Jazell Barbie Royale (1987) African-American - model and singer.

Katlego Kai Kolanyane-Kesupile (1988) Motswana - singer, performance artist, and writer.

Kia LaBeija (1990) African-American / Filipino - artist - is HIV positive.

Backxwash / Ashanti Mutinta (1991) Zambian - rapper and producer.

Bobrisky (1992) Nigerian - internet personality and actress.

Gabe Adams-Wheatley (?) Brazilian - has Hanhart syndrome, is a wheelchair user and congenital amputee - is trans - Instagrammer.

Kelet (?) Somali - model and actress.

Kokumo (?) African-American - singer and poet.

KC Ortiz (?) African-American - artist, rapper, musician, writer, and entertainer.

[iamtheweirdomister]

“what they did yesterday afternoon”

by warsan shire

they set my aunts house on fire

i cried the way women on tv do

folding at the middle

like a five pound note.

i called the boy who use to love me

tried to ‘okay’ my voice

i said hello

he said warsan, what’s wrong, what’s happened?

i’ve been praying,

and these are what my prayers look like;

dear god

i come from two countries

one is thirsty

the other is on fire

both need water.

later that night

i held an atlas in my lap

ran my fingers across the whole world

and whispered

where does it hurt?

it answered

everywhere

everywhere

everywhere.

"Somali-British poet Warsan Shire’s poem evokes intimacy — a crying child lucky enough to have a mom or a dad hold her or him, whispering “where does it hurt?” Shire enters that moment and opens it out into the wide world..."

[gqwego]

Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head: Poems - Warsan Shire

EPUB & PDF Ebook Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head: Poems | EBOOK ONLINE DOWNLOAD

by Warsan Shire.

Download Link : DOWNLOAD Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head: Poems

Read More : READ Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head: Poems

Ebook PDF Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head: Poems | EBOOK ONLINE DOWNLOAD Hello Book lovers, If you want to download free Ebook, you are in the right place to download Ebook. Ebook Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head: Poems EBOOK ONLINE DOWNLOAD in English is available for free here, Click on the download LINK below to download Ebook Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head: Poems 2020 PDF Download in English by Warsan Shire (Author).

 Description Book: 

Poems of migration, womanhood, trauma, and resilience from the celebrated collaborator on Beyonc?'s Lemonade and Black Is King, award-winning Somali British poet Warsan Shire.Mama, I made itout of your home, alive, raised by thevoices in my head.With her first full-length poetry collection, Warsan Shire introduces us to a young girl, who, in the absence of a nurturing guide, makes her own stumbling way towards womanhood. Drawing from her own life and the lives of loved ones, as well as pop culture and news headlines, Shire finds vivid, unique details in the experiences of refugees and immigrants, mothers and daughters, Black women, and teenage girls. In Shire's hands, lives spring into fullness. This is noisy life: full of music and weeping and surahs and sirens and birds. This is fragrant life: full of blood and perfume and shisha smoke and jasmine and incense. This is polychrome life: full of henna and moonlight and lipstick and turmeric and kohl.The long-awaited collection from

[alrederedmixedmedia]

Alredered Remembers Warsan Shire, Kenyan-born Somali poet and writer, on her birthday.

"I have my mother’s mouth and my father’s eyes; on my face they are still together."

[beerlula-00]

Sariida Fardowsoo

Safkii Nebiga raacoo

Salaamo uga dhigan taa.

in the pastures of Paradise:

may you be assigned to the Prophet's company,

that's my salaam of parting,

- Cabdulqaadir Cabdi ‘Shube’

[therewasabrowncrow]

Gobanimo

Freedom is nothing else

It's a journey amidst the journeys of life

When a person's ambitions and needs outgrow the confines of their current social structures

Be it clan systems or the subsequent colonial regimes

and their aspirations and intelligence become larger than the way of life

They move towards freedom

Gobanimo.

The time they move towards it , fight for it, sacrifice their life for it

It's done for a purpose

He's searching for it so to live by it

He's not worshipping it

It's not a nice picture he looks at

-Somali poet Hadraawi talking through his poem 'Gudgude'

[arts-dance]

"Home" by Warsan Shire

Benedict Cumberbatch lends his support to a Save the Children charity single raising money for Syrian refugees.

[philgennuso]

Poet's Corner: Bless The Daughter by Warsan Shire #BookReview #BriefTakes

Bless The Daughter Raised By A Voice In Her Head, is the first full collection of poetry by Somali-English author Warsan Shire, published in 2022 by Random House. It has received a fair amount of attention and praise for a new book of poetry, which is always exciting to those of us who love poetry! This book of poems has a very unique perspective in contemporary poetry. The author, Warsan Shire,…

[waanhurda]

talked with fatima today and alhamdullilah, our spiritual connection has been proven time and time again

fatima went to a poetry event after iftar and met two girls, one somali named Najma and one Sudani named Nama. She said the Somali girl was a lovely, bubbly poet who had published her own poetry book who reminded her of me and the Sunday girl just graduated from law school. they hung out and ended up having suhoor together

she said it felt like last ramadan all over again where we spent so much time together, and she almost cried! alhamdullilah i love our connection, i will truly never get over how deep it runs.

since we first reconnected we have been sharing poetry with each other, collecting them to put into a shared poetry book one day inshallah. we had both found poetry again seperately but at the same time.

now we connected again today after not speaking for a few months and we have both moved on to painting/drawing and shared our peices with one another

fatima is my soul mate, i love you sm friend ♥️

[head-post]

Why Pakistan is expelling Afghan refugees

The interim government’s decision to expel all refugees from its territory also goes against the very spirit of why Pakistan came into being – a place where residents once under threat of persecution could live and be free, Dawn reports.

British-Somali poet Warsan Shire recently said:

No one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark.

This poem by Shire has become an appeal to refugees, emigrants and those who continue to seek refuge in other countries. Pakistan is one such haven – a country that hosts one of the largest refugee populations in the world.

However, in early October, an unexpected ultimatum was issued: the interim government of Pakistan demanded that all “illegal immigrants” leave the country by 1 November. After that date, they are to be deported, their businesses and property confiscated, and any locals who assisted them must face the law – all with the help of a new task force.

Learn more HERE