"RT @yivialo: Apathy, Emptiness. She was awarded the inaugural Brunel International African Poetry Prize and served as the first Young Poet Laureate of London. But we all have wounds., 16.) 5. So, without further ado, here are my top twenty-five poems by Warsan Shire. Left, the ominous red light at the end of the tunnel is shown alight in the films crucial turning point, where Beyonc conjures fire to set the cursed hallway ablaze; right, the earlier shot for comparison. PP-`WYWp0sTv.4`2 ; VODM^- ei_a6 4g ^D8 f!lb y endstream endobj 1593 0 obj<>/StructTreeRoot 152 0 R/Metadata 1590 0 R/MarkInfo<>>> endobj 1595 0 obj<>/XObject<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageC]/ExtGState<>/Properties<>>>>>/StructParents 0>> endobj 1596 0 obj<>stream All the essentials: top fashion stories, editors picks, and celebrity style. The poem begins with a woman's partner comparing her to unruly and wild things, before saying he cannot imagine being without her. Im bloated with language I cant afford to forget. that no one puts their children in a boat Agreed, she is amazing. 0000012540 00000 n Warsan Shire was born in Kenya to Somali parents and lives in London. Shire wrote Conversations about home (at a deportation centre) in 2009, a piece inspired by a visit she made to the abandoned Somali Embassy in Rome which some young refugees had turned into their home. Vogue may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. I know a few things to be true. I said I don't look like a doll, I look like a house. We emotionally manipulated one another until we thought it was love. Here are six excerpts from Shire's work in Lemonade that remind us of the power of poetry: We often turn to music as a way to sort through our emotions and our grief, and to make sense of the things we encounter throughout our lives. maybe because the blow is softer the year of being alone, and learning how much i like it. savage Shire's poetry was heard 'round the world last Saturday in Lemonade, Beyonce's latest album, dropped on HBO in the form of a 1-hour special a sweeping series of songs and videos that look at romance, rage and redemption. While the album has whipped up a social media. wade through the oceans your neck no one wants to be beaten they set my aunts house on firei cried the way women on tv dofolding at the middlelike a five pound note.i called the boy who used to love metrying to okay my voicei said hellohe said warsan, whats wrong, whats happened? I watch the news and my mouth becomes a sink full of blood. Warsan Shire, a Somali-British writer and poet in her 20s, uses her work to explore stories of escape and journeys. is better than a truckload is holding a gun bigger than his body Not only is Shire a very talented writer, this poem is also a powerful answer to common claims that asylum seekers are moving for economic reasons, or because they just feel like it. She also wrote the short filmBrave Girl Rising,highlighting the voices and faces of Somali girls in Africas largest refugee camp. Between the glossy cinematography and, of course, the music, Queen Bey recited excerpts of Shire's works, launching the artist into the global spotlight: "you can't make homes out of human beingssomeone should have already told you thatand if he wants to leavethen let him leave". Two close-ups back-to-back. Shire originally wrote it for black immigrants who had fled during the Somali civil war, which started in 1991 and is still ongoing. "You don't know what they've been victims of, or what they've done to other people." "Anyone I was introduced to would point to the ground and say 'dhulkaan waa dhulkaaga': this land is your land," she said in an interview with the blog Araweelo Abroad in 2015. The first full-length poetry collection from Warsan Shire is being hailed as an 'important cultural moment' by publisher Chatto. no one burns their palms [1] In 2013 she was awarded the inaugural Brunel University African Poetry Prize, chosen from a shortlist of six candidates out of a total 655 entries. Born to a Jamaican mother and a Nigerian father, Yrsa Daley-Ward grew up in Chorley, England (consult a Google Earth) and was raised by Seventh Day . This mini-lesson uses images and firsthand accounts of Haitian migrants to humanize the events happening at the USMexico border and give shape and nuance to the news. Here lies the mother of my children, both living and dead. You arent hiding who you are. hot blood in your belly In 2013-2014, she was the Young Poet Laureate for London. the dirty looks I first discovered Warsans poetry in 2015 while aimlessly scrolling through Pinterest. Beyonc and Balmains Olivier Rousteing Have Co-Designed a CollectionIntroducing Renaissance Couture, How to Apply Blush for a Natural, Face-Lifting Flush, Abisola Omole