AFTER I SHOWER (Poem)
This womb mothered
fibroids and fetus.
These hips wrestled
lust, guilt and Jesus.
BOOTS WITH THE FUR (Poem)
What I wouldn’t give to see
those boots with the fur.
Whenever I hear Flo-Rida,
I think of her.
will you criticize with me (Poem)
will you criticize with me
what i have smashed into
a kind of death?
First Bite (Poem)
The first slice of pie
be like tongue candy,
like elevator stop toward heaven,
a shout declaring love.
“Too Curious” (Poem)
My life—
marred by trauma,
but the scars were painted over;
in their place,
an eye-catching mural.
The Parting of the Black Sea (Poem)
As my hair thins out and balds
and continues to fall,
I’m reminded
that my hair always changes
when my life does:
I had 2 fibroid surgeries in 2 months. This is what I learned.
Hey y’all! 2022 has been a challenging year for me for a number of reasons, one being my journey with uterine fibroids. I had two surgeries this year and I’m choosing to share this journey with others in the event that my story helps someone.
Post-Op (Poem)
Three showers after
my last fibroid removal,
my vagina still smelled clinical,
like freshly opened
Caucasian flesh-colored Band-Aids
At 35, I Learned that I’m Beautiful
I was pole-thin until I hit puberty in the 6th grade. At 11 years old, I was oblivious to the pace at which my straight lines were becoming curves. Then one day, a couple of frenemies pulled me aside to tell me there was a rumor going around school that I…
Writing Is… (Poem)
Writing helps me
chronicle my healing,
but writing, in itself,
is not healing.
It’s a testimony,
a ticket to bear witness,
a praise and worship service
reminding me of God’s presence
because, ”If He did that for her,
Last Night, Some Feedback Saved My Life
I am not a good sleeper. As a child, I delayed bedtime by saying "Good night" to every inanimate object my little eyes could see. As a teenager, I stayed up in Blackplanet chat rooms. As an adult, the only times I've slept well are when my health summoned me to sit down.
To Me, Freedom Looks Like…
To me, freedom looks like
speaking my mind without fear of consequences.
Freedom looks like unconditional love,
like flowers in full bloom.
It feels like summer nights,
breeze blowing, eyes closed,
Poetry Reading: “I Am An Endangered Species”
Hey', y’all! I created a recording of me reading the poem I wrote last week and uploaded it to my YouTube channel. The poem is entitled “I Am An Endangered Species” and is in response to Sheryl Lee Ralph’s 2022 Emmy Award acceptance speech.
I Am An Endangered Species
I AM AN ENDANGERED SPECIES
A Poem By Farah Lawal Harris
I am an endangered species.
To be Black and woman
and strong and sensitive
and inspired while inspiring
is an incredible feat.
I need to rest my tired feet,
but I’m too busy filling up the one seat…
Visual Poetry Short Films
I am experimenting with a new art form: visual poetry—turning my poems into short films that are engaging and entertaining (I hope!)
I’ve done two visual poetry short films so far. My most recent one is “Sphinx’s Surgery” to accompany the poem I wrote on Day 5 of the 2022 National Poetry Month. The prompt was to write a poem about a mythical person or creature doing something unusual. I wrote about the Sphinx statue going to a plastic surgeon to get a consultation to repair her missing nose. This short film shows a news report about the Sphinx’s plans to get cosmetic surgery:
Impulse Decisions
Have you ever made an impulse decision that you immediately regretted? The last time I did this was when I was on a staycation with my family this past June. My son and I went to a horse and car show where there were different vendors selling their wares. I didn’t plan to shop—we were there to see the cool, classic cars. But a jewelry stand caught my eye.