Translations

How often do words pass me by

struggling to convey that which should be mine.

A language I hold near, at the tip of my tongue

brushing down my throat

Always present

one I understand but struggle to invoke

I question whether it ever belonged to me

words with greater meaning,

caught up in the beyond

Inner trappings

Where society dictated intelligence lied

In hi and how are you

Rather than the home and solstice

Found in mine

I often forget what she means

words and thoughts jumbled into one

Wanting to speak in my tongue

Craving to be understood

I don’t speak not because I don’t know

But because my words are wandering

I sound out, cringing at my pronunciation

My tongue betrays me while my heart does not

I am not one or the other

People say I know not

What are you good at if not one or the other

A language is not just words

But to speak is to speak with clarity

Assured that I will be understood

Embarrassed to utter

Stuttering and stumbling

For I can see the path but I have forgotten to walk

People laugh and say I don’t respect the culture

But how can i remember when they continue to torture

An environment that required one but not the other

Memorizing to fit in

So the kids wouldnt think I was lesser

But in gaining one I lost the other

When will she come back ?

about the poet

My name, Hamdi, means praise in Arabic. Growing up, I'd always wanted to emulate that, be worthy of praise in some way. I'm Somali - Muslim, growing up in both Toronto and Nairobi. My connection to poetry began with my 7th grade English teacher, he explained to us what a poem was and had us all write a short poem. I don't even remember the poem itself but I remember the feeling of putting pen to paper, that poetry would always be this, means to understand my feelings and thoughts. A salvation, lifeline and the thing I always found myself returning to.