on Her New London Interiors Store and Embracing the Term Influencer. My dad walked out one afternoon and never came back. Two people who were once very close canwithout blameor grand betrayalbecome strangers.perhaps this is the saddest thing in the world., 9.) Her prose can be dark and violent, as with The House, which begins: Mother says there are locked rooms inside all women/ Kitchen of lust, bedroom of grief, bathroom of apathy/ Sometimes, the menthey come with keys, and sometimes, the menthey come with hammers. But she can also display a wicked sense of humor. Chapter 3: Anger. Home has been shared widely across the media and has been read in a range of public spaces, including Londons Trafalgar Square. God, do you know how difficult it is, to talk about the day your own city dragged you by the hair, past the old prison, past the school gates, past the burning torsos erected on poles like flags? You are wanting to know what the conclusion of the poem is? And if you're among the thousands of people who've watched and listened to Beyonc's audiovisual juggernaut Lemonade, you've definitely heard Shire: the 27-year-old London-based poet laureate is quoted extensively throughout the visual album. Kaur's poetry has been dubbed by the Huffington Post as essential reading for women everywhere due to her engagement with gendered yet universal themes such as sexism, abuse, trauma, sexual violence, and friendship. of men who look like your father I stumbled on the last three lines of her poem For Women Who Are Difficult To Love, and I was instantly hooked. Loving you was like going to war; I never came back the same. He is overwhelmed and frightened by her. It's this universality that can propel a poem or part of it into viral territory, as was the case for Warsan Shire's "What They Did Yesterday Afternoon," an excerpt . unless the water is safer than the land Just yesterday, she broke her silence on Twitter, tweeting a link to the album along with this message: "yosra i hope you're proud of us." Melendez, John. As a result, she attempts to placate him by minimizing the parts of herself that he finds objectionable, making herself "softer" and "prettier." The poem can start with him walking backwards into a room.He takes off his jacket and sits down for the rest of his life;thats how we bring Dad back.I can make the blood run back up my nose, ants rushing into a hole.We grow into smaller bodies, my breasts disappear,your cheeks soften, teeth sink back into gums.I can make us loved, just say the word.Give them stumps for hands if even once they touched us without consent,I can write the poem and make it disappear.Step-Dad spits liquor back into glass,Mums body rolls back up the stairs, the bone pops back into place,maybe she keeps the baby.Maybe were okay kid?Ill rewrite this whole life and this time therell be so much love,you wont be able to see beyond it. your legs Shortlisted for the Felix Dennis Prize 2022. Of this new genre of poets, Warsan Shire, a twenty-six-year-old Somali-British woman, is a laureate. As the poem's title suggests, it captures the way in which so-called "difficult" women are constantly asked to fundamentally change themselves by the men who claim to love them. Courtesy of Amaal Said than fourteen men between (Get your Lemonade reading list here.) Beyonc dancing with her girlfriends, claiming I aint thinking about you. These acts and symbols establish a reclamation of power and agency in the face of the Madewood Plantation, an impossible Black place.. And they count on Shire to share their experiences. Note that many faces are turned away or obscured, implying a sense of shame or inferiority, heightening the objectification. Warsan Shire's spoken word dear moon - (the distraction) Sample Source, Isaac Hayes, Walk on By (1969) unless home chased you to the shore sucking our country dry to love and lose and still be kind, 18.) When modern tragedies strike, her poetry offers solace. sobbing as each mouthful of paper They ask me how did you get here? Poetry and art aren't just indulgences, or for decoration. Commentators have noted that Home has touched a nerve among people, that it has offered a way to give voice to refugees and to provide some authentic understanding of the crisis. You can check out our Privacy Policy to see how we safeguard and use the information you provide us with. Five fingers on your hand and someone wants to hold it. On a wet day in London, around 2013, the poet Warsan Shire turned on a voice recorder as her uncle talked about his youth in Somalia, his life as a refugee, and his addiction to . According to Vogue, the 27-year-old poet was born in Kenya, but grew up in Somalia and Great Britain. The film serves as a visual companion to the 2016 album of the same name. savage That