Voices on the Front Lines
Bisharo joined us at our annual fundraising dinner to perform spoken word, sharing two poems that she wrote specially for the Sisterhood. In this piece, she reflects on what it meant to write the poetry and what it meant to perform the poetry for her sisters.
Both of these poems are massively important to me. Before I write, I've visually visited many of the voices that dearly want to be heard, or I’ve spiritually walked in their shoes. So the pain and joy of the voices is felt vividly.
“The Sheroes” is telling the stories of many Muslim women who work hard everyday. Without any audience, without any cheers, they are showing up and making a great difference in many lives. They write and share their own stories by simply being there and owning their share. I compare the Sheroes to a breath, because the simple ability to breathe isn’t thought about until it’s absent. In the poem, the Sheroes’ costumes and caps never come off — they are in action all the time.
The poem “Voices on the Front Lines'' was inspired by many things. I started by exploring this thought of what it means to fight on the front lines. Treasuring your own story first, taking the chance to give of yourself, becoming the carrier of prayers, listening to and valuing other stories. I use lyrics from K’NAAN’s song “Take a Minute” because they fit so well with the poem. At the first line are powerful fighters, and bringing them to this front line meant simply caring about them. The poem concludes with the voices all fighting on the front lines together.
Performing these poems felt amazing — it felt like I was fighting on the front lines and becoming the Shero of the moment. I was inspired to write these poems because it was my way of carrying out action. I wanted to bring my share of inclusiveness to the table in order to inspire other Muslim women to step up and act in a way that is equally meaningful to them.
I wondered what it meant to fight on the front lines.
To be the armor and protector
To carry sweet dreams and hope
I wondered what it meant to shape for my sisters a safer
World for them
I wanted to fight on the front lines
So I carried my voice, my story
I held it dear and close and brought it forth
To fight for what’s right
I brought my sisters along
To see from afar
What it means to care in action
So in the future they just might
Be the ones to serve with passion
I sat on a log at a campfire to hear a beautiful story
Of a voice that made a difference in their world
A voice that carried other voices with all their might
And eventually was part of a decision to make an ablution space
In a new gym at their place
I remember hearing other voices
And this was the line
‘’And every time I felt the hurt and I felt the givin' gettin' me up off the wall’’
Just when you feel cornered
Think about what you can give
What difference you can make in your life
The people around you
The world
As the tune continues to dance along
I stumble upon another line
“You know, 'cause it isn't everybody that you get to give”
Fighting on the front lines
Meant being able to give
Sharing your voice, your story
Making history for your own self
It meant being directly involved in the revolution to inclusiveness
Fighting for everyone
Not to care behind closed doors
For prayer needs a kick to take off
It meant
Listening close to the dreams and plans my sisters have for the future
and creating a world that fostered that
Creating environments that nourish their energy
It meant sitting down with friends and family
It meant being the Uber for the one neighborhood’s aunty and taking her to the polling place
Letting her know her voice matters
Letting her know that I’ll also be her interpreter for the hour
It meant taking the first step
So we could all fight on the front lines together
We are a spirit of free breath,
Holding out for the right moment
We are the air within that breath
In and out, the right moment
We go unacknowledged only to be missed
We are the free spirit of great activists
Teachers and scholars
An illustration of Sedulous
We were taught how to dream but not
How to actually owe that dream
Though times have changed
And now we are dreams
We are examples
Important, professionals and leaders
We make our own history and choose our own fates, in the midst of all obstacles.
From the cover of Forbes Magazine
To positions in congress
Seats in government
Our voices in the streets
Our prayers in complete
Dribbling down barriers every step of the way
Raising the bar every step of the way
We are the future we hoped
We dreamt
We prayed
The future for this country
Sharing goals, being of service
Teachers that teach beyond the school
Giving wings of lessons to carry on for life
Healers that heal through a heart that’s frozen cold
Healing again through and through
Healers that heal beneath severe wounds
Guiding souls to battle on
To stay strong
To remain faithful and true
We are the Sheroes
Of our homes
The Sheroes for our village
Embracing mistakes
Embracing scars
Embracing growth and embracing stars
Letting the future know
They’re not alone
Our costumes and caps never come off
Free breath of Sheroes that breathe amongst you,