Edmonton Poet Laureate Ahmed Knowmadic Ali is a community organizer, public speaker, youth worker and full-time father that has dedicated his time to enabling and empowering diverse communities within Edmonton.

Ahmed is co-founder and current artistic director of Edmonton’s only spoken word collective: Breath In Poetry. He is passionate about the arts, education and emphasizes the importance of equitable representation on all levels of government. Ahmed is also a multi-award winning, an internationally recognized artist who has travelled to countries like Sudan, the United States and England, both to perform and lead poetry workshops. 

 

Our Edmonton

Bookmarked by the North Saskatchewan river

This city of ours is a place known for gathering

It is a collection of Indigenous light bearers championing their ancestors

and newcomers seeking futures fertile enough to sustain family trees.

 

This gathering place is a prime example of how cities

transform people into selfless citizens

Despite anecdotes of bridges that take long to build

complications with transit and potholes on the road to understanding

We remain on track filled with purpose.

 

This city is big enough to lose yourself in its festivals

Its urban parks and its fast-growing core

But small enough that you can find yourself.

In short, this is a city where you belong.

 

When draped in endless darkness

and the snow refuses to ease its grip

This city finds warmth in the creatives who light

the way with their imagination

And the entrepreneurs whose futures overflow with hope.

 

Regardless of what is said

Edmonton will always remain the City of Champions

Too transient and versatile to be defined

we are network of extended communities

full of unspoken leaders who have learned to operate as a team.

This is a city that finds victory in assisting in each other’s goals.

 

You will find us in its architecture

We are the promise that shapes its street corners.

The street lights that illuminate its every nook

The we believe in 118

The inspired citizens who’ve invested interest

In the banks of the river valley.

 

We are also an anthology of unfinished poems

who might not be on the same page,

but recognize they are part of the same collection.

Held together by a ribbon of green

This present is a gift from our elders

We are living in their future

“We have not inherited this land, we simply borrow it from our children.”

 

Gateway to the north

Our city is a director of opportunities

It is said

“If you wish to live in a city move to Toronto.

If you’re looking to build one, move to (stay in) Edmonton.”

Located on Treaty 6

Our city is a do-it-yourself project that is far from perfect.

There is still room for growth

And that’s what keeps us here

The people here are the foundation of what shapes Edmonton’s character

It isn’t a question of where you are from, but what took you so long?

 

Welcome home.

 

 

 The information on this page can be found here.