Welcome to Sunday Morning Lyricality, featuring a weekly song or poem by a Minnesota writer. Our current guest editor is Anisa Hagi-Mohamed.
How about our graphics? Anisa designed Lyricality’s website banner, the new Sunday Morning Lyricality image and all our images on LyricaliTea. Anisa’s artwork is beautifully bright and colorful and full of shapes that really draw in attention, make sure you lay your eyes on those graphics at LyricaliTea.
Onwards to the poetry.
For this Sunday poem Anisa says:
It’s been an honor and great privilege to share the works of my talented friends and fellow creatives. The final poet I will introduce is Samira Hussein.
Dakota County resident Samira Hussein describes herself as an unapologetically vocal, strong, and fierce African Muslim woman. She was born in Mombasa, Kenya, also known as Mombasa Raha. Samira spent the first eleven years of her life in Africa. In 2007 she moved to the US with her family. Being a person with many talents, Samira is also polylingual. She speaks Somali, Swahili, Spanish, and English. To Samira, nothing is impossible; every fight is worth fighting, and every challenge is worth taking. Samira Hussein began writing as young as a middle school student. Not surprisingly, she became the author of “The Queendom of Araweelo”, the first book about an African Muslim Somali superhero. I connected with Samira online for months until we finally met in person at the first Annual Somali Book Fair which took place in June of this year.
In Samira’s piece titled “Where, if not Earth”, the poet asks a rhetorical question to the black and non-black global community: where are black people safe? Where are they valued, loved, cherished and protected?
Where, if not earth?
Samira Hussein
If the universe– hates you in continents
Continents– hate you in nations
Nations– hate you in countries
Countries– hate you in states
States– hate you in regions
Regions– hate you in counties
Counties– hate you in cities
Cities– hate you in hoods
Hoods– hate you in families
Families– hate you in colors
Colors– hate you as individuals
Individuals– hate you
And you– hate yourself.
Dear black people:
In Asia, you are Ferocious
In America, you are Dehumanized
In India, you are Untouchable
In South America, you are just a Color, Nothing more
In Europe, you were Captured from the Motherland
In Africa, you are the Lost Descendent
In Australia, you are Uncivilized
Where do you belong?
If every square foot of the earth is taken
And you have nothing left.
Dear black people:
Where do you belong?
Mars?
Mercury?
Jupiter?
Where, if not earth?
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Samira can be reached at:
Email: samirathefirst21@gmail.com
Website: https://samirahussein.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samira_the1st/
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