Thursday, June 30, 2011

Group Poem 22 (Somali Independence Day): Luulyo/ July

Lama ilaabaan waa luuliya
libinta markaan haleelnee,
let's go back to the memory
that no one had forget.
Gumaysiga la lootanee
lug iyo labana gooneee
libaaxyada ku noqonay.
They underestimate a 
great nation full of heroes
included women, aiding our
troops.

Lama ilaabaan waa luuliya
calankeenu markuu luxmee
laydha la dabaashee
lalayay hawadiyo
laamaha dhexdooda.
proud moment that we never 
experienced, thanks to those
who have put their lives on the
line for us.

Lama ilaabaan waa luuliya
lahashada gumaysigiyo
lurkiisii markuu hadheee
laladay hurdada macaane
laamaha hoos seexanay.
Those days were the best
that one could wish, July 
is the month that I wished.


Lama ilaabaan waa luuliya
lo'da iyo duunyadaan lahayn
la lisayay xoolahee
laga raystay gumaysigee
nabada la laasimay.
 We anounce to the world
that we're one, and don't
hate it we're one Somaali
doing things together as
one.
Lama ilaabaan waa luuliya
laxaadka markaan lahaynee
qabiilku na labayneeee
laabteenu xaadhnaydee
la ahaa walaalaha.
 Nothing mattered more
than brotherhood, I dream
more of that unity again.

Lama ilaabaan waa luuliya
leebkiyo qaansadii markan ahaynee
la isu horayay naftee
luflufkiyo laaluushka
laga faanayay leejada.
Let's hope there's a day
that's gonna happen again, 
have faith, and believe it

Luuliyaay lagu liidoo
lagaa raac qabiiloo
laciif iyo waxaan jirin
lugooyiyo laqdaboo
qabiil baa nagu labaan
labaan ukala jabnoo
lama dhowro calankii
laga dhoof dhulkaagii
laga tag ladnaantii
lufluf iyo laaluush
lacag aan badnayn baa
lagu gatay dalkaagii
loo soo dagaalamee
lagu waayay geesiyadiyo
libaaxyadii soomaaliya
 Let's pray for our failed heroes
a wise man once said:
 "Wherever you enter the sea it's salty"
let's pray, and hope they will one day
wake up in patriotism mood.
Laa ilaaha ilalaah
soomaali way luntay
qabiil baa leexsaday
labadii is jeclayde
lamaanaha ahaaye
lurkastoo yimaada
lakala jari waayay
qabiil baa lugooyoo
luqunta isu gashoo
lakala rarayoooo
la hilmaan wanaagi.
 Let's defeat tribe together
restore our pride, and
reunite the lost lovers
for the sake of it.
walaalayaal marka hore salaan ta islaamka ayaaan idinku salaamayaa  asalaamu calaykum bacda salaam caawa waxaan jeclaystay tix yar oo gaaban u sameeyo bisha luuliyo ee ah bishii aan qaadanay xoriyada sida dhamaanteen wada ognahay meel walba oo aan joognana looga dabaal dago inaan idiin soo gudbiyo , runtii maahi abwaanada balse waan iska jeclahay inaan qoro wixii ilaahay ku soo rido qalbigayga kolay waxaan jeclaan lahaa inay isoo saxaa abwaaniintu wixii aan qalday ileeen anigu wax curinta ayaan jeclahay balse waxaa suura gal ah inaan u qori qaabkii loo rabay waadna mahadsanitihiin .
walaalayaal ilaahay bishan bisheeda hana tusiyo dalkeenii oo dawlad caadil ahi ka dhalatay oo si rasmi ah ugu dabaal dagayno luuliya insha'alaah waxaan rajayn in la helo ragii iyo dumarkii bishan u soo halgamayee gumaystihii go'doomiyay oo kale dibna u soo nooleeya nabadii macaaneeyd iyo wadaninimadii dalka soomaaliya loo hayay kolay ruuuxii joogay nabadii ayaa garan kara wanaaga ay leedahay ama qiimaha uu leeyahay dhulkaaga hooye ee cidi hooy ku lahayn khaasatan dadkeenan qurbaha aad ayaan ugu xiisanay dalkii una rabnaa nabad ee ilaahay hana siiyo idinkuan aamiin dhaha waadna ku mahadsantihiin akhrintaad akhriseen wixii aan qalday ka raali noqda wanaag dhamaantii ayaan idiin rabay maca alfa salaam.
                                                          
QORE: Zainab Sheikh Hussein   (Alghazaly) iyo Ahmed Abdi

Group Poem 22 (Somali Independence Day): They did their part

The fought vultures who fled their nations to prey on ours
They rebelled against unjust laws in hope of
Impregnating our nation
With the desire to exist
Freely....

                                                                        They did their part...

They resisted the greed of the Italians
The British
And
The French
To enslave our lands
And
Our people

                                                                    They did their part....

They bled
Fought 
And 
Prayed
So we may never live under the shadow of fear
Exploitation
And
Torture

                                                                                      They did their part....

