Omar Musa
Omar Musa is a Malaysian-Australian author, rapper, and poet from Queanbeyan. He is the former winner of the Australian Poetry Slam and the Indian Ocean Poetry Slam. He has released three hip hop albums, two poetry books (including Parang), and has appeared on ABC TV's Q&A and at TEDx Sydney at the Sydney Opera House. His début novel Here Come the Dogs, was published by Penguin Australia in 2014 and longlisted for the Miles Franklin Award. Omar Musa was named one of the Sydney Morning Herald's Young Novelists of the Year in 2015. He is currently working on a new album and a novel.
One day,after it has died,we will hold a vigil for the moon.
We will burn candles,cheap mimics of its light,& utter prayers we forgot to utter
while it still lived.And we will say,'Remember how itspoke to us its bone-coloured dreams?Remember how it gave us hopewhen all else seemed savage?'
And some will say it was carvedfrom whale bone,while others will swear it was a coinflicked from the t ... (read more)
I
Having narrowly escaped jetlag, I ate a mushroom omelette in Galata Square,with wrinkled black olives on the side &n ... (read more)
The desert dreams of harvest,of holy writ & rain.
The city dreams of ruin,of upturned cars& vine-dressed churches.
The tiger dreams of freedom,of shaking loose the stake & chain& racing into shadowslarge enough to hold it.
But me?
I dream of you.
There was a time we collecteddolphin's teeth& smoked fish on atolls,Do you remember?
We star-peeked and longed for more,running ... (read more)
I dip my finger in its redness –a little wild honey for you& a little for me,beloved.
Each letter bears the unmistakable scent,the iron perfume,the dreams of lung,vein & the battlefield.
At the window,trembling,befriending trees & cats with my eyes,whispering at the fences & the fennel.
I trace my finger o ... (read more)