mixed background greatly influenced her poetry,. In "Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head," Shire boldly weaves together a narrative of what it means to be displaced, disconnected from home, and incredibly vulnerable. I was wandering the derelict car park of your heart looking for a ride home. Hogar de Warsan Shire. All rights reserved. why arent you shrinking? dirty immigrants But on the other hand there are some people wholl feel uncomfortable around you. Shire has deep ties to both Africa and the U.K. She was born to Somali parents in Kenya and moved to England with her family when she was a year old. 30/05/2016 de marcgolab. More books than SparkNotes. a-sunflower-girl reblogged this from wearmoonlight. Like most poems, For Women Who Are Difficult to Love is best read aloud. 0000011606 00000 n I have traveled around and found my body making more sense elsewhere. She also writes about motherhood, beauty, bulimia, abortion, sex, and, of course, infidelity, the key theme of Lemonade. home is the barrel of the gun Copyright 2023 Facing History & Ourselves. niggers with their hands out I was still lonely so I did even lonelier things. For . you only run for the border I hear them say, go home, I hear them say, fucking immigrants, fucking refugees. It kept me from staring down an eternity of solitude, just me alone with my big feelings. 0000112757 00000 n maybe because the blow is softer Home by Warsan Shire 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 breath bloody in their throats the boy you went to school with who kissed you dizzy behind the old tin factory is holding a gun bigger than his body 1. i dont know what ive become it's not something you ever thought of doing beneath carriages Change). Well, I think home spat me out, the blackouts and curfews like tongue against loose tooth. Explore resources that meet the Massachusetts History and Social Science Framework. refugees why are you even here? But the thing about open wounds is that, well, you arent ignoring it. means something more than journey. in pieces. Some will even point and laugh. When I listened to Shire speak to me through tinny plastic headphones as I sat in bed, awake in the middle of the night in the room I grew up in, a novel idea came to me: What if it isnt me thats failing at love? I want to lay down, but these countries are like uncles who touch you when youre young and asleep. BONUS MATERIALS: Episode Reference and Links. Our headquarters are located at: 89 South Street, Suite 401, Boston, MA 02111. Shire has not granted an interview in years, and so far has not spoken about Lemonade. 0000004525 00000 n unless home chased you to the shore Left, notice her hand pressed against the glass; right, rubbing her fingers together in gesture that implies money or getting paid. Wakes up smelling of zinc, grief sedated by orgasm, orgasm heightened by grief . If we just start there, every beautiful thing that has and will ever exist is possible. your breath you vibrate. You speak more quietly. That part of the poem by itself is relatable: Having someone tell you that your feelings are holding you backfrom working, thinking straight, being responsible, making a good argument, being worthy of loveis one of the greatest pains of being a woman. leave your clothes behind unless home told you Left, clutching a pillow in bed; right, a blank stare in a private moment. Her poems tell of the traumatic experience of immigrants and refugees from war-torn regions. Im the colour of hot sun on my face, my mothers remains were never buried. home is the mouth of a shark 0000004737 00000 n This 5-7 day C3-aligned inquiry explores the compelling question How does the history of the Angel Island Immigration Station help us understand how borders are erected, enforced, and challenged?. Desgarrador poema de una refugiada Somal. I do not know where I am going, where I have come from is disappearing, I am unwelcome and my beauty is not beauty here. but, no. forget pride She's a laureate, recognized both at home and abroad. wade through the oceans We took such care of tomorrow, but died on the way there.. later that nighti held an atlas in my lapran my fingers across the whole worldand whisperedwhere does it hurt? Be the first to know what's trending, straight from Elite Daily, Swifties Think Taylor Was Hinting At Her Breakup With Joe Through Her Eras Set List, Fans Are Giving Frank Oceans Coachella Performance The Side Eye, Here Are All The Special Songs Taylor Performed One-Night-Only On Her Eras Tour, By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. when the whole world couldnt get out of bed. Shire's poetry earned mainstream recognition when it was featured in Beyonce Knowles's visual album, Lemonade. sucking our country dry you only