today’s body fires
not jihadis or kamikazes
still
they don’t sway our scrambling
statements/sign ons/sinking symbols
don’t make us stop and feel
our minuteness
the brevity
between the last flame and limpness
— In honour of the acts of an unnamed woman in Atlanta, December 1, 2023
and Aaron Bushnell, February 25, 2024
* in yoga: focused gaze
Salimah Valiani is a poet and researcher. Her poetry collection, 29 leads to love, was the 2022 Winner of the International Book Award for Contemporary Poetry. Her forthcoming collection, IGoli EGoli, will be released later this year by Botsotso Press.