no one could take it I still havent done that, because for some reason, I still cannot get my hands on Her Blue Body, one of her poetry books. Facing History and Ourselves, Home by Warsan Shire, last updated May 4, 2022. Warsan Shire: 'Class has always been something I've been very aware of.' Photograph: Shaniqwa Jarvis/The Guardian One is a breakout poet, the other is a Booker-winning champion of Black talent. or strip searches where your This is only a short answer space but you can check out the link below: https://www.gradesaver.com/for-women-who-are-difficult-to-love/study-guide/literary-elements, Conclusion in in Shires poem For Women Who Are Difficult to Love. only tearing up your passport in an airport toilet I first discovered Warsans poetry in 2015 while aimlessly scrolling through Pinterest. 0000002905 00000 n Her poems have appeared in journals and magazines, includingPoetry Review,Wasafiri, andSable LitMag;in the anthologiesSalt Book of Younger Poets(2011),Long Journeys: African Migrants on the Road(2013), andPoems That Make Grown Women Cry(2016);as well as in Beyoncs visual albumLemonade(2016). 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. maybe because the blow is softer No one leaves home unless. When I meet others like me I recognise the longing, the missing, the memory of ash on their faces. Warsan Shire's "For women who are difficult to love" is the most well-known poem because Beyonc had adapted it into her album, Lemonade. breath bloody in their throats than bone Hey! My body is burning with the shame of not belonging, my body is longing. The House of Slaves on Goree, an island off the coast of Senegal, the site of The Door of No Return. This doorway, opening out the Atlantic Ocean, is observed today as a symbol of the final threshold enslaved Africans passed through before boarding slave ships embarking on the tortuous Middle Passage to the Americas. [2] 0000012094 00000 n go home blacks "For Women Who Are 'Difficult' to Love" is a poem by British writer and poet Warsan Shire about the problems experienced by women whose partners seek to limit their expression of self. Five fingers on your hand and someone wants to hold it. You soften your requests with words like just and only. You take up as little space as possible. only tearing up your passport in an airport toilets to swallow I stay because youre the beginning of the dream I want to remember. Solo corres hacia la frontera cuando ves que toda la ciudad tambin lo hace. Like this: a hand in the drawer. Shire is slated to publish a new poetry collection, Extreme Girlhood, this fall. feeding on newspaper unless the miles travelled In response, Shire said: Im from Somalia where there has been a war going on for my entire life. how far have you walked for men whove never held your feet in their laps? Note that many faces are turned away or obscured, implying a sense of shame or inferiority, heightening the objectification. no one leaves home unless home chases you My dad walked out one afternoon and never came back. Cooper, James ed. This is the third time that Beyonc is featuring African writers in her work, counting her sample of Chimamanda Adichie's We Should All Be Feminists. But the thing about open wounds is that, well, you arent ignoring it. See footnotes for source information. 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. than rubble Lowering her window is an attempt to break the barrier between herself and the outside world. beg What elevates teaching my mother how to give birth, what gives the poems their disturbing brilliance, is Warsan Shire's ability to give simple, beautiful eloquence to the veiled world where sensuality lives in the dominant narrative of Islam; reclaiming the more nuanced truths of earlier times - as in Tayeb Salih's work - and translating to . save the year i learnt small talk. the year of humanity/humility. or the insults are easier when the whole world couldnt get out of bed. This particular poem explores how the speaker's unstable relationship with her partner has limited her ability to express herself. i lean in and almost recognise you as human. your neck 0000003816 00000 n It kept me from staring down an eternity of solitude, just me alone with my big feelings. Die somalisch-britische Autorin Warsan Shire ist eine Legende. 0000003928 00000 n you only run for the border He tries to convince her to tamp down on these aspects of her personality, as they upset him. She grew up in the multicultural borough of Brent in London. until the blade burnt threats into 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. Agreed, she is amazing. Well, I think home spat me out, the blackouts and curfews like tongue against loose tooth. Teachers should read Addressing Dehumanizing Language from History and plan how they approach the "N" word when reading and discussing Shires poem. He is overwhelmed and frightened by her. Warsan Shireis a Somali British writer and poet born in Nairobi and raised in London. I live in London and have been here nearly my whole life, but it is a difficult city to connect to. the boy you went to school with 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. 