Poetry – Raihanaty A. Jalil

Free

Dedicated to the Palestinian people whose very existence is resistance.

I can’t find the words to express this
This feeling of forlorn and helplessness
Anger, disbelief, shock and pain
The injustice under a tyrannical reign

Torturous cries and mountains of dead
Our hearts shatter at such bloodshed
Like a limb that is ravaged by a swarm of bees
The whole body suffers and can feel no ease

But I never lose hope in the Most Just
In Whose Power I can have full trust
In Whose Wisdom I hope to understand
As our brothers and sisters fight for their land

We mourn their dead but their dead smile
Their souls no longer in a perpetual trial
Their mothers in mansions replacing homes destroyed
Their children finally knowing the meaning of freedom and joy

May Allah ease the hearts of those left behind
May He open the eyes of the blind
May our brothers and sisters live to see
A Palestine that is finally free.

Trust

I would not walk these lands
Feared the uncertainty of treading foreign sands
Cautious from the prickles of days gone by
That left scars masked by my false eyes

Yet her vibrant colours beckoned me near
And her winds whispers wiped away my fears
And so I walked her shores discovering pleasure
Discovering warmth and artistry without measure

While there were momentary stings from her grains of fire
Her cool consoling waters would awaken my desire
To dive in and just wallow in my friend
And learn to trust her once again

On 28 June 2018, I had the pleasure of sharing some of my poems in the warm, vibrant & inviting atmosphere of ARC Artist Retail Collective Inc, Armadale. In this video, I read a poem called “Trust”

I wrote this poem a long time ago. More recently, I edited it slightly, so in my video performance, it is the original version.

If you like my writing and want to follow my journey, join Rai’s Insiders.

Hawa Abdullahi Farah

“And any man who knows a thing knows
He knows not a damn, damn thing…” – Knaan

So don’t be fooled!
I see the sympathetic looks in your eyes
Can’t you see beyond this disguise?
I walked for 15 days… 15 days
I buried 8 children along the way
But I walked on.

So don’t insult me!
I hear the hushed whispers of your thoughts
“This poor fragile woman”
But God made me strong!
Ask yourself,
Could you have come this far, persevered this long?

Or would you have broken down in the dirt
Too overcome by the pain, the hurt
As you bury your son
Kiss his sweet face
Before returning his body to God’s earth?
Would you have wailed to the heavens
Paralysed in your place
Watching him disappear without a trace
As the dirt engulfs his body, limbs, face?

Or would you have offered prayers to the Most High
Placed your trust, in the Most Just
Remembering your nine other children
And how for them, you must walk on
No matter how far, how long
Because God made you Strong!

I reach for you
I ask for your hand
But, you misunderstand.
God made me strong
I have come too far, persevered too long,
So put away your sympathies
Rather, recognise these strengths in me
And understand, when I ask for your hand
I am asking you to build on what I already have
I am asking you to enable my capabilities
I am asking you to feed my soul, my mind
As I push forward, leaving the past behind

As I walk on.

Video Performance

Raihanaty A Jalil performing “Hawa Abdullahi Farah” at Rajo Fundraiser Dinner on 15 July 2012, a poem she wrote specifically for the night. The beginning of the video intends to give the poem context.

This poem is based on the true story of Hawa Abdullahi Farah. If you like my writing and want to follow my journey, join Rai’s Insiders.

The One

I love that You love me in spite of my flaws;
I love how You’re there for me before a moment’s pause.
I love every moment I can spend with You;
I love that experience of the Love that is True.

I love knowing that You’ll never be the instrument of my pain;
I love how with every thought of You, in my heart, peace does reign.
I love how the times I spend with You help me forget this world insane;
I love that You’re closer to me than my own jugular vein.

I love how You are there for me even before I call;
I love how You help me see that my problems are but small.
I love that You look out for me, though I remain unaware;
I love how, for me, You always have time to spare.

I love how You continue to care for me in spite of my crime;
I love how You never cease to give even while I give You no time.
I love that You are so forgiving, though my wrongs be a mountain tall;
I love that You love to erase them and make them forgotten by all.

I love how with just one step towards You, You come running to me;
I love the Love You give me that others don’t see.
I love how with You, I can simply be;
I love the feeling of how with Your Love, I am truly free.

Video Performance

If you like my writing and want to follow my journey, join Rai’s Insiders.