Welcome to Poetically Yours. Poetically Yours showcases poems by northern Illinois poets. This week’s segment features Rugiatu “Rugie” Bah.
Bah is a registered pharmacist in the Dekalb area. She likes that poetry allows her to write in a variety of styles, especially freestyle. Bah said she was introduced to poetry in high school and that nature inspires her to write. Bah mentioned she believes in the healing power of self-expression. Her poem “The Power of the Heart,” is a tribute to the month of Ramadan.
The Power of the Heart
I seek refuge in Allah against Satan, the outcast
In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful, the gifter of the Koran
Faith came from the heart
Evil came from the heart
Let the faithful heart triumph over evil
Love originates from the heart
Hate originates from the heart
Let the loving heart triumph over hate
Forgiveness is expressed from the heart
The act of retribution comes from the heart
Let the forgiving heart triumph over retribution
The act of power and aggression comes from the heart
So is the willingness for peace
Therefore, let the peaceful heart triumph over aggression
To be human, we rely on both the anatomical structure of the heart
And the mystical nature of the heart
The heart is very fragile and powerful
It has an end date
So let the heart with faith, love, forgiveness and peace
triumph over evil, hate, retribution and aggression.
- Yvonne Boose is a current corps member for Report for America, an initiative of the GroundTruth Project. It's a national service program that places talented journalists in local newsrooms like WNIJ. You can learn more about Report for America at wnij.org.
