“america,” “Land Where My Father Died,” and “Super Orphan” all by Fatimah Asghar

Poem One (easy to understand): “america” by Fatimah Asghar

The poem, “america,” again explores themes of racism and colonialism. I believe that this poem fits in my “easy to understand” category because, based on what I knew about her background, I could easily decipher what Asghar was trying to convey. In the poem, they discuss feelings of rejection and hatred simply because of their skin color. Asghar repeatedly states “Am I not your baby?” Wondering why the disdain for them was so prevalent even though they were an American citizen by birth. Asghar also discusses how their assimilation into this new culture has erased the one she was born with and the constant xenophobia they have faced. Overall, this poem creates a well-rounded declaration of America’s failures. Again, this poem refers back to being orphaned at a young age, their heritage, and their struggle with feeling at home in a country that doesn’t seem to want them. One part of Asghar’s background that I believe reflects this poem is their creation of a TV series called “Brown Girls.” The show explores the trials and tribulations that two women experience in their mid-twenties. The show mirrored Asghar and their friend, and they wanted to show a different side of people of color, one that isn’t often portrayed by the media (NBC Interview).

Poem Two (just right): “Land Where My Father Died” by Fatimah Asghar

The poem, “Land Where My Father Died,” explores themes of colonialism, displacement, and racism. I believe that this fits in my “just right” category as I could read through it fairly easily but it still made me think about what exactly the meaning behind it was and look into their background. In the poem, presumably, the land they referred to in the poem is the United States which is portrayed as exploitative and greedy and a land that erases culture. The poem is full of anger, stating that they will never call this land home, the “land of no spice & smallpox” and the “land of no roots, land that poisoned my mother…that killed my father and made me orphan.” The poem reflects their past as an orphan but also the Partition of India, which had a large impact on their family. The Partition of India forced her parents to flee to the States in a time of unrest and racism. Asghar saw how deeply it affected their family, which led them to want to gain a deeper understanding of it (Hello Giggles Interview).

Poem Three (hard to understand): “Super Orphan” by Fatimah Asghar

When I first began to read the poem, “Super Orphan,” the first few stanzas came easily to me, but as I read further, I began to question the poem’s theme. In the poem, Asghar seems to grapple with her fragmented past, referring to it as a “collage” of different pieces. It reflects how they feel separated from their past, but they were able to adapt despite the challenges. All in all, the poem is about how they found different ways to tell the world that “they were here” as a refugee. The poem highlights their past as Asghar’s parents immigrated to the U.S. after the Partition of India and how at the age of five Asghar’s parents both passed, leaving her orphaned hence the title, “Super Orphan.” Asghar struggled with the loss, but it led them to fight the never-ending battle against racism and colonialism (Hello Giggles Interview).

“Pluto sh*ts on the universe,” by Fatimah Asghar

When reading the poem for the first time you immediately understand the anger Asghar is trying to convey. She starts the poem off with a relatable, informal tone that you see most obviously in the beginning of the poem but it still shines through in the other stanzas. Ashgar writes the poem from Pluto’s perspective using phrases such as “My name means…” and “I got my…” to signal to the reader the viewpoint she is using. But, as the poem progresses the tone begins to escalate. Pluto’s mindset begins to deteriorate as he descends into madness, and his mean-spirited nature shows as he states, “Jupiter should just p*ssy on up and marry me… My name means hell. I am hell, b*tch.” But, you feel for Pluto. Asghar brilliantly showcases not just Pluto’s anger but the reasoning behind it. Pluto is “chaos,” but he enjoys being labeled with a chaotic orbit. While his anger seemingly stems from not understanding the reasoning behind his discredited planet status, he also feels contempt toward other planets because they think that Pluto is “annoying.” Immediately understanding these points are important because you get a deeper understanding of why Pluto is feeling like this. One section of the poem that was hard to understand was the fourth stanza (“F*ck your moon”–“Your day?”) This section was probably the most difficult to understand for me because I can infer what it means but don’t have a solid understanding of what it is exactly adding to the poem. The stanza is seemingly ramping up Pluto’s anger and acts as the “rising action” to the “climax” of the poem. Pluto throws an insult at Jupiter which adds to the running theme of the poem: all the other planets suck except me (Pluto). I really enjoy the third to last stanza (“F*ck your order.”–“Motherf*cker.”) If I’m being honest, I really love the stanza and what it adds to the poem. “Pluto” ends the poem seemingly bragging about how much he messed up space and even kids’ classrooms. This is where the jokey personality starts to shine through again. He’s laughing at all of the people he confused with his chaos. He’s a rebel in the solar system. He seems to be embracing the idea that it’s okay to cause chaos and it’s okay to not fit into people’s expectations. The poem’s overall message is that Pluto’s actions aren’t accidental; they’re purposeful. By saying “f*ck your order” and messing up orbits, he’s rejecting their ‘Modus Operandi’ and he finds joy in that. I feel as if this line is a final burst of energy to the poem that finishes it off with a lasting impression. I also love the “I don’t care” theme seen throughout the poem; I sort of admire that about the poem. While I am not as carefree as Pluto is in the poem, I’ve had moments where I’ve wanted to break free from expectations put on me. I tend to seek out order in my life–whether it’s in academics, my home life, or even in the expectations I have for myself, Pluto reflects a freedom that is scary and intriguing at the same time. It reminds me of my journey to find balance in my life.