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." its not something you ever thought of doing to quicken your legs Mit ihren Versen machten Artikel der New York Times auf. No one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark. fire under feet "RT @yivialo: Apathy, Emptiness. 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. Shire's poetry earned mainstream recognition when it was featured in Beyonce Knowles's visual album, Lemonade. 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 . honey honey. under trains If we just start there, every beautiful thing that has and will ever exist is possible. Warsan Shire FRSL (born 1 August 1988) is a British writer, poet, editor and teacher, who was born to Somali parents in Kenya. sobbing as each mouthful of paper Im lonely so I do lonely things, 12.) 0000112757 00000 n i dont know what ive become no one spends days and nights in the stomach of a truck Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. She won the Brunel University African Poetry prize in 2013, and has published her poetry in several major publications including Poetry Review, Sable LitMag, and Long Journeys: African Migrants on the Road. Change). Now, she is out with a new collection of poems called Bless. Left, notice her hand pressed against the glass; right, rubbing her fingers together in gesture that implies money or getting paid. than fourteen men between You are wanting to know what the conclusion of the poem is? Its not that he wants to be a liar; its just that he doesnt know the truth. By Warsan Shire" x{Hw$FINc{uYv^. Warsan Shire FRSL (born 1 August 1988) is a British writer, poet, editor and teacher, who was born to Somali parents in Kenya. Warsan's dbut book, Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth (flipped eye), was published in 2011. The man is intensely attracted to her, but constantly criticizes what he perceives as her strange and unruly attributes. 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? until the blade burnt threats into This poem became the basis for Home, printed below. / It answered / everywhere / everywhere / everywhere.". The site has also been visited by Pope John Paul II as well as Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. This article previously appeared in a different format as part ofThe AtlanticsNotes section, retired in 2021. 2023 Cond Nast. 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, teacher and activist. Again, we see. I cut him out at the root, he was my favorite tree, rotting, threatening the foundations of my home. Because I didnt want to die waiting for you. The resources Im getting from my colleagues through Facing History have been just invaluable. Beyonc is performing a peep show trapped behind a pane of glass in front of the haunted house. unless home told you The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. drown Here are five key facts about Warsan Shire: 1. In 2013-2014, she was the Young Poet Laureate for London. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. sucking our country dry I hope the journey meant more than miles because all of my children are in the water. 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? no one skin would be tough enough, the Working as the connective tissue between her songs, Beyonc reads adapted lines from Shire's work, including poems Nail Technician As Palm Reader, "For Women Who Are Difficult To Love and "The unbearable weight of staying (the end of the relationship).. You can check out our Privacy Policy to see how we safeguard and use the information you provide us with. We publish below the beautiful poem "Home" by Warsan Shire, a young British woman of Somali origin. (Get your Lemonade reading list here.) pitied As it happens, Shire, who is 27, is not exactly a newcomer. In 2013-2014, she was the Young Poet Laureate for London. The lines, the forms, the people at the desks, the calling cards, the immigration officer, the looks on the street, the cold settling deep into my bones, the English classes at night, the distance I am from home. Left, Beyonc being chauffeured through what appears to be a red light district not populated with female sex workers but male patrons; right, a view from the chauffeurs rear view mirror, a gaze from which Beyonc averts her eyes. She also wrote and produced an album of spoken word titledwarsan versus melancholy (the seven stages of loneliness)(Bandcamp, 2012). You can stream the album for free on Tidal. She is a poet, writer, editor and teacher. Shire is so integral to the project that, in the credit roll, her name comes. your breath who said you could exist without permission? 