Anis Mojgani’s Shake The Dust acts as an ode to all of those people who have been marginalized by society throughout their lives; whether in a negative or positive way. The repeated phrase “shake the dust” slightly changes its meaning throughout the poem. However, its general meaning remains solid. It is not saying that you need to change from your old self. Mojgani is making the argument that you are fine the way you are, but must do anything in your power to make yourself better.

Mojgani starts off the poem with a very impactful first two lines; “This is for the fat girls / This is for the little brothers” (Mojgani 1-2). Mojgani starts off the poem by explaining who this will be directed to. Throughout the poem we see that it is directed towards many people. The use of the phrase “This is for” is repeated significantly to get this point across. Immediately, we see that the poem is for those who have been overlooked their entire lives. The fat girls may have been judged entirely on what they look like while the little brothers have been living in the shadow of their sibling(s). By being labeled as such, they have not been able to escape the restrictions that these labels provide. Mojgani is urging these girls and boys to forget about what group they have been classified as. 

Mojgani continues the poem with a slight twist in expectations, “This is for the schoolyard wimps and the childhood bullies that tormented them” (3-4). At first glance it seems that the entire poem is aimed at those who have been treated unfairly. However these two lines clearly show that the message this poem is trying to portray is aimed at people on both sides of the spectrum. It is for those who have been victimized, and those who have shamed others. In this case, Mojgani slightly changes the meaning of “shake the dust”. Here, he does not want the bullies to stay as they are or be proud of what they do. He wants them to see the perspective of the victim. To see that these “schoolyard wimps” do not want to be seen as such (3). Mojgani continues the abstraction of the meaning with the rest of the stanza, “For the former prom queen and for the milk crate ball players / For the nighttime cereal eaters / And for the retired elderly Walmart store front door greeters/ Shake the dust” (5-8). Mojgani continues the idea that this poem is not just for those who have been negatively viewed. He shows that his is also for those who have been viewed positively at points in their lives; for the former prom queen. The prom queen might be the prettiest, nicest girl that everyone loves, but she is still labeled by her past. A stereotype is still a stereotype, and Mojgani wants to get rid of them in all. Many of the labels mentioned in the poem are not negative in any way at all. The “nighttime cereal eaters” or the “retired elderly...front door greeters” are not put in a negative light at all. These stereotypes provide no positive or negative views. They simply just are. 

The next stanza provides a more solidified proposition of who should listen to this poem; 

This is for the benches and the people sitting upon them

For the bus drivers who drive a million broken hymns

For the men who have to hold down three jobs simply to hold up their children

For the nighttime schoolers

And for the midnight bikers who are trying to fly

Shake the dust (9-15)

Mojgani’s clever use of metaphors provided an impactful way to get his point across. The “benches” provides a basis of the rest of the stanza. Those “ bus drivers who drive  million broken hymns” and the “men who have to hold down three jobs simply to hold up their children” are the backbone of this stanza. They are the people who provide others with necessities. The driving the bus may seem like a mundane task, it is essential for those riding it. They depend on the bus driver to help them get through the day. The men holding down multiple jobs act as the bench for their family. For these types of people, “shake the dust” acts more as a cheer. Mojgani recognizes the struggle that they go through just to make the lives of people around them better. 

Mojgani switches back to the root of his argument in the third to last stanza. After a lighthearted stanza right before, he switches the focus back onto those who are struggling:

For the ones who are told speak only when you are spoken to

And then are never spoken to

Speak every time you stand so you do not forget yourself

Do not let one moment go by that doesn't remind you

That your heart, it beats 100,000 times every single day 

And that there are enough gallons of blood to make everyone 

of you oceans (34-40)

This poem is for the people who are undermined. It is for those who think they are less important because of what others say. Here, Mojgani fights for the right to be yourself. By writing, “Speak every time you stand so you do not forget yourself”, he argues that you should chase every opportunity available and never miss an opportunity just because someone else says you shouldn’t take it (36). In this stanza, his message is the clearest. With lines such as, “Do not let one moment go by that doesn't remind you / That your heart, it beats 100,000 times every single day”, Mojgani’s true point is seen. We all matter. Each one of us is an individual and we should live by that individuality. So much goes on within us that there is almost an infinite amount of possibilities for each and every one of us. Grabbing these opportunities and possibilities, Mojgani argues, is the most important thing. 

The poem ends with some final words of advice: “So when the world knocks at your front door / Clutch the knob tightly and open on up / And run forward and far into its widespread, greeting arms / With your hands outstretched before you (83-86). The poem makes full circle with these last few lines. Mojgani’s message is straight and to the point. One must not let the past define them. Look back on the past and realize that it is over. You must look towards the future, and do everything you can do prove any labels you were given wrong. 