And, although today our nation finds itself in less than perfect circumstances
Understand, they did not fail us
For they did their part
By liberating
And empowering
Our people

I wonder....
When will we do something
To honor
those who did their part
And, died protecting us?


Halima Ahmed
Copyright © 2011

Group Poem 22 (Somali Independence Day) : 2011

Why do I have hope for Somalia you ask?
The tragedy and the disasters are too much of a task
But now the topic is on our mouths
We keep discussing it, drinking tea in sips
But I remember twenty years ago when  
I saw my parents and the few families in the West sponsoring relatives and friends back then
We nicknamed our house a Somali hotel as I found another pillow to give
They were wearing clothes that didn’t match, messed up skin, but ready to live
Not one word of English and running away from puppies
Not one clue of where to go or where to drive looking like gasping guppies
I saw how they fixed their tired skin with henna and creams
Enrolling in ESL classes to learn how to find new dreams
How they saved money, started businesses and bought cars
How the kids went from no education to gold stars.
How they made me proud to be Somali

Shocking me that I never saw one tear fall from their eyes
Holding all their fears inside
Waiting for them to crack like an American kid over lesser matters
Instead these kids smiled and told jokes never showing that their heart was in tatters
They kept praying
They kept studying
How they made me proud to be Somali

Then the parents who had a whole life that they had to start anew
I could never imagine to start your life all over without a clue
But they packed away their engineering degrees from the Mogadishu University
Signed up to work in a warehouse in a strange city
Mothers who never have to work, now had to suck up their pride in sight
And apply for welfare and clean office building during the nights
Never breaking down and giving up
How they made me proud to be Somali

Then the infamous Somali Credit Card that is accepted around the world
With any Somali person without fear of it being cold
Good for asking for bread, water, shelter, and favors
Sharing the last bread to savor
What strong people the Somali are
How anyone else would have given up, but not them
They press on regardless, shining like a hidden gem
How they made me proud to be Somali

Look at them today
How many Somalis we have in colleges around the way
Go to graduation Day and see how many Somali are waving a tassel
Look in Columbus! Global Mall! Banadir Mall!
How many businesses we have started that even in this messed up economy did not fall
Look at the money transfers like Dahabshill
Giving back blood to a bleeding nation in a billion dollar bills
Beautiful people who get up every morning with faith in their hearts
How they made me proud to be Somali

How could you not have faith in such people too!
The ones back home living in stateless uncertainty but stand strong too
How could I not faith in them!
How could I not believe in them!
We have worked together
Just as we have living in such bad weather
How they made me believe in the future of Somalia

Besides don’t you know that all this traveling is good
It is teaching and growing us as only travel could
Every country that became successful did so
Europeans and Japanese traveled to help them grow
We are traveling and learning
Yet never stopping to end our yearning
Give us a minute and acknowledge
Twenty years is not that long for a journey of knowledge
Yes, I have hope for Somalia, because my people are strong
We will finish before too long
No matter the obstacle, my people have faced it with courage 
No matter the darkness, my people will join the world stage
How they made me believe in the future of Somalia

Somalia, we will have peace, and we will be an example in Africa
Our scientists will discover new medicines.
Our engineers will create new inventions.
Our doctors will be sought out by the world.
Our writers will be studied all over the world.
Our musicians will be loved everywhere.
Our actors’ laughter will touch the world.
Our businesses will create jobs for every working able citizen.

If you doubt my words, mark my words, here on this day in 2011 for all the world to hear me. Somalia, will wake up to our destiny. We will have a future. We will take our failing nation to Honor Roll. We will shout to the world as one that we are Somali.

Sindiya Darman
Copyright © 2011

Group Poem 22 (Somali Independence Day): We have Independence.

We have independence and you cannot say we don’t.You, yes you. I have independence. You might think that Somalia’s people have no independence because we are in a civil war. But we survived the deadliest wars.
We had wars with America, Italy. But are still standing today and yet you still try to decline me my independence. Obama, Blare, Bush they all tried to teach us the “American” way. But after black hawk down there was nothing they could teach us.   
Somalia, Somalia, Somalia! Independent, independent, independent. Why are you trying to decline what is rightfully ours. We have had it hard for the last couple of years and you people whom try keeping world peace have forgotten a little country in the shape of the number 7 near the coast of the Indian Ocean. Somalia was a country of beauty, it was a country of honour, it was a country people lived with happiness in. Now after all these wars you have driven my ancestors out of their country with fear of not living if they stayed. And now you try taking the only think I have left of my Somalia? You try taking away my independence.
Well let me say this loud and clear loud enough so it leaves your soul trembling, making to deaf hear and they unsighted sighted. 

WE HAVE INDEPENDENCE! SOMALIA HAS INDEPENDENCE.

