Day 2 (Ramadan Poems): Abdisalaan Haji

                                  Ramadan Nights

Last night I was solicited and

swayed by the soothing

embrace of an evening breeze

as I, strolled barefoot across

red velvet like powderto join hearts with the

believers in prayer.

Abdisalaan Haji

Copyright © 2012

Life Sentence

Life Sentence:

handcuffed

     feet shackled, and

          blindfolded

timid muscles tremble, with intense

     Fear

amidst the bleak and frigid confines

of ironfisted concrete and steal

but

     still

restricted by rules and regulations

self-imposed are ascetic sanctions

for things aren't always what they seem

adorned with Beauty

     unperceived

this dark and dreary sanctuary

make those who truly believe

     weary

*Based on the authentic Hadith by Abu Hurairah (May allah be pleased with him) who reported: The Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said: "The world is the believer's prison and the infidel's Jannah". [470:Muslim].

Abdisalaan Haji

Copyright ©2012

The Depletion of Two Fronts

Blinded by a barrage of banners the ballast of purpose

deemed worthless

as the spoils of war are ransacked

throughout its fortress

where once laid delicacies

draped like a curtain now, pauperized roof panels

leak onto fragmented floors where shattered glass and shutters remain

scattered

the reminiscence of deeply rooted

deviated divisions

deprived and deceived

they depend on worldly desires

that are crystallized within the prying eyes

of foreign legions

who's convoluted schemes

only obstruct the view of

their, narcissistically arbitrary depletion

Abdisalaan Haji

Copyright ©2012

Beautiful Pain

If beauty is the morning sun

as it emerges from darkness

to cultivate and replenish

Pain is agony which is felt

as leaves from trees began to melt

and hunger is alleviated with stone belts

If beauty is the evening moon

glamorous in its glee

to the highest degree

Pain is ferocious feelings of famine

feeding on victims of frantic panic

forcing their feet to flee like refugees

If beauty is the open sea

pain is shallow and would disagree

If beauty is a midsummer

night's breeze

Than pain is solitude

emptiness and hard to please

But please don't get it misconstrued

beauty is pain and pain is beauty

The trials and the tribulations

faced with every nation

from past

present

to future generations

So what makes us any different?

Abdisalaan Haji

Copyright ©2011

Insh-Allah TODAY...I write

Today, I stand

and stare into the eyes

of injustice and

watch as they blink first

Today, I implement mental blocks

that alleviate images of

abstract thoughts

Today, I seize my pen

as it bleeds metaphors

that sympathize

with victims near the shores

where famine lays its siege

and dehydration infiltrates

like armed militia

Today, I'll write

constantly because of

drought

conflict

and poverty

I'll write, in this flimsy notebook

to eradicate ambiguous assertions

with phrases and words

as words DO matter

because if the Ummah is a body

and life is a test

with Muslims in duress

how could pain not flow like the ink from my pen

how could it not bleed through my text like a threat

leaving imprints on pages I haven't even wrote on yet.

Abdisalaan Haji

Copyright ©2011

Downfall

While their dark complexion is only rivaled

by the empty pits of their bellies

their weak and withering physique

causes hunger and thirst to fade into a slumber

Fatigued their flimsy lifeless limbs

walk hundreds of miles, to find themselves out of breath

now this mother and her child can barely even stand,

blisters on the bottom of their feet boiling within the sand

Born into a state where instability seems the staple

their bare flesh clings to their fragile frames

the way those around them cling to their family names

Yet no one cares nevertheless, to relieve them of their stress

their somber demise intertwined and deeply imbedded

as hope retreats into the shadows and humanity digresses.

Abdisalaan Haji

Copyright ©2011

Her Nurturing Ways

Instinctive were her nurturing ways
That brought about whims of comfort and warmth
But by Allah, it was only when
The angel of the womb lifted his pen,
That external limbs began to show
and my love for her began to grow
Today, the scent of her dirac alone
Has a place in my heart, a place where
Fabricated images once displayed
Ignorance of the judgement day
yet the mere utterence of her speech easily breached
Breaking down premeditated walls of metal blocks
Alleviating the uncertainty of adolescent thoughts
Instilling the realities of the grave
Ever mindful of this cage
Serving as a compass and gauge
Instinctive were her nurturing ways
Although it seems her arid plains
Contains little remorse for those in pain
Children who's stomachs forget to mind
Watch flying bullets to pass the time
Cause the reality of being struck
is the same as that of eating lunch
But by Allah, do we forget?
Calamity, distress, illness, and grief
Strikes a believer to amend and relieve
For things aren't always what they seem
So thank Allah
For her mountain and trees
Her shoreline and breeze
For one day we'll see,
Instinctive were her nurturing ways
That brought about whims of righteous change

Abdisalaan Haji
Copyright ©2010

What is shame?

Walking hundreds of miles, to find themselves out of breath

A mother and her child can barely even stand,

Blisters on the bottom of their feet boiling within the sand

Born into a state were instability seems the staple

Their bare flesh clings to their fragile frames

The way those around them cling to their family names

Cause here shame is not drugs, shame is not meth

Shame is where newborns aren't offered breast

Shame is where starvation beckons death

Its where smoking barrels and empty caliber chambers

Are the first to greet new neighbors

Where human life is an afterthought only to be thought of later

Shame is for those who say they believe

While they walk away from a nation on it's knees

Shame is for you and I who eat and sleep

While turning a blind eye to those in need,

Yet adamantly proclaiming, WE BELIEVE


Abdisalaan Haji
Copyright ©2010

Delivered on The Ninth Day of Dhul Hijjah

Evident of morosely placid clouds blanketing
Divided and torn, unity is rebuffed in the face of temptation
Swaddled with cultural ties, we become blind to what we're facing
Yet Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala's patients is amazing
Blessings of understanding to one day reach tranquility
Misunderstood, causing internal hostility
That in return perpetuates instability
But instead of turning on each other, and asking
What tribe are you from?, shouldn't we be asking
Are we all not equal, except in piety and good action?
And what difference does it make if a brother of mine
Happens to be from a distant bloodline?
When in reality, a brother in Islam is better for you and me than any other combined

Abdisalaan Haji
Copyright ©2010

"The Exit"

Poet's note: My name is Abdisalaan Haji, and in short I was born in Somalia 1988 during the backdrop of civil unrest.I think to fully comprehend this poem, one must understand the historic turmoil that surrounds my once peaceful home and how we got ourselves into this predicament. Ominous of internal hostility that have torn men from their families, mothers from their progenies, and children from their childhoods. In retrospect is due to the vicious cycle of hate and violence that centers itself at the heart of the issue, and in my opinion can only be portrayed in a seamlessly dark and inevitable nature given the demise of traditions that once were.


Death lingers near the camp of injustice
The camp where the trusted
Sanction mothers to be exposed and violated
Leaving starving children to be manipulated and
left with empty palms as though they never waited
But even after, death lingers here like the stench of a carcass
Only to be reminiscent of justice blurred,
The only place in the world where deaths aren’t per
Death lingers in this land
For the same reasons that veins are drained completely dry,
And blood is spilled for the sake of pride
It lingers in this nation where deprivation and poverty
Are serving time as brothers of armed robbery
But in the answer peace has to be
Cause honesty, suppressed is corruption at its best
And in a trial of a battle within which has no retreat,
Instability and grief are the companions of defeat.

Abdisalaan Hajj
Copyright ©2010