run for the border. The poem below, entitled "Home", is written from the perspective of someone escaping violence, and losing their home. My body is burning with the shame of not belonging, my body is longing. British-Somali poet Warsan Shire gives voice to the experiences of refugees in this poem about "home.". they smell strange Which brings us to Anger. Show us on the doll where you were touched, they said. Sometimes it feels like someone else is wearing my body. Before any of the multiple directors, producers, or collaborators were credited at the end of Lemonade, Beyonc paid tribute to Warsan Shire, the Kenya-born, Somali-British poet whose prose is read throughout the film. [2] The speaker says the woman knows that people are not "homes" and that if her partner wants to leave, she should let him. By now we know what this means: Queen Bey would like you to take note of this name. is her full-length debut poetry collection. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. 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 "The beautifully crafted poems in this collection are fiercely tender gifts."Roxane Gay, author of Bad Feminist "Shire is the real thingfresh, cutting, indisputably alive."Dwight Garner, The New York Times ya allah,if it will keep my heart soft,break my heart everyday., you are a horse running aloneand he tries to tame youcompares you to an impossible highwayto a burning housesays you are blinding himthat he could never leave youforget youwant anything but youyou dizzy him, you are unbearableevery woman before or after youis doused in your nameyou fill his mouthhis teeth ache with memory of tastehis body just a long shadow seeking yoursbut you are always too intensefrightening in the way you want himunashamed and sacrificialhe tells you that no man can live up to the one wholives in your headand you tried to change didnt you?closed your mouth moretried to be softerprettierless volatile, less awakebut even when sleeping you could feelhim travelling away from you in his dreamsso what did you want to do lovesplit his head open?you cant make homes out of human beingssomeone should have already told you thatand if he wants to leavethen let him leaveyou are terrifyingand strange and beautifulsomething not everyone knows how to love., 7.) Beyonc blends folkloric and . Addressing Dehumanizing Language from History. because prison is safer She also wrote and produced an album of spoken word titledwarsan versus melancholy (the seven stages of loneliness)(Bandcamp, 2012). See footnotes for source information. Beyonc is performing a peep show trapped behind a pane of glass in front of the haunted house. Click Here To Buy. She does so . and no one would leave home She won her first prize at an international slam event and is now the editor of the magazines Literary arts mashup and Spook.She leads workshops, in which poetry is used as a tool to try to overcome personal traumas. The list was supposed to contain just ten poems, but I quickly realised that I couldnt shorten it to just ten. than a limb torn off, or the words are more tender than a city of fire Please contact us at contact@globalcitizen.org if you would like to re-activate your account. 0000000756 00000 n you walk into a room and the temperature changes. Thank you for reading, it is my pleasure. I lifted this from an Advent season 7 years ago. 0000003928 00000 n Thanks for signing up as a global citizen. I revisit the audio every once in awhile, and each time I get the feeling that shes speaking to me directly, giving me advice, perhaps a warning: you cant make homes out of human beings someone should have already told you that and if he wants to leave then let him leave. Im lonely so I do lonely things, 12.) She was awarded the inaugural Brunel International African Poetry Prize and served as the first Young Poet Laureate of London. She is a poet, writer, editor and teacher. Home is one of 50 poems in Bless The Daughter Raised By A. Her partner is frightened by the intensity that he perceives in her. Do you by any chance have the source of the first poem? "You have to understand / that no one puts their children in a boat / unless the water is safer than land," wrote Warsan Shire in a poem about the refugee crisis. 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The temperature changes from war-torn regions you can check out our Privacy Policy see! My top twenty-five poems by Warsan Shire they said when modern tragedies strike, her offers! Rt @ yivialo: Apathy, Emptiness and is still ongoing turned away obscured. And refugees from war-torn regions about open wounds is that, well, you arent it! The same woman, is a Laureate, recognized both at home and abroad our... Spoken about Lemonade dry you only run for the border I want to down!