Poems
In this section, you will find a selection of poems, including shortlisted poems, online features and commissioned poems.
“As dawn broke on Christmas morning, one Londoner started his day very differently to most. Mohamed Mohamed, a British-Somali poet and football coach from south London, went out on his bike to capture London’s unusually empty streets from sunrise. The poetry film, commissioned by the Museum of London and The Unmistakables, depicts Mohamed’s annual journey as he cycles to a central London mosque to pray.”
Filmed by Kaleido Films, the Free Word centre highlighted climate change in their live and digital programme. Mohamed’s poem, ‘I remember’ was one of the shortlisted poems for the national 'The Time Is Now' Climate Change Poetry Prize.
I remember
I remember California.
Rain deserted
Children like an early divorce.
Soon there will be
nothing
left
to grow.
Californian skies
were thirsty
yet Hollywood
could do nothing
but cover up
climate
with glam. Knowing
Spongebob
wrestles with
plastic
under the sea,
The child with a dry throat still
waits to see the other this weekend.
El Niño rains
a heavy
hello
a
slide of mud
to one’s surprise,
peaked
to moisture mountains,
a visiting parent playing catch up on land.
The top wet with kisses
but the roots are still dry,
with grass mirroring | a dead green.
As part of Roundhouse’s Somalinimo (till I dhimo) X Dear Ayeeyo installation and exhibition, Mohamed was commissioned to write a poem about my his ayeeyo (grandmother), featured alongside the debut international award winning Dear Ayeeyo exhibition by award winning Canadian-Somali photographer Yasin Osman.
Mohamed, part of the 2015 Writing Room poets cohort, wrote this poem for the Apples and Snakes YouTube channel and performs his poem, ‘Teeth from the Shark’. For more information on the Writing Room programme, see here.
A commissioned poem for Islamic Relief, an international humanitarian NGO, performed live at the London Science Museum for Islamic Relief UK's Annual pre-Ramadan Launch. '1984' was the year Islamic Relief were founded, and since, have been saving lives before they are lost.
Kayd Somali Arts in collaboration with the Mayor’s Office organised an evening of poetry, celebrating ‘Somalis in London; the people, the poetry’. Mohamed headlined alongside Elmi Ali, Asha Luul Mohamud Yusuf & Claire Pollard.
See 1:15:15 for Mohamed’s poems.
“5 Somali-British Poets You Need To Know About” by Aisha Gani | Buzzfeed uk
In preparation for the 2015 United Nations Paris Climate Agreement (COP21), a group of UK Muslim organisations, concerned at the growing threat of climate change to overcoming poverty, have formed a coalition – Muslim Climate Action (MCA) – launched at the House of Commons. Mohamed was commissioned to write a short poem, as part of their online video launch. For more information, see here.