I am From Somalia

[abdul Qadir]

I am From Somalia

by Ilham Abukar Dahir
8th Grade Student
Sunrise Academy
Hilliard, OH


I am from cascading sand dunes,

That hug each other like long-lost lovers

I am from warm summer nights

The piercing sun, the land it covers

I am from bright full moons,

That pierces the night

I am from the wolves full-hearted cries,

That is heard far and wide



I am from the sweet aroma of mangoes,

That fills all empty spaces of the air

I am from the cool summer breeze,

That freely moves from here to there

I am from busy market places

Filled with people on the go

I am from rich green trees

That sway to and from



I am from a land of warring tribes,

That cut our nation into pieces like a sword

I am from a land of losing lives

No one can save us now but our lord

I am from chaos and uncertainty

That blocks our narrow road to life

I am from the cheerful song of birds

Which now have all seemed to die



I am from a land of a gaunt population

Oh, the horror to the eyes!

I am from a land of marauding gunmen

Like a parade of elephants,

moving in a pack, with cool sufficient strides

I am from an unstable nation

That seems to be tilting more

From a country of war and no stable foundation

One that can no longer endure



I am from the land of milk and honey

Oh, how sweet it used to be

I am from the horn of land by the sea

I am from a war-torn country

Wind carrying around the last bits of debris



I am from children scared in their homes

They stay in there for shelter

I am from death knocking on front doors

And being welcomed with an answer



I am from brother torn from brother

I am from blood spilled on the streets

Like a substance no more valuable

Then the salty waters of the sea



I am from a land where the trees whistle softly

And the ground tells stories

Of when it’s people were living in bliss

And there was no such mourning



I am from the mother land

I am from the milk of the camel,

The whistle of the wind,

The heat of the sun….



All of this is where I’m from.

http://www.hiiraan.com/news2/2007/mar/i_am_from_somalia.aspx