I Am You, Differently Poem by Samudeen M.A. Ilimu

Man birthed to struggle
In this life,
With hopes of changing the world
Positively,
Giving up is never an option

Rode on saddles on the back of our mothers
Fathers hiding behind blurred excuses
Hell, synonymous to the classroom
Hope lost in plain sight
Innocence of children washed away

Follow suit or an outcast you are
In the midst of your mates
Recoiling into the realm of imaginary friends
From authors of generations and millennia ago
Gave us respite, a few

Man created perfectly imperfect
Dealing with the nuances of life
Like a storm, raging unabated
We lose our paths now and again
Like a pendulum, swinging to and fro

I am like you, imperfect
In his famous write up ‘Nuuniyat Al-Qahtaani'
Andalusian Maliki scholar Imam Al-Qahtaani informs
'Had you knowledge of the ugliness of my bed
Then no one would offer his Salaam when he meets me'

Teachers teach and are guides to their own truth
The best are those who lead you to face you own truth
So you do not depart from it, ever
Our war with Satan draws on unabatedly
Satan, we can beat through sincere repentance, continuously

We are married to SINS today
Not even shy of its repugnance and stench
Beating the gong and Fontonfrom,
In announcing
To the whole world our sullied matrimony

Today I declare wholeheartedly,
Yes, I am worse than the best you think of me
But, I am better than the worst you think of me
You could call it whatever you wish, contradiction
Yet none of those clearly defines me

When the time comes, without goodbyes
Remember, I tried to contribute my quota
In changing a world that changed us
Telling stories in my own way
Trough worship, seeking the pleasure and mercies of the Almighty

Perhaps, you call me a flawed genius