Binoof Ali
Copyright © 2011

Silent Whispers

He is in it for the dime and the dollar
He is in it for the glimmer and the glamour
He is in it for the fame and fortune
He is in it for himself and no other

She is in it for their worldly desires
She is in it for the pin up she admires
She is in it for the lies and deception
She is in it, in search of perfection

He is in it for the pain and the struggle
He is in it for the hate and the trouble
He is in it for the girls and the gold
He is in it, for he sold his soul

She is in it for not knowing any better
She is in it for the hopes that have been scattered
She is in it for the dreams that can be shattered
She is in it for what she thought mattered

He is not a devil worshipper
But a slave to his silent whispers
How does that make him any different
Tell me, is he any different

He is awake, but sleeps come Fajr
He walks but never to the mosque
He sees religion and turns to run
He walks by the beggar in the sun

She is at home, but leaves come Maghrib
She walks but never to the mosque
She sees religion and turns to run
She walks by the beggar in the sun

She is not a devil worshipper
But a slave to his silent whispers
How does that make her any different
Tell me, is she any different

He collects books by the tons
Novels of kings and their sons
He decks them, favorites on the top
The Holy book among them is not one

She collects magazines in a row
Kings of pop and their show
She decks them, favorites on the top
The Holy book among them is not one

They know not what they run from
They know not where they come from
They know not where they’re headed
They know not what they are worth

It hurts me to see you stray
It hurts me you live this way
It hurts me indeed
It hurts me to see . . .

Your self-respect slip away
Your culture and history fade away
Your loved ones living in dismay
Your eyes glazed like liquid crystal display

Come let me show you the way
Come bow with me lets pray
Come see a better day
Come walk towards God . . .
And He shall meet you halfway . . .



written & inspired by Phamo Ahmed
in collaboration with Pen ‘N’ Paper

Copyright © 2011

Hiring One Peace Soldier

I want to help Somalia just like everyone else
But I didn’t know where to begin
The problems are so much that I want to give up after looking at the list
Somalia needs everything
Schools, Hospitals, Businesses
I wish I had the money to start them all
And I sure I will one day insha’allah

But what can I do today to help
I am the new generation, right, oh yea right
Just a Somali girl born and raised in the America
Whose family ran away from Somalia
I watch the news too and see how the mess became
the pictures of the teens with a gun
That horrible teenager that sells his service like a prostitute to the next man with money
Who blew up buildings and carries a gun
In the game of politics
Just following orders like a good soldier

But isn’t he part of the new generation too?
Why can’t I help him?
Shouldn’t I help him?
Why can’t I make him stop?
He won’t listen to me.
Okay but why not?
I’m sure he hates the mean men with the money
Who could anyone like them?
They ask him to risk his life
They ask him to sell his soul
How could he like that?
Why can't I get him to quit his job working for the ones with the corrupted hearts?
Wouldn’t we have peace if he put down his gun to work for me?
I am a way better boss than than that warmonger 

But I don’t know the teenager with a guy.
I was born in America.
I never went to Somalia before.
I don’t know any of those boys back home.
They are just pictures to me
So I asked my aunt who just came back from her trip to see the school that she started
I asked her do you know any of those teenage boys who need help
She looked at me in the strangest way and said I know a woman whose husband died
She said yes that the woman has three boys and she needs help
I said No does she have a 16-year-old boy I can help
But she said yes one of the boys is 16 but why does it matter to you
It does Eedo because if his father died, he might join the militia to get money
He might lose his soul, and his deen, and he will rob me when I come to the Mogadishu airport

I would rather ask him if he can work for me instead of the warlord
Why not?
I want peace in Somalia and he can help me
I will to hire for one peace soldier
I will to ask him if he wants to be a peace soldier for me
I will to ask him if he wants help from a girl he has never seen
I will to ask him to work for peace instead of war
How much do you send to people? Eedo
I send whatever I can afford
Okay then I will send him 100 every month to work for me
But he needs school or a business
Yes, I know but today he needs food
We will worry about school tomorrow.
Today is today. I want to help him today, not tomorrow
How can you study or have peace if you are hungry?
Call him now please?

Hello Mohamed?
I don’t know you and you don’t know me
But we are both Somali and we are both the new generation
I wanted to help someone and I picked you
I could have helped anyone else
I could have went shopping instead
I really did plan on spending these money on new shoes  
But decided I want to hire you
I want you to work for me as my peace soldier
You will not allowed to fight, rob, or steal
You will walk the path of peace
You will study and work hard
You will say no to the men who want to use your life
You will be my peace soldier

What so funny?
Is that easy?
You can do that?
I’m happy to hear this, but I better never see you on the news or I will fire you
You promise
Great, my brother you are welcome
What did you say?
What about your two brothers? And friends?
They need help too.
Well I am one person, but I will ask everyone
If they want to hire one peace soldier too
Thank you for starting the peace process today one person at a time
between one Somali girl living the in the Diaspora who graduated from university and one Somali boy living the Mogadishu who now does not need to pick up a gun to earn money because he has me
The new generation helping the new generation
Thank you Eedo so much for connecting the two of us.
I am so glad that I made a new friend today 
Hiring one peace soldier.

Sindiya Darman
Copyright © 2011