Iman's Poem: The Face Beneath
The Face Beneath
So many are blinded by
The secrecy of the dark black silk covering my face
Revealing nothing but my eyes
You see me as what I wear
Or like the language I speak is holding a gun
I am so much more
They tell me that I am vicious, antagonistic… the enemy
As I turn to see this new world
I see something that has transformed
Something that is so different from what it was
Something ugly and disgusting, that I am not familiar with
I have no connection to…
But I am associated with
Is this me?
Their words ringing in my head
Is this how they will remember me?
I ask this question to myself, afraid of the answer
I hear these words day to day
That is the worst part
I don’t have to think, I know
That is the worst part
I know what it is like from your side, because I am constantly reminded of it
That is the worst part
However you do not know what it is like on this side
The other side
These words float around my head
Like a constant battle in my mind that I don’t know how to stop
I know which side I am fighting for
But the other side keeps cheating in my head
This ongoing battle between forces is destroying my essence
And I am losing my identity in the process
I have learned to hold on to who I am
For that is the only truth in this harsh world
This world filled with lies and heartache
In this painful life filled with agony, we must find the good in people
And the good in ourselves
It is in these moments when people’s true colors shine through
And you see what their true motivations are
Bismillah Hirrahman Nirraheem: 
In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
“Praise is only for Allah, the Lord of the Universe, the all Compassionate, the all Merciful
The Master of the Day of Judgment
Thee alone we worship and to Thee alone we pray for help
Show us the straight way, the way of those whom Thou hast blessed
Who have not incurred Thy wrath, nor gone astray,” (Chp.1, verse 7, The Holy Quran)
I am not worthy of you
You have created the oceans, the sky, and the air we breath
You have the power to take that all away
You don’t…
Instead you keep giving
I want to give as well
Show me how…
Show me how to make people believe
Believe me, and believe in me
That I am not here to do harm nor evil
They don’t listen to my words…
Show them
Show them that me and my people are doing no different from them
Instead… they say our ideas are infections spreading throughout the minds of the innocent
I needed someone
Someone that could hear me when I never said a word
They never came…
Even though they think of me in these ways
I know
That there is something greater than all of us
That will not judge for who I am
Even if who I am is not perfect
Under this misconceived silk
I am more than what you see
I love how you mentioned stereotypes and how people only see you for your race and stereotypes when you're much more then that and you're a beautiful and unique person underneath nice job ❤️
ReplyDeleteThis poem is very good because it is so personal to your religion and the thugs it is associate with
ReplyDeletethings not thugs it was auctocorrect mr c
DeleteGreat poem! The way you expressed yourself was great.
ReplyDeleteThis was an amazing poem that was really personal to you, and I really enjoyed your presentation of it. Your flow and tempo was great, and the way you used the scarf as a way to say you are the same person even behind the scarf was awesome. Great work Iman!!!
ReplyDeleteI like your poem. It touches on a big issue in our world today. You could have spoken louder during the presentation. I was sitting on the couch, and even there if I didn't have the poem on the projector to read off of, I would have missed most of what you were saying. Otherwise, good job
ReplyDeleteYour poem was great. You really expressed your culture and explained how your religion is seen by society. You showed that you aren't the person that people see you as just because of your religion. Good job! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI liked your poem very much, it touched on a big issue that you have directly faced before. You also showed how you were not defined by religion and it was important to you, which you showed in your poem.
ReplyDeleteIman, i loved this poem. Society has shaped the opinions of millions of people and stereotypes are formed wich are not fair. I believe the religion of Islam is a beautiful and unique practice. The hijab really added to performance and symbolized how you are still the same without it. It was very unique how you added text from the Quran to give the audience a little piece of your culture. Great job.
ReplyDeleteIman, I truly loved your poem. It was something that was extremely personal to you and I think that your multi-modal component was unique and added a lot to my experience of the poem. You did a really good job of expressing a certain aspect of your culture. The verse from the Quran expressed a beautiful message. Amazing Job!
ReplyDeleteSavannah: Iman, that took so much courage to write a poem about something so personal and I'm glad you did. I know it was tough to deal with the stereotypes you have to deal with but I really think this poem expressed a good message. Also, having the hijab and the Quran added to your poem and made it more personal to your identity. Also, I know you're the only Muslim in the class but I think you gave us all an important insight into your religion.
ReplyDeleteGreat poem! The poem's subject was so controversial and you approached it with such veracity that I could tell you really cared about the poem and put all of your effort toward it. The hijab was a great way to show how you are the same person with or without it. Amazing job!
ReplyDeleteGreat poem Iman I love how you brought in something that only you know about and how much of your identity it brought out
ReplyDeleteThis poem showed a lot about your identity and culture and misconceptions that can be made about your culture and realigious beliefs I thought you multi motile component helped me understand your poem
ReplyDelete