A Quick Update, and a Poem!
Hello everyone!
This week I just wanted to provide you all with a quick update about three of the posts I have in progress for my publication right now, and also leave you with an excellent poem that I’ve been taking a closer look at this season.
First, the poem!
The poem is titled Slant of the Girl by Dr. Jessica Van de Kemp, and it was shortlisted for the Montreal International Poetry Prize in 2015. If you haven’t heard of it before, the Montreal International Poetry Prize is one of the largest poetry prizes in the world.
I first came across this poem about a year or so ago and somehow I find myself returning to it every few months. As the poem refers to autumn, it feels especially relevant to me in the fall season while I reflect on all the things that caught me off-guard and left me feeling disoriented over the past year.
I might include this in my beyond the lines series in the future, but for now I’ve just been re-reading it and taking notes to see what I can learn from it.
If you have any thoughts or reflections on this poem please let me know in the comments below.
How does it make you feel? What are you taking away from it? What does it remind you of? These are the questions I ask myself each time I re-read it.
Coming soon! I have three posts in progress for beyond the lines.
The upcoming post that you can expect from me first is centred on the poetry book Eunoia by Canadian poet Christian Bök. I’m currently reading through it for a second time and taking a bunch of notes as I go.
For another post, I’m also putting together my reflections on a documentary called Israelism. It’s been shared on YouTube by Al-Jazeera, and you can watch it right here:
Also in progress- a set of prompts to reflect on memories made this year as the fall season comes to an end. I think it’s the perfect time to start reflecting on 2024 as nights in Southern Ontario begin to lengthen, and I start to get closer to the sleepy lull of a Canadian winter.
If you have any thoughts on these upcoming posts, or suggestions for things I should look at next for my series beyond the lines, please let me know!
I hope you’re all having a cozy weekend!
Warmly,
I. S. Bashirah
Okay I read the poem and I have no darn idea what any of it means. But I liked the part of a hill going into darkness I think it was and her slanting like the trees. Made me think of a mauntian-side with drooping trees, evergreens probably. All in bowing, the mountain too, all in prostration.
Other than that I really coouldn't make sense of much but there were some cool fragments of images here and there.
I'll have to check out that poem. Today I'm going to an open mic charity event for Sudan. Gonna perform one of my poems iA. Hopefully my legs won't shake haha.
I'm excited for the upcoming posts, especially the first one.