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Read more about the article Pause for Poetry: In conversation with Rakaya Esime Fetuga

Pause for Poetry: In conversation with Rakaya Esime Fetuga

Roundhouse Poetry Slam winner Rakaya Esime Fetuga discusses the interaction of faith, culture and expression in her work. A selection of Rakaya’s poetry will appear in the upcoming anthology A KALEIDOSCOPE OF STORIES – Muslim Voices in Contemporary…

Continue ReadingPause for Poetry: In conversation with Rakaya Esime Fetuga
Read more about the article Desert – Rakaya Esime Fetuga

Desert – Rakaya Esime Fetuga

“Sometimes this city can look like a desert concrete dunes that stretch endless further than the London eye can see, parched travellers riding the nine to five like camels – fatigued, legs beginning to falter – buckling under…

Continue ReadingDesert – Rakaya Esime Fetuga
Read more about the article Dada Agnes – Rakaya Esime Fetuga

Dada Agnes – Rakaya Esime Fetuga

Continue ReadingDada Agnes – Rakaya Esime Fetuga

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from the poem “origami lungs” by Soukeyna Osei from the poem “origami lungs” by Soukeyna Osei-Bonsu in her poetry collection “All the Birds Were Invited to a Feast in the Sky”.
Soukeyna Osei-Bonsu explores themes of African dia Soukeyna Osei-Bonsu explores themes of African diaspora, identity and faith as a Black Muslim through her compelling verse, navigating a poetic course between London and Ghana.

This is a book which excavates identity and self-knowledge, a journey from the spiritual realm which also attempts to stitch whole the frayed fibres of diasporic belonging. The areas explored range from Africa to spiritual awakening taking the reader on a journey to self. i share this with you all
because a green boat
has since come to collect me i saw a ghanaian fisherman
moored on the thames
and i didn’t think twice
as i sailed away Soukeyna Osei-Bonsu’s verse evokes the beauty of the earthly and spiritual realms of human experience, navigating a poetic course from London to Ghana through themes of belonging and faith. in the basement of the heart
cartographies of dispossession occupy the rhythm Her poems dance at the intersection between the mundane and the sacred, weaving the everyday through with perceptions of the eternal, the ancient and the evanescent. i thumb through each black orb, counting the time
breath and matter, life and death, another human story
with the same rosary that made its way to me
that may outlive my fingers
purchase these nights before they purchase you
rain pouring into the lake at lordship rec
and a hundred and one purple clouds pulsating-
the edge of our galaxy almost visible
through the london smog
“ruins” by Soukeyna Osei-Bonsu in her poetry c “ruins” by Soukeyna Osei-Bonsu in her poetry collection “All the Birds Were Invited to a Feast in the Sky”
From the poem “equator” by Soukeyna Osei-Bonsu From the poem “equator” by Soukeyna Osei-Bonsu in her poetry collection “All the Birds Were Invited to a Feast in the Sky”.
“khimar” by Soukeyna Osei-Bonsu in her poetry “khimar” by Soukeyna Osei-Bonsu in her poetry collection “All the Birds Were Invited to a Feast in the Sky”.
Soukeyna Osei-Bonsu explores themes of African dia Soukeyna Osei-Bonsu explores themes of African diaspora, identity and faith as a Black Muslim through her compelling verse, navigating a poetic course between London and Ghana.

