“To Him We Belong. And To Him We Return.” – (Quran, 2:156) Dear Fellow Warrior, There is no perfect end of the year. No perfect close. It just needs to close. You need to cross that finish line. Because time never stops; it is the only resource that will always remain scarce. So I didn’t…
Poetry
This space will consist of my original poems from my earlier years and potentially recent additions….as well as those from my favorite poets!
Punished for Surviving: A Suicide Note (Poem #3)
“What are the words you do not yet have? What do you need to say? … And there are so many silences to be broken.” – Audre Lorde Dear Fellow Warrior, I wanted to share this piece before the end of the year. After more than ten years of suicide prevention and mental health advocacy,…
A Love Letter to My Ajnabi
“Eh Ajnabi, Tu Bhi Kabih, Awaaz de Kahin Se” I’ve written many letters in my life. This one is different. This one is for the ghost of a love I never met, and for the woman I have become because of it. Thank you for reading. Dear Ajnabi, Where do we begin when we don’t…
Defining Moments and Personal Milestones: A Mid-Year Video Update
“My Voice is Not an Apology.”– Nayyirah Waheed “The woman who does not require validation from anyone is the most feared individual on the planet.”– Mohamed Najumi Dear Fellow Warrior, I filmed this video last month, shortly after my last poetry performance on June 10th. It took me some time to edit… someday, I’ll have…
The Art of Survival: A “Prisoner of Conscience” Speaks
Dear Fellow Warrior, The featured painting, called “Prisoner of Conscience,” connects to my poem (Prisoner of Conscience: An Ode to Solitude) that I wrote earlier this year and recently published in The Memoirist on Medium. The painting is actually also inspired by the original feature photo I chose for that poem. I’ve always preferred using…
The Courage to Rise in Your Power, Voice, and Presence
“My Voice is Not an Apology.”– Nayyirah Waheed “The woman who does not require validation from anyone is the most feared individual on the planet.”– Mohamed Najumi Dear Fellow Warrior, I recently shared my new poem, “The Choice of Return, Reclaiming the Crown.“ You can read my poem on my other Substack: “Sword Dispatch: The…
The Choice of Return: Reclaiming the Crown
“She remembered who she was, and the game changed.” – Lalah Daliah Dear Fellow Warrior, I wrote this piece in April, America’s National Poetry Month, after returning from my first Pilgrimage to Makkah, during Ramadan. At that moment, I decided to return to wearing the head cover, after precisely two decades. I wore the hijab…
A Silent Woman
“My silences had not protected me. Your silences will not protect you.”– Audre Lorde Dear Fellow Warrior, I wrote this a few days ago and thought to post it here. As I was writing, I painted the featured painting above. I called it the name of this blog piece. I feel I could have done…