because poems

because poems
are supposed to be
fluffy flowery things
like clouds
and puppies
and trees by the sea
(so i’ve been told)
and not
dark slashes of emotion
that burn through the page
and grab you by the throat
and squeeze
why aren’t you happy
i always hear
why so dark
so blue
so angry and full
of rage

why not?

in my head
there is a world
and i
am the queen
ruler of all that remains

because poems
are supposed to be
full of light and peace
i have been told
or have a message
for the masses
to digest
with their morning tea
how dare i
talk about blood
and the unpleasant
stink of fear

why not?

A message from Mai’a Williams over at Thaura Zine Distro and Guerrilla Mama Medicine

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yay!

outlaw midwives zine is here!

it has been an honor to get read so many beautiful stories, poems, essays from mamas, midwives, doulas, students, unattached women. thank you. and i am so excited to share it with all of you…because revolutionaries are born everyday…

soon i will be posting a pdf version so that folks can print it out themselves…

and more options to enjoy the outlaw midwives zine are coming soon…

and the call for submissions for outlaw midwives volume 2 will be posted soon, so if you weren’t able to submit to this zine, don’t worry, you can get another chance

online you can read it here: http://issuu.com/maiamedicine/docs/outlaw_midwives
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Just a note to my readers: I have 2 poems in this zine. So read it, and buy it when it goes on sale. And if you haven’t done so yet, check out Jewels For Survival by Aaminah Al-Naksibendi

My dear friend Aaminah Al-Naksibendi has finished her first zine, titled “Jewels For Survival”, and it is available for purchase. From the site thaura zine distro:

Jewels for Survival is ready for purchase!

Cost: $10, includes shipping in U.S. and also includes Gems. Possible to trade, please contact us directly (thauradistro@gmail.com) to discuss trade options.

Title: Jewels for Survival

Size: 54 pages, half page of 8 1/2 x 11

Description: these are lessons i have learned in my life, survival skills for this world & preparation for the next. the struggle is for my own survival and to support all women of color around the world to do more than survive. i know that my survival is tied to the survival of my people, men and women.

Gems is a little “taste of the zine” that i am putting together. Everyone who purchases the zine will also get Gems thrown in. But you can purchase Gems as a stand-alone.

Gems - $2.50, includes shipping in U.S.

Title: Gems

Description: a small greeting card size that includes one poem from the Jewels for Survival zine (“when $50 is enough to save your life”) and four quotes pulled from the zine

We are currently having some issues with our PayPal account, so purchases will need to be paid directly to Aaminah. You can contact me at thauradistro@gmail.com, let me know what you want to order, and i will send you the total owed and the PayPal address to use to make your payment.

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What are you waiting for? Go buy a copy or 3. Now. Why are you still reading? Stop it!

Have a great day.

Testing. Testing. Test – Oh. Hi.

*ahem*

I am hereby announcing a new set of plans.

Plan A will be to complete/construct/cobble together a book of poems, insha’Allah, by the beginning of the year. That means that I may not be posting as many poems here for a time.

Plan B will be the attempt to finish at least one of these novels I have started, or perhaps a book of novellas. I haven’t decided yet.

Plan C will be the attempt to record the recitation of some of my better poems.

You may now return to whatever you were doing before this appeared on your screen.

Thank you.

*turns off microphone*

Well, hello there, dear reader. How are you? I am writing you this letter because I want to keep you informed.

What am I doing? Currently, I am reading Scars of Sweet Paradise: The Life and Times of Janis Joplin by Alice Echols. Very interesting. On the “to read” list, I have:

• Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk by Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain

• Delta Blues: The Life and Times of the Mississippi Masters Who Revolutionized American Music by Ted Gioia

• Heavier Than Heaven: A Biography of Kurt Cobain by Charles R. Cross

Heavy stuff.

In the meantime, look forward to Short Story Fridays. Poems will be posted on random days, just to keep you in suspense. Book reviews, artist spotlights and whatever strikes my fancy are future additions, insha’Allah.

So, Eid Mubarak, happy birthday, Happy Rosh Hashanah, and whatever else I may have missed.

Thanks for reading what goes on in my head. Special thanks to my international readers (I see you, Belgium! What’s up, Indonesia? India, Iraq, Malaysia, what’s good? All my UK peoples, heeey!) and my stateside people (Georgia, Maryland, Texas, California, Ohio, Pennsylvania and MICHIGAN!).

Until next time,

~Sumayyah~