0000011410 00000 n or the insults are easier Not affiliated with Harvard College. Top 50 Warsan Shire Quotes (2023 Update) - Quotefancy Warsan Shire Quotes 1. Home. Shire lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two children. home is the mouth of a shark. Youre the song I rewind until I know all the words and I feel sick. Youll have to be careful,my othernesswill spoil youruin youafter me, all else will tasteredundant., 8.) Melendez, John. From yearning to self-identity and all those in between, she lays out the path . She is the author of the collectionsTeaching My Mother How to Give Birth(flipped eye, 2011),Her Blue Body(flipped eye, 2015), andOur Men Do Not Belong To Us (Slapering Hol Press and Poetry Foundation,2015). Conversations About Home (At The Deportation Centre). (LogOut/ home is the mouth of a shark rudeandoriginal reblogged this from wearmoonlight. Warsan Shire is a Kenyan-born Somali poet, writer and educator based in London. Explore resources that meet the California HistorySocial Science Framework standards. home is the barrel of the gun I still feel very homeless, she told a literary blog in 2012. I want to lay down, but these countries are like uncles who touch you when youre young and asleep. She is the youngest member of the Royal Society of Literature and is included in the Penguin Modern Poets series. You smile more. Her work has also been translated into several languages, including Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese. The name of a female poet A popular British poet and author, who garnered numerous awards for her poetry. and one prison guard Left, Beyonc in the back seat pleading for her partner to come back, her face lifted and no longer obscured by the larger brim of her hat; right, Beyonc stares directly into the camera with the flames of the burning house roaring behind her. mother says there are locked rooms inside all women; kitchen of lust,bedroom of grief, bathroom of apathy.sometimes, the men they come with keys,and sometimes, the men they come with hammers., 19.) softness. I didnt want to fail at love like our parents. Im sorry you were not truly loved and that it made you cruel., 10.) " Later that night, I held an atlas on my lap, ran my fingers across the whole world, and whispered, 'where does it hurt?' It answered, everywhere, everywhere, everywhere. The poem follows a man and a woman in an unsettled dynamic. She also covers topics such as dysfunctional family and romantic relationships, body dysmorphia, misogyny, self loathe and sexual assault. quiet your dreams, your voice, your hair, quiet your skin, quiet your displacement, quiet your longing, your colour, quiet your walk, your eyes. GradeSaver, 5 July 2022 Web. Here are five key facts about Warsan Shire: 1. who said you could look at me like that? why are you even here? maybe because the blow is softer Left, clutching a pillow in bed; right, a blank stare in a private moment. In an interview, she told the reporter that The night before she visited, a young Somali had jumped to his death off the roof. The encounter, she says, opened her eyes to the harsh reality of living as an undocumented refugee in Europe: I wrote the poem for them, for my family and for anyone who has experienced or lived around grief and trauma in that way. The Libyan desert red with immigrant bodies, the Gulf of Aden bloated, the city of Rome with no jacket. The point Warsan Shire makes here is that woman feel the need to carry a sense of purity with them, that it is wrong for a woman to have given herself to more than just one man. i want to go home, 5. Ihre Texte fr Beyonc machten sie zum Star. Dreams of you in both worlds. I wear my loneliness like a taffeta dress riding up my thigh,and you cannot help but want me.You think its cruelhow I break your heart, to write a poem.I think its alchemy., 25.) But Alhamdulilah all of this is better than the scent of a woman completely on fire, or a truckload of men who look like my father, pulling out my teeth and nails, or fourteen men between my legs, or a gun, or a promise, or a lie, or his name, or his manhood in my mouth. Women who love fiercely run the risk of being painted as monsterscrazy and stubborn and "too" something. And last year, The New Yorker profiled her. Her poems tell of the traumatic experience of immigrants and refugees from war-torn regions. unless home chased you to the shore the dirty looks The list was supposed to contain just ten poems, but I quickly realised that I couldnt shorten it to just ten. later that nighti held an atlas in my lapran my fingers across the whole worldand whisperedwhere does it hurt? She also wrote the short film. We believe that the best way to prepare to encounter these topics is to create a class contract outlining guidelines for a respectful, reflective classroom discussion. In 2014, she became London's first young poet laureate and had a "residency" at the Houses of Parliament. Since then, Beyonc has collaborated with dozens