for baba./for khaliifah williams.
by KWADWO ALFAJIRI SHAH
in Spring 2025
caption
for baba.
22 Nov 23
baba oduno
tall as a tree
and spirit taller still
just as wise
roots reaching deep
down into the soil
as you remind us
“there is no culture
without agriculture”
baba oduno
beaumont-raised
from hoop star
to black star
both disciple
and prophet
always approaching with a smile
and grateful to talk for a while
baba, could you stay a while longer?
baba oduno
speaking in tongues
that young students could
only hope to understand
we turned our ears
to you
and listened
till we did
baba oduno
you were our elder
now beloved ancestor
you guided us
not to follow you but
to find our own way
you taught us
“character
family
land”
and you set us free.
baba,
i know you’re free now
spirit shining like a star
may it rise like Ra
rest, baba, rest
for i know when the time comes
you will continue to lead us
just as faithfully
just as well
and we will continue to sing your name
baba,
baba oduno
for khaliifah williams.
on the day of his 24 Sep 24
murder 6:19pm
when rainforest dies / everybody
cries a little
today
a man i
do not know
is being murdered
by the state
right now
he’s being
strapped down
because
how else
do you
pinpoint
a pesky
life?
more bloodsuckers surround me than i
myself can handle. i swat at them
ineffectively
or smack them against my skin
whose blood is it? someone else’s or my own?
the two are indistinguishable in this moment. i just know
i have red stains on my palm
i know i have blood on my hands.
tonight
all i can do is go inside
and wash the dishes
before my family returns home
i’ll stare out the window at the sky
and see you among the stars.
tomorrow
i’ll learn to clean a gun
with the same amount of care
and ensure
my family will always make it out
and come back home
i just wanna dance tonight . . .
Alfajiri is a brightly burning star among billions of others that burn just the same. They were trained in Black study at Howard University and hold a graduate degree in data science for public policy from a different colonial institution. They are searching for ways to free themself and free others in the process. Some of their works may be found in A Gathering Together, The Mid-Atlantic Review, and Hood Communist.
