Haneen Alhassoun: Spoken word lets hijabi artist have her say

She first became involved in spoken word poetry when poets Greg “Ritalin” Frankson and Beth Ann-Fisher ran a two-day workshop at Fielding Drive Public School.  They were impressed by her work and introduced her to the Ottawa Youth Poetry Slam, which provides a space for children and youth interested in spoken word to hone their writing and performance skills.

Haneen, a Palestinian-Canadian who wears hijab, has found Ottawa's spoken word scene to be incredibly welcoming and accepting of Muslims. Haneen has performed across the city and lent her talents as a performer at various fundraisers. She hopes to record a poetry/rap mix-tape in collaboration with other local Muslim artists.

Uplands Boys by Haneen Alhassoun

This

Is for the boy who always dreamed to be a thug

For the one who lives in a home

But claims his home is the streets

For the one who chops green

And inhales it every morning like it's oxygen

His O2 became HTC

And HTC replaced the ABCs on his triangles

And I missed him in math class

When my thoughts were slightly off the graph

Because he was outside hustling cash

But still felt like an outcast

This is for the boy who always dreamed to be a rapper

Trying to get girls' attention with his swagger

Blasting Lil Wayne pretending that his crappy words mattered

This is for the boy who looks at his blunt papers like they're newspapers

As if he's a subject and green is the dictator

This is for the boy who walks with that thuggish limb

Can't get any girl but still calls himself a pimp

This is for you

For your red puffy eyes, your pale yellow skin and the green in your pocket like you're a traffic light

But fail to see the light of God outshining your sins

So you tweet , "sukran in the afternoon"

That means drunk in the afternoon

Not trying to drink down your misery or heal a wound

But simply paint one

Don't get me wrong, but you're the one who told me stay strong

But now I see you crumbling like the ashes falling from your cigarette

Maybe if I collect the ashes

Transform them back into a thin good looking bullet

Ignite it

Smoke it

Reenact your life with the smoke

You'll wake up to reality

You'll wake up to the fact that wanting to be like those boys behind the fence at school is not the best choice

And this

Is for you too boys

You're the ones I used to see in that Uplands corner

And I used to walk by you like you're criminals

But I realized that life and poverty are the criminals

They're the ones who stole your innocence

Murdered your dreams

And buried your sorrows in a Smirnoff bottle

You are soldiers

And the soles of your shoes look like at some point you were running from death

But still hold a killer in your palms

That trigger looks more like a stripper

So you pull her closer

But I promise you

The struggle is almost over

You're the ones who deserve statutes from gold like Romeo and Juliet

Because the love for your dreams is almost stronger

You're the ones who have rap battles in front of the drug mart

To show them that hip hop is the real medicine

You're the ones who dunk that basketball like you're kangaroos

Jumping so damn high hoping to fly out of this zoo

I've always wanted to stop and talk to one of you

But each one of you has faced charges

They charged you for trying to live better

But here's something better

Dear "wanna be" kid and the boys of Uplands

You all believe in God,

So it's time to pull your hands out

Of your pockets and pray for him

And allow him to outshine your sins and wash them with his mercy

Let the prayer mat kiss your forehead

Hold rosary beads in your hands instead of bra straps

Hold a holy book in instead of blunt papers

Recite God's words instead yelling, "five 0 five 0 five 0"

Chase your dreams

And I hope to see you all in heaven

God willing