What elevates 'teaching my mother how to give birth', what gives the poems their disturbing brilliance, is Warsan Shire's ability to give simple, beautiful eloquence to the veiled world where sensuality lives in the dominant narrative of Islam; reclaiming the more nuanced truths of earlier times - as in Tayeb Salih's work - and translating to the realm of lyric the work of the likes of Nawal El Saadawi. As Rumi said, "Love will find its way through all languages on its own"; in 'teaching my mother how to give birth', Warsan's debut pamphlet, we witness the unearthing of a poet who finds her way through all preconceptions to strike the heart directly. Warsan Shire is a Kenyan-born Somali poet and writer who is based in London. Born in 1988, she is an artist and activist who uses her work to document narratives of journey and trauma. Warsan has read her work internationally, including recent readings in South Africa, Italy and Germany, and her poetry has been translated into Italian, Spanish and Portuguese.
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[I did not beg him to stay / because I was begging God / that he would not leave (WHAT YOUR MOTHER TOLD YOU AFTER YOUR FATHER LEFT)]***
(Flipped Eye, 29 December 2011, bought from Amazon)
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This is my first time reading the poet and won't be my last.
I found the poems in this very short collection intense, emotional and very moving. One poem in particular is almost heart-breaking:
To my daughter I will say when the men come, set yourself on fireWho can fail to be touch by something so raw? The poems deal with the repercussions of displacement, war and terror, especially how these things affect women. The poems express the idea of female empowerment, of standing up for yourself and using all of your strength. Some of the poems are so raw I found them hard to read.
Teaching My Mother How To Give Birth is a powerful collection of poem, words that need to be said in today's world.
