The following poem was written by a Somali exile in the West.  It is a lament about the plight of his people; of the destruction of its lush environment; of paradise lost; of combating despair and  rekindling hope .  Moryaan (Somali): a member of marauding militia / Gaal (Somali): An alien

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Cry with me, brothers and sisters

 Cry with me for

the cry of a baby who goes hungry at night

the young boy who scavenges for survival

the mother who cries in silence

the suffering sisters in far away camps

for the helpless father who can only whimper and whine

 

Cry with me for the Moryaan who does not know better

 

Cry with me for                                                    

the cowardly slaughter of our lofty trees

the fish fed with Gaal-made  poison

for the rivers turned to grave yard of death and destruction

 

Cry with me for

the agony of Maandeeq

for a walking dead people

for a brutal rape of a nation

 

For those of you who dare not cry

For those of you who wish to ignore and deny

For those of you who would rather cling to despair and death

 

I say

 

Do not despair

Do not succumb to the forces of darkness and defeat

David tripped and rose

reached for his sling and slew the brute

Berlin and Dresden were ruined and rebuilt

So was Hiroshima and Rome

 

Bonded by trust and brotherhood

Armed with faith, resilience and resolve

 

shake the residue of agony and despair

Tame the enemy within, and the enemy without

And say enough is enough

 

Then

Face the traitors and turn coats

Their pay masters and managers

Along with yesterday's hyenas and henchmen

 

and say no more

 

Thus Rekindling revival and  hope

to a wounded nation; to a hungry child; to a poisoned fish; to a mother crying in silence!

 

 

Ahmed J. Xaamud ayaa ku deeqay

ajhamud@yahoo.com