Ismail Soldan
Wahid
I am 'Wahid',
First and only
By birth a living contradiction
Muslim and Latin
A joke and genetic affirmation
Not a mongrel but a new breed
on the verge of extinction
Stitched together by world events
The Caribbean, Sao Paulo, Washington state
A missed bullet in the great war,
Eyes for gold and land and lustful men
Naturally selected for a blend
Dates, mangoes, and a thousand sins
This tan a permanent reminder
blessing and curse, sweet and sour as conception
As many homes as grandparents
Each vying for a part of my soul
Whipped by wind exhaled in South America
Many worlds away from my place of birth
Embraced and burned by the same sun
A question mark for the ignorant
'Wahid' means one unless you're me
In which case it means alone
Bio
Ismail Soldan is a writer and poet whose experiences have taken him on many grand adventures, real and imaginary. Driven by a deep love for the written word, Soldan seeks to share his art and unique outlook with readers around the world. His work has been featured in Illustrated Worlds, Flights, LatineLit, and Adventures. Soldan was the recipient of the 2022 Spectrum Award for Adult Fiction and took the second place prize for Adult Poetry at the same event. He currently resides in Dayton, OH.