If you are looking for poetry that can both break you down and build you back up, young Black American poet Aisha Tariqa Abdul Haqq is on a mission to tackle grief in the Black community.
For all those in the Black community who have seen lives cut short by violence, hate or discrimination, Aisha Tariqa Abdul Haqq has put her feelings into poetic verse for you.
Her writing centers on the emotion of grief, which she describes as a particularly hard thing to swallow. More specifically, her work is focused on the profound loss, sadness and oppression which is often endured by members of the African American community like yourself.
Visit https://bit.ly/AishaTariqaBooks to buy your copy of 'Four Years in Chrysalis' today.
The release of her new book coincides with sobering new statistics from The National Library of Medicine, which show that the burden of depression is shouldered far more heavily by African Americans. Moreover, members of the Black community who are diagnosed with depression typically endure a more serious, chronic, and severely debilitating form of the disease.
Sadly, this unequal burden still exists despite the fact that cases of depression and mental illness tend to be heavily under-reported in African American communities. This is due to the fact that the issue still remains taboo.
In Aisha Tariqa’s opinion, grief is a poison that has been forced down the throats of Black Americans like yourself for so long that you have forgotten what it's like to be without it.
However, the poet also understands that poetry has long been regarded as a communal way to deal with mental health issues. As such, she is proud to be channeling her own personal experiences with grief and shame and sharing them with you. You will find it easy to connect with her slam poetry style, a medium of choice for many in the Black artistic community.
In her debut book, 'Four Years in Chrysalis', she reflects upon the waves of grief she endured following the death of her baby brother due to gun violence. One extract from the book that you will find particularly moving runs as follows:
“If you should ache in the evenings for loved ones wishing that the truth were less than true
Remember the soft hilarity of their face and the gentle mischief smiles reminding you why smiles exist
Think of these things and ache further
For they will remind you of why you should ache”
Aisha Tariqa wants to share these words with you to express her mission: that you will similarly champion the changes that Black communities need to make in order to heal from their endemic grief and the high prevalence of mental illness.
Aisha Tariqa Abdul Haqq is a determined and passionate young poet. She believes in the power of the written word to attain both individual and communal catharsis. She encourages you to follow her on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter at @AishaTariqa.
A spokesperson for the poet said, “Grief is one of those things that never really goes away—it just changes shape. The pain doesn't leave, but Black communities can find ways to live with it through exploring avenues for mental health care and allowing themselves to heal—poetry is one of those avenues. That's something Aisha found in her own experience with grief, and she knows the reader can relate to it, as well."
For real, transformative and healing words of truth, look to Aisha Tariqa Abdul Haqq’s slam poetry.
Go to https://www.aishatariqa.com/landing-page to find out more.
