Creating Space Project

“I am a drop waiting to return to the ocean” Mohammad Ali Maleki is incarcerated on Manus Island. Five years ago, he attempted to seek asylum in Australia and, for this, he was detained. An Iranian poet, Mohammad writes in Farsi. His friend, Mansour Shoushtari, translates the poetry into English, and Mohammad messages the poetry to Michele Seminara, an editor at Verity La. Michele and I talk about Expectations, a poem contained in his chapbook, Truth in the Cage. Michele describes his work as “incredibly sad but also in a way uplifting.” I think I know what she means. I feel so sad listening to the words of a man jailed for being a refugee, but I also find myself reflecting on my relationship with freedom, through the lens of his relationship with freedom. “For years the ceiling of my room has been my sky.” The Australian government does everything it can to suppress asylum seekers’ voices. Mohammad and others like him have been strong, persistent and ingenious in getting their voices out. Compassionate and g