'I am from a place that no longer matters to me'

AMENA KOFI | Bristol, United Kingdom

'I am from a place that no longer matters to me'

Amena Kofi is a 24 year old poet born and raised in Bristol, UK.
English was her favourite subject for most of the her time spent at school, and she started writing short stories at around 16 years of age, before transitioning into poetry. A couple of years later, she began performing at open mics and posting her poems on Instagram @poemsbyamena

Amena is joining in Bridging Histories with her mother, Pearl, whose poetry you can read here.

Amena's writing is usually centred around self-renewel, healing and progression, all topics that she has interest in. In 2019 she was featured in the 3rd volume of 'Lyrically Justified', a poetry anthology by Urban Word Collective and in 2022 she did an online release of her first chapbook 'Just for Fun', which contains a selection of 33 poems she wrote as a teenager. The chapbook is an introduction to Amena's writing, in preparation for the release of her full length poetry book.

Poem: I am from

I am from a place that no longer matters to me

I tried to fit in but I was a thumb on the extremity

no smiles were given, no hands were extended in comradery

so I am from a place that no longer matters to me

I no longer believe in ideologies

or the idea of you and I

nor am I afraid

heaven will be born from potential

I am from a place I never belonged

a place I never deserved to be

its terrain made a warzone out of my mind and body

I had to start a fire to set myself free

It is only now that I live

after dying in the place that shouldn’t have ever mattered to me

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