MICRO

origin story #4

By ASLI MAHDI | 13 FEB 2019

By Viviane Sassen — Photo by Bogdan Radu

my shadows, to you, are trapdoors.
my shadows, to me, are back doors;

I am a woman who puts her shadows
to use as a retreat from the world.

Asli Mahdi is a Black Muslim poet of Somali descent from Canada. She is a dark lipstick connoisseur, Solange stan, and 90s R&B historian. She received an MA in Geography and a BA in Anthropology from Carleton University Her poetry has been published in The Offing.

MICRO

"Girlhood" and "Southern Charm"

By STEVIE EDWARDS

So you said I love you / into the seventh glass of dry wine, / as the hurricane declared your street / a river.

POETRY

Some Girls Survive on Their Sorcery Alone

By THIAHERA NURSE

How easy it is to eat through the faces / of black girls with your weapons.

MICRO

Origin Stories

By ASLI MAHDI

My black is a story of night and day.
My black is a story of mud and clay.