The Lemonade film uses poetry and prose by which British-Somali poet?

Beyoncé’s *Lemonade* film uses poetry and prose by British-Somali poet Warsan Shire.

Shire was born in Kenya in 1988 to Somali parents and moved with her family to the United Kingdom when she was one. Her writing often explores migration, memory, family, displacement, intimacy, and the experiences of women—subjects that closely complement the film’s emotional and historical themes.

The film incorporates adaptations of several Shire works, including “The Unbearable Weight of Staying,” “Dear Moon,” “How to Wear Your Mother’s Lipstick,” “Nail Technician as Palm Reader,” and “For Women Who Are Difficult to Love.” Her words appear as spoken passages woven between songs and images rather than as conventional song lyrics.

The visual album premiered on HBO on April 23, 2016. Shire’s involvement is sometimes overlooked because *Lemonade* is primarily discussed as a Beyoncé music project, but her writing supplies much of its reflective, literary voice. She later published the full poetry collection *Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head* in 2022.