Beneath a Black Sun: A Book of Free Thought  
By Imani Bilal   
 
The Author:  “I am a Muslim. I am a woman. I am mother. I am strength…” She is Imani Bilal, and at only 25 years old, her words are straight-forward, often spiritual, and always poignant. Bilal, a poet, writer, and activist, born in the NYC, who now calls the D.C. area her home, is what I like to call a ‘magician poet’. A magician poet can move your soul before you even finish reading the first line. A magician poet makes you think, “How did she do that, with just words?”. Bilal not only knows how to craft art with words, she is also using her gift within her organization, Strange Fruits. Strange Fruits is an artistic collective, and non-profit co-founded by seven women (all like-minded artists from different genres), who use art as a vehicle to spread messages of perseverance to the masses. Specifically, the non-profit focuses on serving young girls and women ranging from eight to twenty years of age, by providing positive alternatives to the damaging images and messages that are often portrayed in the media. Bilal’s work can also be seen in The Strange Fruits’ first collective book, Fruition.
 
The Book:  Have you ever read a book that changed your life? Beneath a Black Sun did it for me. Each poem took me to a different place. I felt each poem. In a world of hastily written books, thrown together albums, and gimmicky shows, Beneath a Black Sun, is a fresh air of truth. Each poem reflects a different side of who the poet is; who we all are. In her succinct and effective poem, Laila, about her daughter, she writes:
 
forgot my purpose
looked in her eyes. saw myself.
now i remember.
 
In her poem, h.e., she convinces the reader that the perfect “he” for you does exist. She starts the poem: “tsunami effect, my strengths a lost cause, his love is water, i don’t mind drowning…” Bilal takes more time to poetically convince even the most bitter person that “he” does in fact exist. She ends the piece with this:
 
he leads the winds
lightening on his tongue
striking
down illusion
raining on confusion
“let it storm”
truth reborn
in the form of man
honest to God
 
…he exists.
 
The poet touches on more than just Eros and Agape, but uses her words to address subjects such as an absent father, the crisis in Darfur, and domestic violence in her poem, battered love. But don’t assume that it’s a depressing read. It’s just a no fluff, real-to-the-core, powerful, piece of work. Though it’s “deep” in essence, and her use of words genius; the real beauty is in its simplicity. Bilal’s poetic debut, Beneath a Black Sun, is proof indeed that she is a magician poet. She is someone who obviously puts her heart into her work, and while doing so is not always the most profitable or popular way to go. To those of us that yearn for true art with grateful ears and eyes; it is priceless.
  
The Verdict: This is truly one of the most sincerely, and beautifully written books of poetry that I have read. It is highly recommended.