Safia Elhillo - Alien Suite

[@abeeralhasan1611]

Seven years passed and I still come back here for a good cry. This will always be my favorite.

[@nahlasalih9739]

Same:,)

[@cricri51000]

Same 🥹

[@jaysaydeeafriqueen8471]

Same

[@SpaztasticSheep]

Yess

[@helmholtz_]

She said "thank you" at the end like she didn't just rip my wig off

[@literarylivi]

Like she didn’t just rip my throat out

[@Moonstreamfeline]

Her book 'The January Children" is just wonderful, with poems from this but so much other great work.

[@electraNOIR]

as an arabic speaker who has learned the language, I have nothing to compare the depths of its colourful speech. And this speaker from sudan captures it so beautifully.

[@victoriawinters1488]

"Did our mothers invent loneliness or did it make them our mothers."

[@EmanElmeligy]

I don't get the meaning behind this.. Can someone please explain?! :)

[@dibiasx4744]

Do women pretend to be lonely when there is a world of people around them? Or does true loneliness make them settle for any man and become a mother for the company? That's how I understood it.

[@EmanElmeligy]

Oh yes that sounds about right! :D Thanks!

[@myishenhaines1706]

I didn't read any pretending in that. It's about if women were always lonely and being a mother didn't change that, or if loneliness is what made them a mother.

[@MohammedAliprofile]

The nice part about poetry is how it moves you. Could mean different things depending on your experiences and reflection

[@preciousjackson1197]

as someone from a country wreck by civil war she puts to words everything I feel

[@ButtonPoetry]

Thank you for posting. Safia is one of the most unique poets we've ever worked with - happy her work connected!

[@Lelii321]

I need to learn arabic ASAP. The language is BEYOND beautiful.

[@zahraael-annan6664]

Am arabic if you want me to teach you. Lebanese to be specific and the the first sentence she first said was one of my favorite songs by fairouz ❤️

[@Vprolife100]

Zahraa, can you translate to me that first phrase, please :)

[@mischa2643]

Same, Arie

[@aryangurung30]

@@zahraael-annan6664 I am not arabic but i listen to fairouz and im in love with those songs

[@paintasmiledarling5727]

I honestly loved the way she described her parents in the 80's the picture she painted in my mind was so beautiful

[@fatimael-hassan7807]

i like the part when she talks about Khartoum in the 80s. the whole mood changes and i feel like im there when she starts with, "but tonight" at 3:29 . the imagery and even her tone of voice makes everything so warm and sweet.

[@dizm1025]

I've purchased 2 of her books and I still come back to listen to this twice a month.

[@victorial5220]

Me too! I'm completely in love

[@emersonsage1099]

This is the most beautiful, clever, timely, and awe-striking poem I have ever heard. Regardless of any winnings, Safia Elhillo will forever be a notable poet in my book.

[@rklaughingworld8371]

Tell me the title of the poem??

[@katiezeleski9262]

it doesn't get better than this. I imagine everyone's faces in the crowd were in complete shock at the art they just witnessed.

[@goodinbf]

I will never stop listening to this. My favorite spoken word I've ever heard.

[@jordyikes8422]

"The wrong man is an alternative to love" I could listen to Safia all day..

[@isaiahwilliams8597]

wow... this is a poem that restarts a heart that has lost its tatse for life, thank you.

[@clandestino6438]

Every cell in my body is shaking. this is so beautiful. it reminds me of the story of my own country and my own mother

[@rklaughingworld8371]

Title of the poem??

[@leejohnson8102]

I forget my own name sometimes, how does she manage to memorize this entire poem?!

[@ZiaHayes143]

its actually like 12 poems. I know the first 8 minutes are 8 different poems.

[@Марги́Кои]

It's not a poem if it's your life story.. you don't forget that. I promise. You never forget a word of it.

[@mayaeveileb8512]

It’s like learning a song, it’s a lot about how it makes you feel. Certain things just stick with you. You can learn all the words to an entire album but stumble over your own name.

[@kendrickjamone6608]

@@ZiaHayes143 thats why I said thats how you spoken word, take your moment perform your best pieces and tie

[@abeeralhasan1611]

I always come back to this and i cry every time

[@KATVALENTINE]

Tongue of a god, she has.

[@jamieoutrich]

No matter how many times I return to these poems, I'm still awestruck by them.

[@rklaughingworld8371]

Can you tell me the title of the poem??

[@jamieoutrich]

The poet is reading about a dozen short poems back to back. The comment below mine actually writes out each poem and their start times - The book that a lot (if not all) of these poems are in is called The January Children by Safia Elhillo and it's available on Amazon and from the University of Nebraska Press. Hope that helps!

