Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head is a collection of poetry written by Somali-British author Warsan Shire. Warsan has previously written chapbooks Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth and Her Blue Body. She also wrote poetry for the visual album Lemonade and the Disney film Black Is King, both in collaboration with Beyonce. Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head is her first full collection of poetry, and it doesn’t disappoint.
Bless the Daughter Raised By a Voice in Her Head / Buy on Amazon UK / Buy on Amazon US
The way Warsan Shire describes things in these poems is a testament to how many unbelievable things she’s experienced. It’s hard to imagine anyone describing things so distinctively without having a first-hand experience with the subject matter.
Coin-sized burns on both her wrists, unable to imagine a life unbound.
Warsan Shire – Dahabshiil Sends Blessings
In the poem Barwaaqo, Shire details some of the sights and senses of Somalia. And this poem instantly brought back memories of my own past in my family’s country of Jamaica, where there are similar sights, sounds and smells.
Hooyo is young again, breath of sweet guava, oud-scented tumeric, glow, soft as ripe mango, reaching on rooftops of silk.
Warsan Shire – Barwaaqo
In my favorite poem “Backwards,” Warsan unleashed her creativity by describing shocking events that are being reversed in graphic detail. And then, the poem itself is reversed.
Step-dad spits liquor back into glass, Mum’s body rolls back up the stairs, the bone pops back into place.
Warsan Shire – Backwards
You will encounter many foreign words from Warsan’s culture in this book, as well as some words from the Qur’an. Thankfully, there is a glossary of all of these terms in the back of the book, and you may want to keep this page bookmarked for quick reference.
This poetry collection has themes of abuse, womanhood, adolescence, and immigration. It also allows the reader to picture the life of refugees.
These foreign words did not harm the collection in any way. In fact, they add to the experience. They allow the reader to dive further into Warsan’s ethos. And that’s the beauty of this collection, being able to understand the lived experience of the author and others with a similar background.
Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head is a powerful collection of poetry full of raw emotion. It will break your heart while you appreciate its artistic merits.
