Activities of Sahid Alhaji Kanu

This is not a drill.
Not a test of the heart,
not practice for grief.
The sirens are real,
...

The cost of freedom,
was me.
The parts I gave away to fit,
The silence I wore to keep the peace,
...

We shouted loud in crowded streets,
Where broken truths and anger meet.
With hands up high and eyes like flame,
We carried more than just a name.
...

We did not bring swords—
we brought signs.
We did not bring fire—
but they lit one in our minds.
...

Dear Mr. President, can you hear! ?
The streets are loud, the voices clear.
Not from the halls where power sits, But from the cracks, the slums, the pits.
...

They cried into soil no one blessed,
Their names erased, their truth suppressed.
But still, their tears refused to drown—
they sank like roots beneath the ground.
...

We write with fire on trembling page,
Ink born of sorrow, voice of rage.
No need for fists when words ignite—
Our verses march, our stanzas fight,
...

Oh girl child,
A rare gem
A care giver
A potential mother
...

Imperfection is Perfection at its Best
In a society, image is everything. You are judged from the people you hang out with, the things you do, the clothes you wear. People shout out that the boy sitting in the corner of gym class is too fat or whisper about how that girl down the hall is far too skinny. The head of the dance team is told she has one too many curves and should not be "poppin' and lockin'" with so much confidence, yet the cheerleader is criticized for her petite stature and flat chest. The boy with the glasses? He gets bullied daily for his lack of social activity, meanwhile the football is faking his confidence and putting on a persona simply to hold up his high school reputation.

Children grow up with the assurance that beauty is on the inside, and that what is on the outside doesn't matter, yet this statement has proven itself to be false time and time again. These children were lied to. You were lied to. I was lied to. The world is cruel. It is judgmental and ignorant. People are turned down their dream jobs over the most miniscule stupidities, such as the fact that they have a tattoo on their arm or because their hair is purple. You are judged at every corner of your journey, and your world will always revolve around the physicality of how you look.
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