Warsan Shire profile picture

Warsan Shire

wish i had learnt the languages found in ur breath

About Me

Bismillah

Words are powerful, that is why so many of us have been silenced.
In honour of all the women who came before me, I will use my mouth to say words they were told to swallow.
In the absence of those of us who have died, I pray that we learn how to affirm life.

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 6/28/2007
Band Members: Coltrane on the saxophone, Quest on the drums, Midon on guitar. But most times it's me,my note book and a heart heavy with words.
Influences: Krs one,raul midon, unkle, seu jorge, radiohead, bob marley,pharoah sanders, madlib, john coltrane,viktor vaughn,coldplay, nina simone, mos def, citizen cope, the pharcyde, k'naan, miriam makeba, klashnekoff,mattafix, omar dhuule,Jehst, sade, fela kuti, de la soul, miles davis, mf doom, portishead, floetry, simpli brown, nas,peanut butter and koolaid, D'angelo, Duke Ellington,rodney p,John mayer, last poets, TY, Jose Gonzales, madame pepper, Digable planetsmusiq soul child,gil scott heron , ben harper, asha ali, slum village, king geedorah,roy ayers, j dilla, bloc party, cody chesnutt, marvin gaye,the roots, tony toni tone, amir sulaiman, erykah badu, sigur ros, common, lykke li, arrested development, natty, king shiloh,jill scott, billie holiday, wu tang clan,bilal, ,roots manuva,minnie ripperton, talib kweli, curtis mayfield, res, linkin park,jah cure,maxwell, x-ecutioners, eric lau, amel larriuex, modern jazz quartet, outkast, tribe called quest, van hunt, etta fitzgerald,Big L, Zaki, biggie,jehst,ray charles,prince,billie holiday,skinny man,dead prez,snow patrol,thelonious monk...
Sounds Like:
Record Label: Unsigned
Type of Label: Indie

My Blog

Samsonite Man

Samsonite man I had said to myself This time no parachutes and jumped eyelashes first into your jaw line.     I would've taken your finger tips as a dowry Let you kiss constellations into...
Posted by Warsan Shire on Sat, 19 Jan 2008 02:31:00 PST

Cassettes

He will say something about the pain being necessary. You will flinch unaware of how deeplyhe is embedded.Then you will gushand in that viscosityhe will rub his left hand across your abdomenin a way t...
Posted by Warsan Shire on Sat, 05 Jan 2008 02:22:00 PST

Oestrogen

This transsexual heartWith its concave chestAnd inbred nipplesLoves youAt the registry officeThey changed my nameI smiledThe gloss turned bulbousIn this lifeWhere transformationsAre all in the unhooki...
Posted by Warsan Shire on Sat, 05 Jan 2008 02:07:00 PST

Somalia (2009)

(For Leyla who is both beautiful and beautiful)Monday morning's mother is mournfulAbbe passed away on a Sunday night While she was still asleepSo she finds it difficultTo stay sane on cryptic sheets I...
Posted by Warsan Shire on Wed, 17 Oct 2007 08:47:00 PST

Return Address

My womb willingly stores your spermTo spit out scabs of baby.Drug induced saline injected white jacketsThe only claws I have ever known to wear rubber glovesGrip my butterscotch thighsThen there's me ...
Posted by Warsan Shire on Wed, 17 Oct 2007 08:44:00 PST

Mathematical (Scenes from a war)

(For Rwanda,Palestine,Sudan,Somalia,South Africa,Kosovo,Cambodia,East Timor,Vietnam,Armenia,Sri Lanka,Columbia and The Worlds the World forgot.)1Was the last brave Man killed when he watched, wit...
Posted by Warsan Shire on Wed, 17 Oct 2007 08:38:00 PST