By Aaliyah Yasmeen Abdul Basit

Hi, I’m Aaliyah Yasmeen Abdul Basit. I’m very fond of my first and middle name, Aaliyah Yasmeen

The name speaks volume, the way it rolls off the tongue and into the ears of those who are listening

Even the spelling creates a rite of passage that opens the lids of the eyes of those who are not yet awake 

I fell in love with the name not too long ago

I was always just Aaliyah, never Aaliyah Yasmeen

Yes, of course, I’ve always had the name Yasmeen on my records for those of authority to see but never in the memories of those I’ve met to remember me by

Aaliyah: Noun: To rise above, exalted, highborn, sublime, ascending

Yasmeen: Noun: Jasmine flower

I guess that means I’m some noble flower

An exalted flower that’s waiting for the chance to bloom

Waiting to be adored by those who pass by

Waiting for the chance to be loved and desired by others

A lovely, sublime flower that hasn’t yet bloomed

Aaliyah Yasmeen is who I see myself as

I’m not an ascendant flower

Well, not yet at least

I’m more of the seed that starts the flower

The same flower that grows from within me

The flower that others will meet

I’ve met her

She lives within the seed of me

In my mind I hold the image of her

The sound of her voice

Even the smell of her

The way she treats others 

Her personality 

Her outlook on life 

Her dreams, her hopes, her aspirations, her accomplishments

What I haven’t yet found out about her is the path I need in order to get to her 

How to fully make her bloom?