The picture of you is like you had a full day of sun, the sun is up, and you are smiling and you take a picture. Now you can open.

– Mohamed Abdikadir

Be Rojo

Some words of wisdom from an author of Be Rojo: “I will advise to love music, to do piano. no pushing! Eat good, healthy food and exercise, and advise to play in the ocean” (“Advice to Fiancée”). This book is a meditation on color, memory, and awe. What is in unseen comes into focus: “I am invisible / I need unvisible to get back to normal and people can see me / Now everyone can see me / Surprise I’m here” (“Mohamed Invisible Starts”). Readers will encounter a conversation between a cat and a dragon, a “sweet and tiny juicy potato chip,” (“Potato Chip”), and instructions on caring for plants. One author offers a glimpse forward in time: “This will be my future. When I grow up I will be a worker here in a restaurant. I will be a manager. I will give the customers a grand entrance. It will be a Somali restaurant” (“My Future”). This collection is luminous—full of passion, playfulness, and language that will linger in your mind.

 

Book 70	Spring 2021