Sunni Lamin Barrow is a poet and spoken word artist. Inspired by his Gambian background and new explorations, Sunni’s poetry and illustrations provide him an outlet to heal from the ills of society, bit by bit. His work poetically reveals how he has used different personas to protect himself from the punishments of being queer. Through a blend of storytelling, dance, visual elements and sound design, Sunni portrays how these personas were influenced by fear. For our magazine, Sunni shares an extract from his performance A Fist of Tongues. 

All that you touch you change 

All that you touch you change 
All that you change changes you 
The only lasting truth is change 
God is change

Last night, someone stole my moonlight
And out of righteous nobility, they repented for the sins of my body and stretched my freedom into a question mark

Last night, someone thieved my mirror and replaced it with their reflections 
Possessed, I became everyone and not enough me to see my mind reflected in my own being
I assume I am my own absence in my own existence
I assume the breaking of a queer black body is a melody every ear loves to hear

I assume my prayers are slowly turning back to me
Because of everything I am, I am told I should not be
And for everything I own, I am told I am too wrong to touch 
Twelve feet of white snow falling on black sand they say and,
I have very few an option if I want to stay and breathe on their soils

Last night, I ripped my heart out of my chest for the seventh time and no one noticed
Dissolved everyone’s judgement into a cocktail and drank it so I could selflessly replace my plural self
I’ve, I’ve always dreamed of growing from blossoms to blossoms with the ones I love
But now their desire for my starvation has dried the roots of every dream I carry
I believe sometimes love circles back to bite on its own tongue, undoubtedly
I know I have to empty myself extensively if I aspire to comprehensively be loved by you because I know you too well.

All that you touch you change 
All that you change changes you 
The only lasting truth is change 
God is change