The Nation of Poets

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Nuura

There is so much of her in me

This woman.

Stood proud.

Head dress forming an earthly hallo

About her voluptuous frame.

Her name is Nuura.

And she is light.

Forever radiant.

I have bathed in her

sparkle Basked in the twinkle of her love

And learnt the pains of a woman’s womb-

Broken whispers of almost babies

That made her lament And retreat into herself

Like a broken angel

Or an angelic human

Whispering in virtuous calm-

Bismillahi rahmani raheem.

They said that bleeding

Would make me a woman

And loving a man

Would make me bleed

A different kind of love.

She taught me that blood

Could also break a woman

And that tears

Made even angles human.

That humans-

Sometimes came in the form of demons-

And demons- sometimes looked like friends.

That forgiveness

Make’s the broken -whole

And the secret to happiness

Lay in gentle remembrances of Laa illaha illallaah.

The velvety chuckles Of man and wife.

And in the soft caresses between mother child.

Between her

and I.

There is no woman

Like her.

Her name is Nuura.

And she is light.

Forever radiant.

Farah Gabdon

Tribute to Arfa Karim Randhawa - Elegy

It is a mournful day for the black and white,

As the inevitable death snatched miss Arfa Karim like a kite,

Without forewarning us arrange for her mourning rite.

She was not snatched but taken away by the Almighty God,

The powerful Creator and the Benevolent lord,

I ask Him to forgive me for employing "snatch" that is odd.

We burry her body for today,

But carry her legacy every day,

And keep her name without nay.

Let us all mourn and cry,

At once weep and sigh,

To the gifted soul say goodbye.

Let us attend her funeral without my,

Attire not formal clothing and tie,

But for prayer take our hands high.

Avoiding faults, abstain from saying fie,

Dropping sorrowful tears from eye to eye!

As we are all like the feeling of one guy!

Shush! I am sending condolence,

To her parents and siblings in confidence,

I am sharing the pain with them in patience.

May Allah rehouse her in paradise!

As He made her active and wife,

And awarded her ingeniousness as prize.

Not only Pakistan lost Arfa Karim Randhawa,

But she is mourned for in the heart of Somalia,

All over around the world, here and there.

Her manner outgoing and genial,

Her conduct well-behaved and desirable,

And in thinking, genius and intellectual.

Her smiling attractive and admirable,

Her colour arresting and invariable,

In technology, inventive and reliable.

Her shape slim and beautiful,

Her height medium and wonderful,

Her vision innovative and powerful.

At school, she was so bright and brilliant,

At home, she was acceptable and obedient,

And to her nation, she was lovable and compliant.

To the world, she was creative and significant,

To her peers, she was a role model and a knight,

And to the Muslims, she was productive and important.

Mohamed Abdikaadir Daud (Stanza)

Mohamed Abdikadir (Stanza) who is a Somali Poet and author based in Khartoum where he is pursuing Postgraduate studies in Peace and Development Studies mourns for the sudden death of the award-winning Pakistani genius and the World's Youngest Microsoft Certified Professional, Arfa Karim Randhawa, who passed away on 14th January, 2012.