This is a book which excavates identity and self-knowledge, a journey from the spiritual realm which also attempts to stitch whole the frayed fibres of diasporic belonging. The areas explored range from Africa to spiritual awakening taking the reader on a journey to self. i share this with you all
because a green boat
has since come to collect me i saw a ghanaian fisherman
moored on the thames
and i didn’t think twice
as i sailed away Soukeyna Osei-Bonsu’s verse evokes the beauty of the earthly and spiritual realms of human experience, navigating a poetic course from London to Ghana through themes of belonging and faith. in the basement of the heart
cartographies of dispossession occupy the rhythm Her poems dance at the intersection between the mundane and the sacred, weaving the everyday through with perceptions of the eternal, the ancient and the evanescent. i thumb through each black orb, counting the time
breath and matter, life and death, another human story
with the same rosary that made its way to me
that may outlive my fingers
purchase these nights before they purchase you
rain pouring into the lake at lordship rec
and a hundred and one purple clouds pulsating-
the edge of our galaxy almost visible
through the london smog
“Equator” by Soukeyna Osei-Bonsu in her poetry “Equator” by Soukeyna Osei-Bonsu in her poetry collection “All The Birds Were Invited to a Feast in the Sky”.
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For the sown fields of the soul whose kernels are For the sown fields of the soul whose kernels are concealed the cloud of mercy is full of the water of Kawthar زرع جان را كش جواهر مضمر است ابر رحمت پر ز آب كوثر است zar’-e jān rā kesh javāher muzmar ast abr-e rahmat pur ze āb-e kawsar ast sown fields of . zar’-e . زرع the soul . jān . جان ‎را . rā . for whose . kesh . كش kernels/ essences . javāher . جواهر concealed . muzmar . مضمر are . ast. است the cloud of . abr-e . ابر mercy . rahmat . رحمت full . pur . پر of . ze . ز water of . āb-e . آب Kawthar . kawsar . كوثر is. ast . است
Wash your hands Because the table and divine banqu Wash your hands Because the table and divine banquet from the heavens has arrived Wash your hands and mouth Do not eat or speak Find those words and mouthfuls which have arrived for the silent ‎دست بشو کز فلک مایده و خوان رسید ‎دست و دهان را بشو نه بخور و نه بگو ‎آن سخن و لقمه جو کان به خموشان رسید dast beshu kaz falak māyede va khān rasīd dast u dahān rā beshū nah bekhūr u nah begū ān sukhan u lugma jū kān beh khamūshān rasīd hand . dast . دست wash . beshu . بشو because . kaz . کز the heavens . falak . فلک heavenly banquet . māyede . مایده and . va . و table . khān . خوان arrived . rasīd . رسید hand . dast . دست mouth . dahān . دهان [direct object marker] rā . را do not . nah . نه eat . bekhūr . بخور speak . begū . بگو that . ān . آن word/speech . sukhan . سخن mouthful . lugma . لقمه find/seek jū . جو has . kān . کان for . beh . به the silent ones. khamūshān . خموشان arrived . rasīd . رسید
When the self is in need the soul ascends on a jou When the self is in need the soul ascends on a journey to heaven When the gate of the prison is broken the soul reaches the land of the Beloved ‎نفس چو محتاج شد روح به معراج شد ‎چون در زندان شکست جان بر جانان رسید nafs chu mohtāj shod rūh beh mi’rāj shod chun dar-e zendān shekast jān bar-e jānān rasīd the ego/self . nafs . نفس when . chu . چو in need . mohtāj . محتاج is . shod . شد soul/ spirit . rūh . روح on . beh . به ascension/ journey to heaven . mi’rāj . معراج goes. shod . شد when . chun . چون the gate of . dar-e . در the prison . zendān . زندان is broken . shekast . شکست the soul . jān . جان the land of . bar-e . بر the Beloved . jānān . جانان arrives at/ reaches . rasīd . رسید
Patience is like a gentle cloud, wisdom raining d Patience is like a gentle cloud, wisdom raining down from it Thus it was in such a month of patience that the Qur’an came down ‎صبر چو ابریست خوش حکمت بارد از او ‎زانک چنین ماه صبر بود که قرآن رسید sabr chu abrīst khosh hikmat bārad az u zānke chonīn māh-e sabr būd ke qurān rasīd patience . sabr . صبر like . chu . چو is a cloud . abrīst . ابریست good/gentle . khosh . خوش wisdom . hikmat . حکمت rains . bārad . بارد from . az . از it . u . او thus . zānke . زانک such . chonīn . چنین a month of . māh-e . ماه patience . sabr . صبر it was . būd . بود that . keh . که the Quran . qurān . قرآن came/arrived . rasīd . رسید
Don’t strike the drum for sahur too much, that i Don’t strike the drum for sahur too much, that is to say, speak little and fall silent They will come to understand fasting from fasting itself سحوری کم زن ای نطق و خمش کن ز روزه خود شوند آگاه روزه ‏sahūrī kam zan ay nutq u khamush kon
ze rūze khod shavand āgāh-e rūze 
 سحوری . sahūrī . ‏sahur drum (to wake people up) کم . little . kam زن . strike . zan ای . meaning / that is . ay نطق . speaking . nutq و . and . u خمش کن . be silent . khamush kon ز . from . ze روزه . fasting . rūze خود . itself . khod شوند . they will become . shavand آگاه . aware of . āgāh-e روزه . fasting . rūze
Like Yusuf, the one who endures patiently in the Like Yusuf, the one who endures patiently in the well of fasting attains the kingdom of the Egypt of love ‎چو یوسف ملک مصر عشق گیرد ‎کسی کو صبر کرد در چاه روزه 
chū yūsuf mulk-e misr-e`ishq gīrad 
kasī kū sabr kard dar chāh-e rūze like . chū . چو Joseph . yūsuf . یوسف kingdom of . mulk-e . ملک Egypt of . misr-e . مصر ‘ishq . love . عشق attains . gīrad . گیرد the one . kasī . کسی who . kū . کو patience . sabr . صبر practices . kard . کرد in . dar . در the well of . chāh-e . چاه fasting . rūze - روزه
Gazing up (to see the moon) my hat fell from my he Gazing up (to see the moon) my hat fell from my head Intoxicated as my head was by the Sovereign of fasting ‎نظر کردم کلاه از سر بیفتاد ‎سرم را مست کرد آن شاه روزه

nazar kardam, kolāh az sar beyoftād
saram ra mast kard ān shāh-e rūze
 I gazed . nazar kardam . نظر کردم hat . kolāh . کلاه from . az . از head . sar . سر fell . beyoftād . بیفتاد my head . saram . سرم direct object marker . rā. را intoxicated . mast kard . مست کرد that . ān . آن Sovereign of . shāh-e . شاه fasting . rūze - روزه
How wonderful the felicity, good fortune and sple How wonderful the felicity, good fortune and splendour of fasting is! زهی اقبال و بخت و جاه روزه ‏
zehī iqbāl o bakht o jāh-e rūze how excellent/wonderful is . zehī . زهی the felicity . iqbāl. اقبال and . o . و good fortune . bakht . بخت splendour/rank of . jāh-e . جاه fasting . rūze . روزه
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