[@rklaughingworld8371]

Thanks🙏🌹

[@ajijolahabeeb9291]

Regardless of how many times I watch this video i can't but be blown away every single time. This is one of the most beautiful thing i've ever heard. Absolutely beautiful and thought provoking

[@ablackpetal]

I could listen to this woman for a long forever

[@oliviabourgeois6805]

Was commenting as listening about half way through but then a line made me drop my phone and wow, I just....i'm crying. Thank you, ty so much.

[@awritingdesk]

"no language has given me the rhyme between ocean and wound that I know to be true" fuuuck

[@saritalarasati1594]

I was going to quote a little piece of this poem but every line of them is pure gold

[@hannahkline9104]

PSA if you listen to this while a storm is going on its pure magic

[@moizaburaida9260]

I NEED ACHANCE OF ONE FULL DAY AT LEAST TO SHOOSE THE WORDS, TO COMMENT.

[@RashmikaLikesBooks]

Her poetry is a gift to the whole world. I'm so glad she was willing to share it here.

[@ashleyemanuela]

Safia. Wow. Deep rooted. The light shines through her eyes. Simply amazing, both her and the poem.

[@annaceliaramirez8558]

i have now listened to this more than 10 times - beautiful

[@sydneynina3429]

i've been crying over this for the past hour, i've watched it now 3 times.

[@AnythingWithAbeat]

I keep coming back to this, time and time again. She's majestic and mesmerising. She hooks me in and ground me with with every line. I wish her much success.

[@Dana-eo6hm]

This is amazing I was left speechless. I felt shivers down my spine

[@dukeville89]

I"m honestly lost for words....I mean.......What sensible thing can I say to describe how beautiful this was!?

[@BELLACOXPOET]

This is stunning. She is so beautifully poised in the way she recites and everything flows so well! That must be at least 6 different poems back to back. What an inspiration. She made me feel.

[@rklaughingworld8371]

Title plzz??

[@scorpioninpink]

Wow. I am speechless. And it took me at least 10 minutes to actually right this comment because I was awe struck by this poetry. Wow, just wow.

[@salmaachour7509]

This made me cry so hard. I swear I felt every word she said.

[@abeeralhasan1611]

I always come back to this video for a cry and a swollen heart❤️

[@ESBeyBiggestFan]

Safia, you make me proud to be Sudanese!

[@NylahK]

Wow wow wow, I've heard good things about Safia for years! Don't know why it's taken me this long to check her out, this was so beautiful.

[@churasannoo]

“Is it wasteful, or wistful, to pray for our brothers in a language they never learned…” this line broke me, my sister is unwilling to learn our indigenous language and it makes me cry every day

[@rayandiriye3612]

She is soo fierce and honest its amazing to think there are women like her what a badass😘

[@bintangdomena]

Really great! An inspiration to aspiring poets and musicians like me!! Thank you!

[@annabethchase9643]

these pieces are beautiful. her words are beautiful. she is beautiful. i wish i was as confident as her.

[@Deonte-eg1wr]

I still love her as a poet in 2024

[@iTeamDrizzyXO]

this was one of the best poems I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing. thank you so much for sharing.

[@BUKCOLLECTOR]

Enjoyed your poems. And your unique word choices enhanced the poems emotional impact and kept me engaged throughout. I’m a poet specializing in Japanese forms: haiku, tanka, haibun, kyoka, senryu. I hope you don’t mind me sharing a tanka and my haiku, a tribute poem to Bashō’s frog with commentary by the late AHA founder and poet Jane Reichhold who considered my Basho haiku among her top 10 haiku of all time. What an honor. Here’s the Bashō poem and commentary: Bashō’s frog four hundred years of ripples At first the idea of picking only 10 of my favorite haiku seemed a rather daunting task. How could I review all the haiku I have read in my life and decide that there were only 10 that were outstanding? Then realized I was already getting a steady stream of excellent haiku day by day through the AHA forum. The puns and write-offs based on Basho's most famous haiku are so numerous I would have said that nothing new could be said with this method, but here Al Fogel proved me wrong. Perhaps part of my delight in this haiku lies in the fact that I agree with him. Here he is saying one thing about realism-ripples are on a pond after a frog jumps in, but because it refers back to Basho and his famous haiku, he is also saying something about the haiku and authors who have followed him. We, and our work, are just ripples while Basho holds the honor of inventing the idea of the sound of a frog leaping is the sound of water As haiku spreads around the world, making ripples in more and larger ponds, its ripples are wider-including us all. But his last word reminds us all that we are ripples and our lives ephemeral. It will be the frogs that will remain. ~~ And my tanka: returning home from a Jackson Pollock exhibition I smear my face with paint and morph into art ~~ -All love in isolation from Miami Beach, Florida, Al

[@mischa2643]

The segment of the test about Oum Kalthum had me sobbing a minute in.

