Poet of the week: Asha Ali

Would you please introduce yourself to the readers?

My name is Asha Ali, I currently live in London  but my heart and soul reside in a coastal city of Somalia.

I hope someday soon that i will be able to relocate to Somalia and write under a tree somewhere. Although I am grateful for the privilege of living in the west, home is always where the heart is.

When did you first start writing poetry and was there any particular incidents in your life that inspired you to write?

I first started writing at the age of 15 and most of my poems were about love, or what i perceived it to be at that age. I was feeling many emotions which didn't seem to make any sense to me; writing became a form of liberation.

What does "being creative" mean to you?

Creativity to me means being unique in your approach to channel information, in a world where we are told what and how to think its important to maintain the strength to keep your identity. 

What do you try to communicate with your poetry?

I try to communicate issues that I am passionate about, there are so many ugly truths in the world which we can't change.  speaking about these issues is empowering.

What do you do when you go into a dry spell of some sort or how do you write another piece when you have been away from it for some time? Do you sit and think through every word of every stanza or do you just write freely and allow the words to flow?

I find  that poetry comes to me when I am not completely focused, I might be sitting on a bus and the best verses come to my head. There are times that I want to write about something but the words do not flow the way i want, in that instance I take a leave it and I am bound to find inspiration elsewhere.

Who are some of your favorite poets?

To be honest i do not  have any because I do not read the works of poets.

What advice do you have for aspiring poets? Any word of advice for closet poets?

Let your heart do the writing and let go of any fear.

Anything else you would like to share?

Sometimes we may be reluctant to speak about certain issues for fear of alienation, but if you hold back from speaking the truth you are selling yourself short.