Soulful Wishes

I got my eyes closed

My mind holds

Precious invitations from the heart to the soul

Stereo rhymes spoke real of soulful wishes

Blessings from above like nutritions

Meditation a peace of mind

Like you been missing

From the letters that I wrote

And the notes that I typed up on a BB

Upload it straight on FB

It must be the feeling that plays around me, lonely

Lonely to keep a distant of the phoney's

Real with myself, on myself, me & myself

Not three, cuz TV never showed me

How to be free

The media and the news

And me still swinging to my blues on my balcony

If I jump out, then I'm out in the in air

Let me feel how the falcon breathes

And what it sees, scooped in to win

I bet the sniper bleeds

Drops of rain

My heart awaits that day of joy and pain

And that final day when it stops in silence

I'm still flying with birds and I'm not even sharing breadcrumbs

The journey to the grounds of death

But my beds wants to spread out a blanket of resistance

Its missing my presence

A lonely tear of soulful wishes

My soul is full of vivid pictures

See I print it out

No appetite for copycats

Straight dismissing

And I'm fishing stars while a dark kitten whispered

Bitten by that scratchy tone

Now I'm energised

How can I lean on the squeaky house mice

Memorised memories of memoirs

Kept in my pockets

Deep thoughts like rockets

Sought to shed a light in the sky

My friends were a lie

More like a Villain inside

The trust is lost

I'm not a hero

If I must be some one outside the box

Then Robert de nero

Fake as we running for a image

For what is high must once come down to zero

His arms lift up wide in the sky

Look a like he's crucified in Rio de Janeiro

Me I split the eye of the Pharaoh

So far in the Nile I feel like I'm swimming near my own home

Singing like I'm on a bears throne

My words are on top of my head no halo, no one is feeling me

Dark scenery, when I close my eyes

I live in my heartbeat

I rest my soul

We will dream in nights

I got my eyes closed

My mind holds

Precious invitations from the heart to the soul

Stereo rhymes spoke real of soulful wishes

Blessings from above like nutritions

Meditation a peace of mind

Like you been missing

Ahmed D

Leaf Lecture

from the window i saw them

leaves wearing the yellow dress

burying their smile in the shades

i kept wondering ,

why they left the green

why they didnt resist the fall

the wind convied my words

as it usually does !!

and i get that look from them !

look that washed by years of wisdom

saying :

Oh fool. that is life !!

life with all it's colors and tastes

with every smile there is a tear

with every dawn there is a night

with every death there is a birth

and by contrast the beauty is recognized

our lives are seasons

so be thankful for the good moments

and be patient when it gets tough

so fool it is our time to leave

if you still didn't recognize !!!

Ismail A. Ali

Let Me

Let me lay you down

and caress your body’s curves

with my hands

like easterly winds in spring do

over Kilimanjaro

Let my lips run their course

on the soft skin of your upper body

kissing all angles

leaving no crevasses or beauty marks neglected

Let me hold you tight

with unconditional care

and our bodies warmth nurturing each others spirit

like a mother holding its first born child

in a land filled with infertility

Let my eyes survey your figure

investigating its perspicuous form

for any distinct features I haven’t already discovered

like a hawk over the African plains searching for prey

Let me rub you with organic oils

sending your heat and cold receptors

wilder than animals in the Amazon

bringing out the shine and rich color of your skin

to represent you as it should

Let my senses feed on your perfection

let them indulge in the essence of satisfaction.

let me be alone in the pleasure of appreciating you as art

let me Love everything there is to love about you

alone and uncontested

Ahmed Knowmadic

Oppressed

They say I am oppressed

Because of the way I dress

Because my shirts cover my breast and you can’t tell the size of my hips or chest?

See you live in a world where less skin is best, and designer labels means your blessed

But what about everything else, what about the rest, what about your respect

Oppressed from what? My dad, brother, uncle, husband, cousin

You think he is forcing me, but no he doesn’t

And you say you will help me get freedom, but your freedom is my oppression,

I’m sorry for the misconception

But your perception of my reality

Is not really my actuality

Because in my eyes I am FREE

I’m free from the Holloywods and TMZ

So-called Labels of Beauty

For beauty is in the eye of the beholder

And this beholder is no less bolder

Than any women in a low-top shirt, that has every pervert looking up her skirt

So tell me which freedom do you prefer?

Nasra Osman

Heart Ache

Tonight

I want to feel my heart ache.

To feel it quake

Then break onto itself

And spill its contents

So I can see.

I have lost count

Of the number of sins it conceals

And beats into my blood.

A steady lump

Rising to the back of my throat,

And I am choking on fear.

On the smell of burnt flesh

Against a blazing fire

Whose fuel is

Men and stone.

I am choking on regret

And despair of a heart

that does not feel

until the pain

of melting skin

and scalding water

is all too real.

I am gagging on

Torments that never end

iron chains

and food

melting wombs

from the inside out.

I am choking

On every moment of neglect

And every second glance

That wasn’t mine to have.

