Dear Fellow Warrior,
I wrote this poem on the way back from Busboys and Poets Open Mic Poetry in Washington, DC, yesterday. I feel this ties together a lot of what I have struggled at a personal, systemic level, embracing my post-PhD “Identity Crisis”, navigating both intimate and systemic surveillance, judgment, and resistance towards “Invisibilization.”
I Am Not Trying… I Am
I am not trying.
I am.
I am intersectional.
I am not trying to be a writer.
I am a writer.
I am not trying to be a poet.
I am a poet.
I am not trying to be an activist.
I am an activist.
I am not trying to be an artist.
I am an artist.
I am not trying to be a painter.
I am a painter.
I am not trying to be a scholar.
I am a scholar.
I am not trying to be academic.
I am academic.
I am not trying to be authentic. I am authentic.
I am not trying to be strong. I am strong.
I am not trying to be Muslim.
I am Muslim.
I am not trying to be a Warrior KQueen.
I am a Warrior KQueen.
I am not trying to be revolutionary.
I am revolutionary.
Make me invisible.
My dear, I see you.
Big Brother, keep watching.
Buree nazar, keep glaring.
Make me invisible. I see you.
You can call me an Invisible Revolutionary.
**********
Thank you for reading. There is great empowerment in that statement… “I am.” Own who you are and don’t let anyone take it away from you.
In Solidarity, Peace, Warmth, and Blessings,
Your Sister,
Dr. Elsa, Warrior KQueen
“She wasn’t looking for a Knight, She was looking for a Sword.” – Atticus
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