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2020 (Take 1), by Hakim ‘Ali

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IT’S 2020

WELL, ANOTHER DECADE HAS PASSED

WHAT HAPPENED IN THOSE 10 YEARS REMAIN IN THE PAST

BUT WE SHOULD BE FOCUSING ON THE HERE & NOW

WE MAY NOT HAVE ANOTHER DECADE TO BLOW

SO, LET’S THINK ABOUT THE YEAR JUST ENDED

DID YOU ACCOMPLISH WHAT YOU INTENDED?

DID YOU GAIN IN WISDOM AND STRENGTH?

OR WERE YOU SWAYED AND CONVINCED BY A FEEBLE EVENT?

WERE YOU FAITHFUL TO YOUR CORE AND BELIEF?

OR DID 2019 HAVE YOU RUNNING AND SEEKING RELIEF?

I CAN’T SAY THAT LAST YEAR WAS SUCCESSFUL

I HAD TOO MANY PERIODS OF BEING STRESSFUL

I LOST A LOT OF PEOPLE I LOVED

I STARTED TO LOSE MY FAITH IN THE ABOVE

I SEPARATED FROM FRIENDS OF THE PAST

I WAS SHOCKED AND ROCKED WHEN I LEARNED LOVE DIDN’T LAST

I THOUGHT I KNEW WHO WERE MY REAL FRIENDS

AND WASN’T SURE HOW TO BEGIN AGAIN

I FINALLY GOT BACK TO WHAT WAS ALWAYS THERE

MY REAL FRIENDS, MY MUSLIM FAMILY AND MY PRAYER

YES! 2019 ENDED MUCH BETTER THAT IT BEGUN

I STARTED TO HAVE SOME REAL FUN

I BEGAN TO SMILE AND LAUGH AGAIN

I REMEMBERED WHAT I HAD AGAIN

I REMEMBERED TO BE THANKFUL FOR LIFE, FOR FAMILY, FOR THE LOVE

OF

MY

LORD

SURELY, I WOULDN’T HAVE MADE IT WITHOUT HIM

YES! 2020 WILL BE BETTER, MY MAN

I KNOW THIS BECAUSE “MY LIFE” HAS RETURNED AGAIN…..

-Peace, Hakim ‘Ali

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THE “OTHER” 2020, by Hakim ‘Ali

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[NOTE from Hakim ‘Ali: It has been my practice and tradition to write a poem greeting each new year. But 2020 has been unique (to say the least), so I’m writing about the END of 2020, THE OTHER 2020]. 

IN LIFE THERE’S AN AUTOMATIC  MISSION 

AND 

THERE’S NO SIN IF THERE’S PERMISSION 

BUT 

SOMETIMES THINGS SEEM TO GO AWRY 

SO 

YOU WONDER IF YOU’LL MAKE IT OUT ALIVE 

THERE’S BLOOD STAINS IN THE STREETS 

THERE’S THE STRONGEST PERSON TURNING TOWARDS BEING WEAK 

THERE’S NORMALLY OUR VICTORIES, TURNING INTO DEFEATS 

AND 

WE SEEM TO CHANGE OUR BEAT 

TO 

TRYING TO MAKE IT OUT ALIVE 

MANY PEOPLE IN MY COMMUNITY ARE OF BLACK SKIN 

AND 

THEY’S HIDING, RUNNING AND SCARED OUT OF THE DANGER WITHIN 

AND 

EVEN THOUGH THEY CAN SEE THROUGH ALL THE LIES 

THE OBJECTIVE IN LIFE IS 

TO MAKE IT OUR ALIVE 

NOW, THERE’S A NEW ENEMY AT LARGE 

AN ENEMY THAT EXIST NOT BECAUSE WE WERE IN CHARGE 

AN ENEMY MORE DEADLY THAN ANYHING WE’VE SEEN 

AN ENEMY BROUGHT TO US FROM OUTSIDE OUR SHORES 

AN ENEMY THAT HAS FORCED US TO STAY INDOORS 

COVID 19 

COVID 19 

COVID 19 

I DO HOPE THERE’S HOPE FOR US IN THE END 

THIS ENEMY SEEMS TO WANT ALL OUR LIVES TO END 

IT’S DIFFERENT FROM MAN-MADE STRIFE 

THIS THING IS DETERMINED TO TAKE NOTHING BUT LIFE 

BUT

WE’LL CONTINUE TO MAKE IT OUT ALIVE 

NORMALLY I’M SPEAKING ABOUT THE FUTURE 

AND WHAT CAN WE ACCOMPLISH IN THE NEW YEAR 

BUT 

NOW I’M WONDERING WHO AMONG US WILL BE HERE 

NORMALLY I’M QUESTIONING THE OBJECTIVE OF MEN 

NOW 

THE WHOLE WORLD SEEMS LIKE A MAXIMUM SECURITY PEN 

STILL 

WE STRIVE TO MAKE IT OUT ALIVE 

[music/sing: make it out alive 

My my my 

Make it out alive 

Oooh oooh, aaaah aaah, ummm ummm] 

NOW WE CAN’T FORGET, THE OTHER REGRET 

THAT 

KILLINGS AND MURDER AND BLOOD STAINS STILL EXIST 

THIS VIRUS HASN’T STOPPED THE MADNESS IN THE STREETS/IN OUR MIDST 

I SEE BLOOD STAINS ON THE DOOR, ON THE FLOOR, IN THE STREET 

YET 

NO ONE STEPS UP TO SPEAK THE TRUTH 

NO MAN, NO JUSTICE, NO PEACE 

STILL EVEN NOW 

WE GOTTA MAKE IT OUT ALIVE 

WHAT’S A KING TO A GUY, WHO DON’T BELIEVE IN ANYTHING? 

OUR HISTORY IS NOT INSPIRING, YET WE SURVIVED 

OUR CHALLENGES ARE TREMENDOUS, OUR TRUTHS UNIQUE 

WE LOOK AT 2020 FROM A DIFFERENT PERSPECIVE 

AS WE MEET AND GREET 

THIS NEW YEAR 

WE LEAVE 2020 IN A DIFFERENT STATE OF MIND 

YET 

AS WE LEAVE IT BEHIND, WE’LL STILL STRIVE, 

TO 

MAKE IT OUT ALIVE! 

-Peace, Hakim ‘Ali