Dasan Ahanu
"Spoken Word artist Dasan Ahanu is the inaugural recipient of the Unsung Poet Award for his manuscript, Concrete Jungle Allegories. This is a joint project between Jacar Press and Sable Books, awarded to honor someone who is an important figure on both the North Carolina and National poetry scenes.
Concrete Jungle Allegories captures what’s so often ungraspable, articulates outrage, pain, and love through language that gives us the tools to praise the sublime. Dasan Ahanu is the optimal choice for the first Unsung Poets Award as he continues to chronicle the bewildering uncertainty of our lives with a rooted philosophical hunger that is the primary core of his poetics.."
Jaki Shelton Green
from Baggage Claim
To the homeless kid
who knew about horoscopes,
spoke about success in life,
and asked me what to do
about a girl
who feels for you
but is in a relationship.
I wish I had more to off er you.
I pray my hesitation
wasn’t seen as disrespect.
It’s just that the look
in your eyes was so familiar.
The one that lets people know
we both prefer to play with
broken things.
Forthcoming. Do NOT order yet.