[@michaelasus4858]

She describes my entire life in few minutes. Simply impeccable!

[@Polina-lh3xc]

this is absolutely breathtaking, i feel like i can relate a lot. i've watched it so many times, that now i know every word by heart, like safia knows the phone numbers of the ones who have lied the most.

[@storypoetproductions]

This moved me! Beautiful spoken and poignantly written. Thank you for sharing!

[@farahissa5220]

Storypoet Smith kk

[@gazellep]

I have no words for how brilliant this is!

[@paulinhaestadual213]

What did I just watch??? This is amazing!! Congrats Aziza, and thank you!

[@ButtonPoetry]

This is actually Safia Elhillo (Aziza is the recommended poet in the description) :)

[@paulinhaestadual213]

Oh sorry haha Congrats Safia :) You're incredible

[@killahsam718]

+Button Poetry did she win the competition?

[@hannahbethard1411]

God this is so incredible and doubtlessly breathtaking. I love this so much.

[@yaseenal-tahir935]

I have never heard anything like this. it's awesome, your awesome thank you

[@ibrahimalkoum946]

oh sister you make me cry really you are awsome and reflected good image about our sudanese art

[@sanajarrar6993]

mashaAllah. i never stop being stunned by this breathtaking piece

[@annabananabones08]

What a gorgeous language

[@xqzmia.williams7191]

thank you.

[@SeekingAbetterWAY]

This was everything I wanted and even more.

[@ash0s]

so beautiful. so so so so beautiful.

[@arikares]

SHE KILLED IT

[@chexyface13]

speechless

[@GracefullyKaren]

Safia's poems are amazing. She is pretty too.

[@SumaH]

Wow. I've got goose bumps.

[@twoeygray5186]

i cried so many times at cupsi watching this.

[@taniciapratt]

I'm about to buy that book!

[@user-pd9fe1vx3i]

A mouthful, I love this 💗

[@ButtonPoetry]

Nobody does it like Safia. What a writer.

[@khamsengbohagi2597]

It was amazing..... she is beautiful....

[@100uand100me]

و أنا هويت هذه القصيدة الملقاة. Amazing.

[@Vprolife100]

Okay... I've watched this poem three times in a row. That's 45 minutes listening to the same poem.

[@rklaughingworld8371]

Can you tell me the title of the poem? Plzz

[@sharaf515]

this is beyond amazing. thank you and greetings from Egypt

[@anopenbook4611]

This poem is so beautiful, I want to weep.

[@Blacksasuke07]

This is my poetry coach!!!! Yas Safia show them

[@dogsense26]

Beautiful. Hanging on every word

[@salamalmahi541]

I AM SHOOK New favorite poet!!

[@alisaleh8903]

Beautiful, from start to finish

[@sanaa2972]

Made me sob. Beautiful.

[@aiden.reads.tarott]

So eerie and beautiful at the same time.

[@shlokavedya]

I haven't heard anything more beautiful !

[@ArunaAnand1]

Safia Loved your poem it is amazing .

[@jamesbrowne4660]

I feel humbled by your wisdom. Thank you.

[@LLforalongtime]

Woah! I love this so much.

[@kylakaplan1314]

Wow, I have no words, this is amazing...

[@AnythingWithAbeat]

I wish I knew Arabic. This entire poem is beautiful :)

[@Maya-uj2pg]

This is so beautiful. No words...

[@taetoetots]

Beautiful!

[@hambos]

That is a masterpiece

[@beautifuldreamworldb.d.w999]

It was so beuatiful loved it 😍❤️😘💯💯❤️❤️😇

[@anthonyourbrother]

poetry inspiring woman🙏

[@ButtonPoetry]

Isn't she? One of one!

[@xoxAnnieHerexox]

wow

[@charlesgates9786]

Wow. I'm impressed. :)

[@mansnas7137]

انا مش فاهم حاجة لكن كلماتها دخلت قلبي بقوة .. اى لف سودان

[@latifaa.b669]

That's beyond beautiful!!

[@AhmedIbrahim-nm2ch]

صفية الحِلو ، هل لي بأن أفخر كل الفخر لأننا فقط من منطقة واحدة ، من الأبنوس من المهوقني ، من شلالات جبل مرة من نيلاً أبيض وآخر أزرق ، من شمس السادسة صباحاً ، من أمطار الغرق..! هل لي بفخر ان أفخر بك..؟

[@connerleemusic]

Absolutely stunning.

[@Checknerd]

good lord this is absolutely beautiful

[@indigo6485]

I'm snapping so much great piece

[@letizia_aa1721]

Goosebumps.

[@nawfalAbdullah]

رائع، ويستحق الترجمة إلى العربية..

[@muvhusiningimmbara]

Unparalleled.