A Poet’s Attempt To Freeze Time

“Alhan has her finger on the human emotional pulse!”

—Professor Yemi Osinbajo Former Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria

“I am so moved by Alhan’s talent, but most importantly her purity of heart in expressing the power of love, loss, grief, vulnerability and the mystery of it ‘all’ so beautifully.”

—Susan Cohn Rockefeller

“Alhanislam's poems gives me goosebumps, she has a talent of commanding attention especially when she speaks and her poems absolutely have the same effect.”

—Ummitah Rabiu Head Chef and CEO bleu cafe And Bleu Interiors

“Alhan possesses a deeply reflective and soulful nature that shines through her writing. I enjoy the way she gathers fleeting moments of love, strong memories, faith and holds them with a gentleness that only a deeply observant soul could offer. Alhan’s mind is sincere, perceptive, and brilliant, and this work stands as a tender yet powerful proof to her gift for turning ordinary moments into something lasting and meaningful.”

—Qkea

“These poems mark the arrival on the page of a voice that has long distinguished itself on the stage. We are grateful for it, because Alhanislam is a poet whose lines move with grace and a continuous search for what memory can teach us in this moment, when the world screams for survival. Her poems understand voice as a form of inheritance, arriving in lines that stretch the lyric and move through the messiness of lived experience, because memory does not arrive neatly, and neither does healing. In this, she converses with poets who have long treated both the page and the stage as sites of witness, refusal, and care.”

—Romeo Oriogun, award winning poet

“A tender masterpiece woven with piercing vulnerability. The most striking thing about Alhanislam’s poetry is how the emotions move with rawness, undaunted in her quest for healing; you can be sure that somewhere in these delicate pages, you will find yourself."

—Kolawole Falade (Pariolodo) Award winning performance poet, Co-founder Orange Poetry Africa

“Maryam possesses a voice that defies time. Often described as an old soul in a powerful frame, she weaves wisdom and courage into verses that transcend her years. Her reflections on life, love, and community serve as a profound testament to her command of language and her ability to use her voice as a beacon of Africa’s limitless potential. To read her poems is to embark on a journey of grace, possibility, and courage. I invite you to immerse yourself in her stories and be truly blessed by the inspiration Alhanislam offers to young women globally. It is with immense pride that I stand behind the artist, the leader, and the voice she is becoming.”

—Olawale Ajiboye, Curator, 16Stories

“I’ve watched Alhan write these poems in real time through love, loss, laughter, and the kind of silence that changes you. These words were not written to impress...they were written to tell the truth.This book feels like sitting with someone who knows exactly what you’ve been carrying, even the parts you never know how to explain. It’s tender, raw, and deeply familiar. You’ll see yourself in the pages, sometimes gently, sometimes all at once."

—Aisha Tofa Board Chair, Startup Kano Center for Innovation Development. Social impact and Development Specialist Awardee, 100 Most Reputable African- Reputation Poll 2026

“In similar fashion to the excellent sharpness and strength of Damascus steel, Maryam continues to weave words in an almost tactile manner. Ever so precise with her quill and silky with her voice, she paints vivid imagery of scenery, audible feelings of humanity, the taste of umami in the marching passage of time. In an almost poetic deception, this is not her attempt to freeze time, it comes out as a triumphant victory against the marching hands of longevity. Every stanza she writes stands firm in an hourglass. Not crossing outside of it's own chronological domain into another. Each marching parallel to the other and yet feeling like one. There is a degree of mastery, emotion, sensuality, vulnerability, power, fear and courage that comes from this book that only a poet like Maryam is capable of. I have read many, and she remains one of the few that lures you into her world with the softness of a cloud but you stay in it, unable to break down the doors of her substance like her words are written with mythrill. Her work does not freeze time as it were. It epitomises what the experience of freezing time is. It shows you where you stand, where you stood and where you are yet to stand all at once. Regardless of whose lenses any of these stories are told through, you see them come true through yours. She, is in all meanings of the word, a master.”

—Hertz Fauzan Kakooza, Creator of the Train of Thought