Arts·Poetic License

Ifrah Hussein is the friend who tells you what you need to hear in her poem Till the Moon

"You cannot force a lifetime of what was only meant to live with you for a moment."

'You cannot force a lifetime of what was only meant to live with you for a moment'

Ifrah Hussein is the friend who tells you what you need to hear in her poem Till the Moon

4 years ago
Duration 0:33
"You cannot force a lifetime of what was only meant to live with you for a moment."

For the fifth edition of Poetic License, we decided to celebrate short poems from poets across Canada. In these illustrated videos, you will hear from emerging talent, award-winning poets and poets laureate, plus the three Canadians on the Griffin Poetry Prize shortlist — the world's largest international prize for a first-edition single collection of poetry written in or translated into English.

Do you have one of those friends who always tells you exactly what you need to hear, even when you're not quite ready to hear it? In this short poem, called Till The Moon, award-winning Somali Canadian poet Ifrah Hussein is that friend, delivering in these lines a few truths that may stay with you longer than you'd care to admit.

Hussein is the 2017 Canadian Individual Poetry Slam champion and a 2018 World Cup of Slam Poetry finalist. In 2019, Hussein toured her poetry around North America and has performed everywhere from Regina to Brazil. For more of her work, check out her book of poetry, An Anthology of Grief: Or the Ways a Somali Woman Loves.

Listen to Ifrah Hussein perform Till The Moon in the video above and read the poem below.

Till The Moon

You cannot force a lifetime of what
was only meant to live with you for a moment. 
you hold onto things beyond their expiry
then wonder why your fiancé's name
no longer tastes like yesterday's joy.
if ever it means I will receive 
the love I am worthy of, 
then by God, 
i shall wait till the moon dips
and the third of the night arrives.
and when the world is burning at your feet, 
remember you still have a God who created fire.

See more from Poetic License.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lucius Dechausay is a video producer at CBC Arts, as well as a freelance illustrator and filmmaker. His short films and animations have been screened at a number of festivals including The Toronto International Film Festival and Hot Docs. Most recently he directed KETTLE, which is currently streaming at CBC Short Docs.

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