Meet Sudan Where She’s At
By Shams Alkamil
Identifies with the nation of Sudan
After Angela Townsend
I have asked God to help me love anti-blackness. Love speaks
between the lines, so I will color colorism. Love blooms &
explodes, so I will be delighted to plant grenades
in Sudan.
I do not need to be the thought leader on Instagram who
tailgates pre-apologies with post-apologies. I mouth the
We are one Ummah catchphrase falsely televised in his
eyes. I trip over his prayer mat. I straddle donation boxes. I
digitize the Wicked Witch of Sudan, off to the races in the
DM’s—spell forthcoming.
I do not need to be the teacher who stickers herself an A+
when she correctly ranks white babies to black. Her
lunchtime rudely interrupted by wails across the Mercator
projection. Her aromatherapy nap pungent with burnt
flesh. She sticks her finger inside the diffuser hole to quiet
the smell. Ms. [redacted] is still available for Al-Jazeera.
I do not need anti-blackness, only to color it. I awake
before the local rooster, bedazzle his orange vest, do my
canvassing down the Median Income of $116,250
neighborhood. I need to write alone. I need to pluck florals
from thought pieces until Sudan fertilizes inside ivory
ovules. I need to titter at burning villages until Arabs have
pity on me. I need to press my ear against the minefield
until El Fasher’s final shrieks are muted. I need faceless
racists to seduce me We are one ummah.
God has ghosted my request. I will follow up with a DM.
User: Wicked Witch of Sudan.
Shams Alkamil is a Sudanese Muslim poet. Alkamil began writing as a mode of self-expression to then being twice nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Her debut book, "West 24th Street", highlights the anchor a location has on lived experiences. Alkamil speaks of her struggles with race, self-love, and the Muslim immigrant experience.
Alkamil's work has appeared internationally in Mizna, Torch Literary Arts, The Ana, Ruth Weiss Foundation, Tofu Ink Arts Press, Poet's Choice, and more.
Her second book, "When Time is Circular" (Broadstone Books, 2024), was published in June 2024.