January 27, 2026

The Poem Is Good

by Muna Abdulahi

I wrote a poem for this moment when I was 18
                   at Cedar Riverside

I wrote a poem for this moment when I was 20
                   in South Minneapolis

I wrote a poem for this moment when I was 22
                   in North Minneapolis

I wrote a poem for this moment when I was 24
& they asked me why I keep writing about the same thing
I did not have the words at the time, only the body did 

& at 27, I did not write a poem for this moment
where the only pages I bring with me now 
are the pages of my passport 

Because the truth I’ve realized is 
poetry has never been about the words

Do not be mistaken

The poem was always                         our bodies &

The poem is being taken in the night
The poem is being taken in broad daylight
The poem stays home and no longer occupies the spaces the poems came together in
The poem calls their families asking if the other poems are okay
Has the poem eaten?
The poem was killed last week in South Minneapolis
The poem was shot the other day in North Minneapolis
The poem notices the bark on the trees, the crisp air, and the stark, beaming ice on the road but does not write about it 

Because the poem does not want to confuse hypervigilance with beauty
Survival with just another poem

The poem talks to god at night
The poem reminds their children and each other to be patient
With great hardship comes ease, they utter 

So alhamdullah 
when the sun rises
the poem does too

The poem shows up
The poem understands they will say the poem is other, is wrong, is different
But the poem 
is the poem is the poem is the poem is the poem is the poem 

The poem shows up 
The poem looks out for their neighbors 
The poem does not allow their joy to be taken
The poem does not apologize for the languages they hold in their mouth 
The poem shows up for us, for you, for we 
The poem is 10,000 lakes and 10,000 ways to support one another 
The poem is Minnesota 
The poem stands up for their neighbors 
The poem bears witness 
The poem will be here 

& most importantly 
The poem is Good
The poem is Good
The poem is 

Good

Editor’s Note: Mizna stands in solidarity with all victims of ICE terror and intimidation. View full statement of support here.

Muna Abdulahi is a Somali American poet and performance artist based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Her work has appeared in Poetry Foundation and Button Poetry and has been showcased at the Minnesota History Center, among others. She is a recipient of the Fredrick Bock Prize.