you please introduce yourself to the readers?
My name is Abadir Hashi, I have been writing poetry for a year and a half now. As well as a poet, I’m also a designer and an artist. I’m now 18 years old, currently living in London-England. I was born in Somalia and came to the UK when I was 7. I gave been fortunate enough to visit my motherland twice in my life. The first time in 2006 and the second time in 2011; this is the reason why I particularly write about Somalia and its struggles. I want to become an Architect one day and hopefully restore Somalia to its full beauty.
When did you first start writing poetry and was there any particular incidents in your life that inspired you to write?
First I wrote poetry was when I was in year 10. It was for a ‘Speaking and Listening Assessment’ and I chose to write and perform a poetry unlike everyone one else who did a presentation. I never knew I was capable of writing poetry but since art come naturally to me, it wasn’t hard to transition my talent into words. I also began to listen to multiple YouTube clips of poets found on ‘Def Poetry Jam’ and ‘Brave new Voices.
What does "being creative" mean to you?
For me, being creative means you have absolute freedom to express what you think without any boundaries. You are free to use words, art and other forms of expression to voice your message. Being creative is also being able to be inspired – creativity can do so much but once you’re inspired, you are driven to finish it to the end.
What do you try to communicate with your poetry?
My poetry is my vessel for a brighter future. Knives and bullets can hurt you but words run deeper, it’s a force to be reckoned with and a beckon of hope. My poetry, art and designs are not there to be seen but to be felt, they are my cannonball to spread peace, happiness and faith to the ears that stand before me.
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
The best way, for me, to get back into writing is to do ‘free writing’. It means you have to write whatever comes to mind in a short space of time between 5-10mins. You should never lift your pen from the page until the time is up. You can also have words that someone shouts out to you randomly whilst you write.
What this allows you to do is to have raw material that you can change later and make it sound fancy. Ultimately this ‘free writing’ would give you a backbone of some sort so that you can fall back to. Surprisingly, the best lines and stanzas are sometimes accidental – so don’t make your poetry seem such a hassle; have fun and enjoy it.
Do you sit and think through every word of every stanza or do you just write freely and allow the words to flow?
I love to write whilst travelling on the bus or the underground. I hardly ever sit down silently and write; I like the loud and busy environments that would let my mind run wild. Also, I usually write freely to let the words flow and experiment with them.
Who are some of your favorite poets?
I get inspiration from all types of poets, combination of classical poets: Wordsworth, Shelley, Keats, Frost, DH Lawrence, Blake, Shakespeare, etc. To more current faces you would see in ‘Def poetry jam’ and ‘Brave new Voices’
What advice do you have for aspiring poets? Any word of advice for closet poets?
If you’re not sure about poetry or feel not confident enough to share yours; I would greatly suggest going to open mic nights and spoken word competitions to get inspiration. The poetry scene is very small, you would always meet people more than once and the community you would gain is amazing.
Anything else you would like to share?
Anyone can write poetry, you just have to believe in your words… believe that IT WILL BE HEARD AND FELT!
