Can I Breathe?
by Brother Dash
This air I must reach
‘Cause I’m chokin’ on the phlegm
of the him and the her and the you and the them
Can I Breathe?
I best not speak
And I better not seek
And if I got cuts then I best not leak
But can I breathe?
I mean I Gotta, I Wanna
This world’s like a sauna
And I Can’t smell the fauna
My Nostrils are stuck!
With communal mucous
But don’t confuse this
Can I… Breathe?
Before my death?
I’m on a cliff
It won’t be suicide
They’ll call it murder
Please take my hand
Oh Wait!
Purdahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Can I breathe?
So much constriction
Friction, Inhibition
“Better watch your diction”
Culture shock
See he’s the hard place
And you’re the rock
If “Identity”
Means get rid of me
To become the we
Or become the you
I Become defined
I Become confined
Become defined
Become confined
Can I Breathe?
Don’t talk, Don’t think
Don’t float, Don’t sink
Don’t look, Don’t wink
Don’t hyperlink
Can I Breathe?
Don’t ask, Don’t tell
Got pain, Can’t yell
Don’t smile, Don’t frown
Don’t laugh, Don’t clown
There’s just one way
No workarounds
Can I Breathe?
Your style is truth
And I’m so uncouth
And these eyes must see your tapestry
And my soul must act accordingly
Breathe!
My lungs must fill
With the breadth of self will
My soul felt whole now it’s all broke up
Should I make you breathe me til you’re all choked up
I wanna breathe in a world not just in a nation
Escape from the weight of cultural suffocation
Feel the elation of spiritual liberation
Sing me a song of her creation?
And I don’t need your validation!
Breathe? Can I…Can I…
Breathe…Can I… Can I…
[huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh]
Breathe!
ASA,
masha’Allah…That’s really good. Having watched your videos on youtube I can imagine how you would recite it. Awesome job br. Keep it up!! haha, us poets(I’m a young sister who started writing…you can check my poems out on my website) gotta stick together =)
Peace and wassalam!
Great! I am a poet myself but currently not writing anything (lack of inspiration)…;(- And I generally like pathetic tone and reflective tone. This is all but true and the content of a poem is as much of importance to me as is the form. Well, this poem is really good and it expresses also my own feelings… I feel like in a cage sometimes and need much freedom to simply be who I am and this is what I am sometimes denied in every society, be it Islamic or non-Islamic one. Thank you, Brother. God bless you!;-)