broken

What is a poet

when he runs out of poetry

it is a man who has run out of blood

a woman who has run out of breath

I have run out of my self

into the street

where the banshees

are screaming blue and red

onto the face of my secret

I can write when my heart is broken

in two

but can’t when my heart is broken

into

the authorities said

there was no sign of struggle,

it must have been someone I knew::

somehow, I knew

my worst fears

my childhood fantasies

thrown about my living room

nothing was stolen

everything was broken

I’ll just have to start all over

– from the collection Love, Gnosis & Other Suicide Attempts

—

Amir Sulaiman is an accomplished poet, activist, recording artist and a two time HBO Def Poet. Russell Simmons refers to Amir as “blessed” and Abi Odun of The Last Poets calls Amir “the voice of this generation”. Amir’s first national debut album Like A Thief In The Night was released to critical acclaim in 2007. Amir’s published works include the books of poetry, Words of Love, Life, and Death, Love, Gnosis & Other Suicide Attempts and his poetry has also been published in numerous literary journals. In addition to writing and recording, Amir tours universities, high schools and community centers around the world where he conducts communication workshops and presentations, teaching the elements of poetry and exploring the intricacies of human language. http://www.amirsulaiman.com/