Prayers of My Youth by F.S. Yousaf
I enjoy poetry, but don’t feel qualified to review it. I saw the first few sample pages of this collection though and felt compelled to give it a read, and while I can’t confidently remark on the literary components, intellectual depth, or even symbolic power; I can say that I enjoyed the pieces. I saw myself in many of the verses, felt a kinship to the author’s autobiographical musings, and often paused and reread lines, seeing glimpses of my own reflection staring back at me. At other places, and on numerous other pages, though I truly had no idea what was being said, what the author was trying to convey, and why the details at hand were being discussed. The former teacher in me, wanted to break down the poems, find the meaning, and write a thesis statement to organize the individual reflections, and overall story arc being conveyed, but truly, I am not qualified, and at it’s core, I do believe poetry should be felt. I love that Islam is so present, that the symbolic and the real interweave throughout the 112 sparsely filled pages. The exploration of family, faith, and journey of life feels real and vulnerable. The book is an adult read, I think older teens though might see glimpses of themselves as well, and find a solace in the poetry on the page that they can so intimately relate to. Aside from enjoying the read, and looking forward to receiving my preorder to thumb through, I don’t know that I have much insight to offer, sorry.
The book is divided into 4 sections: Ablution, Iqama, Salaah, and Salaam. At each division there is a simple sketched drawing and a bit of a grounding paragraph of text. From there the individual title poems range from a few stanzas to a page or more, standing alone but also connecting the ideas and themes that move the book forward.
The book releases next month and is available wherever books are sold.