I have never felt so far

From the beauty

Of a life

Held firm by Islam.

Tonight

I have felt my heart ache

and quake

Then break onto itself

And I have seen its contents.

Tonight

My heart is full of regret.

And hope.

I am kneeling for forgiveness.

And searching for the sweetness of a faith

That drips from eyes

Wet in awe at the wonders of creation,

And the softness of a heart

That trembles at the

Gentle melodies

In the words of God.

Farah Gabdon

Today I Am A Refuge No More: I Am A Somali

Today I am a refugee no more; I am a Somali

I am awake my brethren – and I am not alone

The 20 year slumber has come to an end

And the dawn of a new era is just beginning

I feel the spirit within me awaken

I sense the warmth of my blood rushing to my heart

As the dormant power within me unleashes

Today I am a refugee no more

I envision the sight and sounds of Somalia

I hear the beauty in the voices of children reciting the quran

The echoes of laughter in the crowds whisper sweet sonnets in my ear

the hustle and bustle of the suuq

create beautiful melodies

I see the colourful clothes hung on a rope soaking up the sunshine

I see hope, peace and love

Awaken enlightened my brethren

Somalinimo is alive

The rain will quench the thirst of the ground, people and wildlife

Sprouting seedlings will emerge,

the signs of life will return once more

to our home, long forsaken- but nevermore.

Dk Ahmed

Where do we go from here?

We have been there before, maybe once,

or even twice. You are doing this for your sons,

even though they are nothing more but a dream,

that you seem to chase, I see that gleam

in your eyes, determined to make a difference.

Slowing down the pace at the other side of the fence,

nevertheless - at times I’ve seen in them that agony,

“that shackled hope restricted in me”.

I wish I could show you a better way,

a living, lived for the living each day.

We begin at dawn with, “once upon a time

I used to be, trying to find something to call mine”.

Taking a first step in the right direction,

the second showed your sincere affection.

A prayer in the name of the Great,

pure is the heart pristine from hate.

The only trouble that makes me stutter,

that seems pouring through the gutter;

my neighbourhood neglected her and him,

a life left alone comforted by sin.

We carry on as if we were promised a future,

that we were unable to behold, unable to nurture.

The beautiful soul entrusted to your care -

did you dare to be fair or am I another nightmare,

that you’re unable to count to your own.

I wish the disappointments in my chest had not grown

now that I’m unable to shake off the pain…

another generation left to believe “it was all in vain”.

“Who are you?” identity left them in fear.

Where do we go from here?

We set with the sun to rest,

avoiding the bitter taste… to detest.

Do you remember those days, and your ways,

thinking “why do I even bother”… crossed the boarder,

no relief but a sigh… “why do I even try”.

We reason… for no reason,

sincere is the tear… shed simply you cannot bear.

As long you fear… trust thee, the Almighty is near.

“Who are you?” identity left me in fear.

Where do we go from here?

Pen 'N' Paper

No Rules in Remembering You

There are no rules to remembering you.

No games to play.

No trick no win or lose.

No prior warning, It's games over my love.

Some days I'm good and other days I'm dying over you.

Patience and prayers what gets me through I feel peace when upon His name I call Tell me did I do you good?

Am I still your cadceed!

I know there is nothing you can do. These eyes will weep and this heart is in pain. Few seconds all it took for present tense to grey into past.

A piece of paper certified you as DOB and DOD!

Don't get me wrong.

His decree I accept and nothing is said unless He is content! But how am I to ever know, if you are proud of me!

Want you to repeat that quiz and I promise not to guess too quick!

Sit me down go over our family tree for one last time!

Trust me when I say, I finally know it by heart!

No abti or adheer can ridicule me!

And my af Somali isn't so bad! Can you tell I speak a word or two?

Smile now laughing cow is overthrown. You always said that will happen oneday, but guess What Tunisia, Yemen and Libya are all revolutionized!

And as I write this Stephen Lawrence’s murderers are sentenced at last!! But I learned today "Justice delayed is Justice denied". Father, there are no rules to remembering you May mercy of Him shower upon you

Sam Said