Astaghfirullah

By Briana Naseer

I see that selfish grab
whenever there’s a Muslim
thrown into the spotlight,

 

the immediate name drop,
the sharing of the news
amongst otherwise silence.

 

Malcolm,
Muhammad,
Mahershalah;

 

just a few, 
some famous firsts
that you can claim
when it’s convenient.

 

You always forget 
that these Muslims

are Black

 

and that that is inseparable
and that that is integral
and that that is in

 

the core of their success,
the bigger burden
in the struggle against 
the hate that you both face,

yours only half as much,
even if that.

 

I’ve heard you in your car
singing slurs unabashedly,
calling dark skin dirty,

laughing at dialects
that will always
be cooler
than yours.

 

When I point this out,
you turn an accusing glance
my way and ask,

 

“What, 
do you have 
a black friend?”

 

Briana Naseer is a Pakistani-American poet from Lakeland, Florida now living in Chicago, Illinois. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and an education specialist degree in school psychology.