Your Roar Was, and Will Always Be a Blessing

By Dr. Zain Ali Shamoon

It’s a weird thing to ask myself to catalyze, again, what I have always been

               A storyteller

I’ve learned that the resurgence of a poet’s poetics has more to do with kinetic rhythms put into practice

               And looking a little closer in the mirror to see what your wrinkles say about you

And to tell the volumes of your life

In the faces of fear, who ask –

“What ill might befall the speaker if they are too vulnerable?”

“What wrongs could occur if we dare to tell the truth?”

But I arrive still, with all my expression –

Ready to toss syllables in the air

And catch the sounds as they rain down

Tying ribbons between the different sonic waves

Making connections even I didn’t know I could make

And I think I was born to do this

Mainly, because it’s the one thing I’ve always done well –

I hope it keeps me from hell –

A superpower against the spell of any patronizing blockade

Of klan-facing detractors that try to threaten my voice

And the voices that came before me

Because I have always been a storyteller

               And I was born to make those who promise poison

                              Feel their unattended pain in their insides when I speak

To challenge homeostatic castles stolen and placed upon the dead bodies of the earth’s truest farmers

               You know, the ones who used the soil without degrading human beings in the process

And to the folks who justify their deaths

Like when they summarized genocide by calling it a “counter-offense”

People like that, I pray that I’m able to make their minds shake

               To challenge them by night

                              Pray, wake,

Wake up again,

and do it all over

And there are some of us who have the knowing

that the world cannot turn

In any different direction

If the storytellers’ passages are left unseen, and unheard

               And if children don’t grow up rehearsing those words

               Of the multi-versed people who take care of the earth

               Whose stories live beyond their entrance into the dirt

Let us record these record-keepers

               And the improvised sounds that they made

               The poetics of their words that allow us to create

                                                                                                         Survival

Take notice of their most potent words,

               And their subtle love in the words between

                              That play like blessings into your ears,

                                                                           And in your wildest dreams

For Survival

And for Connection

And what of the blessings that make their way to our many mother-tongues

And what if we gathered so many sharing stories, that we could honor each one

And when the time comes for you to speak too –

And even when white wolves and foxes threaten to eat you –

Do not ask permission from the people who smugly reap

               The benefits of your ancestors’ oppression on repeat

Do not fear those who are okay with your people being dead

                              Be. Witness. Hear. Listen attentively.

And Be a storyteller instead.

About the Author

Dr. Zain Shamoon is a graduate professor in couple and family therapy. He is dedicated to the creation of spaces where people can tell their personal stories en route to their own wellness. He currently practices therapy online at Northwest Relationships in Tacoma, and is also the host and founder of the Narratives of Pain storytelling showcase.

He received his Ph.D. in human development and family studies, as well as his Master’s degree in Couple and Family Therapy from Michigan State University. His research focused on domestic violence in South Asian communities and how survivors’ personal stories help address service needs.

In his twenties, Zain used be a competitive slam poet and performance artist.