Dear Heart - a Freewrite.

Yesterday afternoon, I had the lovely privilege to join in on an online poetry writing class. The course was an introductory on creating poems of Divine Love which is the subject matter I find the most interesting.

When I studied English Lit in undergrad, I found myself endlessly fascinated by poetic musings where the subject would revere a lover that was never physically close enough to pour the love into. At first glance this type of writing threw me for a loop. My question was always so practical: How are you in Love with something or someone you can’t see?

It wasn’t until I deconstructed this type of work more regularly that I found a more metacognitive flip of the wrist at play in this poetry. It’s not that authors were curating pockets of glorifying unrequited love, but were overwhelmed by the thought of this Divine mirror.
This type of poetry came to life. All of a sudden, the invisible lover was replaced with the outpouring of Love for Source.

Yesterday the host asked us: What does Divine Love mean to you?

My response was: Divine love is a reflection of God’s abundant love for His creation.

The hostess also asked us to write a poem having the heart respond to the question: How are you?

Below is my heart’s response.

It is my hope that you listen and gain inspiration to speak to your own heart and perhaps listen for a moment to what it has to say to you.

Holy Days, Holy Range.

I have a long timed romance with hip-hop that I will not get into here but has been the primary driver to why I write. Poetry, specifically.

During Ramadan, I find myself feeling more inspired and motivated. Besides the health benefits of fasting, I feel more connected to creative impulse and can often sense the scent of the Divine perfuming my work. It’s as if everything I create during this time exists in an orb containing the relationship between my work and my spirituality.

Before sitting to write this, I was reading and reflecting on the 99 Name of Allah. In Islam, God has attributes to describe his mercy, traits and station over His creation. These attributes present to me daily in the simplest of moments.

I was also inspired by the homie @GhaziGamali and his tape "Prosperous Leaps". The track "Deep Water" is what I'm reciting this poem "Holy Days, Holy Rage" upon.

ghazigamali · Ghazi Gamali - Deep Water

Hope you all enjoy.

All heart. All Bite -

As far as creative outlets go, before there was a blog, before there was a twitter, instagram and now, a website - my creative journey began on a little site we all know as Tumblr. Back in 2010, after the heels of my high school graduation, I joined an online community that was and still is brimming with creativity.

To this day, I owe a lot to Tumblr.

scroll through to enjoy 8+ years of images, poetry and my personal online diary.

I don’t believe in farewells. So as I move mediums and digital spaces, follow along as I continue to update my personal blog. I am merely starting anew, turning a page in the book of Life. Let us dip our toes into the pastiche of yesterday with sweet fondness.