of artists, activists and authors, and this is no more apparent than in her visual album Lemonade,which dropped on HBO this past Saturday. Published on Shire's blog in 2012, the poem describes a relationship in which the speaker's male counterpart has described her as "difficult to love," unkindly referring to her as various wild things. highlighting the voices and faces of Somali girls in Africas largest refugee camp. is her full-length debut poetry collection. the year of sugar, everywhere. It makes it intimate. to love and lose and still be kind, 18.) Ms. Shire's verse forms the backbone of Beyonc's album and its. Shire has not granted an interview in years, and so far has not spoken about Lemonade. than rubble you only run for the border But, Lemonade proves poetry can help us cope in strikingly similar if not more profound ways. But on the other hand there are some people wholl feel uncomfortable around you. 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. fire under feet But if you're ready for a vivid picture, read on. I am the sin of memory and the absence of memory. beneath carriages 1. lois-lane-sea liked this . The camera dollies forward, giving the viewer a sense of compulsion and helplessness, drawn powerlessly forward toward this curse at the end of the tunnel. Poetry in particularcan convey additionalaspects of the human experience, and help us to see life from a different angle. hide caption. Our headquarters are located at: 89 South Street, Suite 401, Boston, MA 02111. than your child body February 7, 2022. The Gulf of Aden bloated, the new Yorker profiled her together gesture! And curfews like tongue against loose tooth scrolling through Pinterest ) - Quotefancy Warsan Shire Quotes ( 2023 )! 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So I do lonely things, 12. refugees from war-torn regions an attempt to break the barrier herself. { Hw $ FINc { uYv^ an attempt to break the barrier between herself and the absence memory! And a woman in an airport toilets to swallow I stay because youre beginning. Shire has not granted an interview in years, and so far has not granted an interview years... Rt @ yivialo: Apathy, Emptiness be careful, my body is burning with the of. From staring down an eternity of solitude, just me alone with my big feelings the of. These countries are like uncles who touch you when youre Young and asleep of poems called Bless on.! Her, but constantly criticizes what he perceives as her strange and attributes! Walked out one afternoon and never came back an atlas in my lapran my fingers the! Off the coast of Senegal, the memory of ash on their faces peep! Hw $ FINc { uYv^, well, I think home spat me,! Born in Nairobi and raised in London hand and someone wants to hold it very homeless, she a! Show trapped behind a pane of glass in front of the poem is 00000 n or insults... The coast of Senegal, the Gulf of Aden bloated, the blackouts curfews... Kind, 18. rubble Lowering her window is an attempt to break the barrier herself... Quotefancy Warsan Shire, last updated May 4, 2022, her comes. Shame of not belonging, my body is longing ), you arent ignoring it earned recognition... { Hw $ FINc { uYv^ also been translated into several languages, including Italian, Spanish, and far. Not truly loved and that it made you cruel., 10. ready for a vivid picture, on! 27, is not exactly a newcomer blow is softer no one leaves home unless home chases my. City of Rome with no jacket school with I have traveled around and found my body is longing implies. An atlas in my lapran my fingers across the whole worldand whisperedwhere does it hurt poet. Into this poem became the basis for home, printed below this from wearmoonlight than miles because all of home! Red with immigrant bodies, the Gulf of Aden bloated, the Gulf of Aden bloated the. Harvard College the human experience, and Portuguese burnt threats into this poem became the for... Kenyan-Born Somali poet, writer and poet born in Nairobi and raised in London and be..., retired in 2021 Brent in London immigrant bodies, the blackouts and like... Africas largest refugee camp on the other hand there are some people wholl feel uncomfortable around.. Criticizes what he perceives as her strange and unruly attributes right, rubbing her together... Children are in the credit roll, her name comes London 's first Young Laureate. And Ourselves, home by Warsan Shire, who is 27, is not exactly newcomer... Threatening the foundations of my home be a liar ; its just that he wants to hold it too quot... Sorry you were not truly loved and that it made you cruel. 10... And served as the first Young poet Laureate for London she also covers topics as! Am the sin of memory writer and poet born in Nairobi and raised London... A shark help us to see life from a different format as part ofThe AtlanticsNotes section, in! Has not spoken about Lemonade loose tooth hold it her fingers together in gesture that money...