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What is Somalia- The Nation of Poets?
Halima Ali Ahmed
Dec 2, 2009
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Poems have always held a special place in my heart. I would randomly look up poems, and start spending hours and hours reading different books, websites and blogs. I literally devoted “poetry time” in my busy schedule of school, work and extra-curriculum. This habit wasn’t just a hobby; it was rather an endless love for poetry and the artistic ability of people to describe themselves in such an elegant, concise and beautiful way. I discovered the best of best poems in the beginning of 2009, when I stumbled upon different blogs and YouTube videos of poems by Somali youth. I was amazed by their talents, and their words inspired me beyond any other poems I have ever read. I could relate to their words, I could feel the nostalgia behind their words, I sensed their love for their home and as well as their adopted homes. I could relate with the agony they felt of being from a nation that has so many vultures preying on, yet so little people willing to help it. Their adherence to their faith inspired me to love and learn more about my own. And, their sense of ambition and willing to help Somalia and their respective adopted homes pushed me to be even more ambitious. I just loved looking for poems by Somali youth in different search engines. However, it was a tedious process of going from one blog to another in search of poems.
Until finally I had an epiphany one day! Six months ago, I decided to make a Face book fan page and a blog. My job now was to contact these poets to agree to submit their poems to the page. This way, we poetry lovers, could have so many different talents under one roof and save time. It was really hard in the beginning, writing to people to submit their poems to a page that literally had only handful of people as “fans”. Some just turned away, and some graciously believed that this was a great project and a perfect way to unite the Somali Face bookers and bloggers. I am so grateful for the ones who submitted their poems from early on, and told their friends about Somalia-TNP.
Today, Somalis are sending their poems from far and near. I receive poems from Kenya, Ethiopia, UK, Canada, America, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, India, Pakistan, Uganda, etc. There are 875+ fans on the Facebook page and the genre of the poems differ greatly. We have Islamic poems, love poems, sad poems, funny poems (really, we do), happy poems, but mostly poems for Somalia. If you take the time to read, you will certainly see the talent of these poets who are yearning for their homeland and to strive on the path of creator of heavens and earth and to eventually succeed in life.
Recently, I pursued few poets to write couple of lines about Somalia and the Somalia-TNP. This is our first group poem. And, Insh Allah I plan to continue this with different themes to encourage everyone in the page to become an active member and hopefully discover their poetic side.
This poem is titled “Somalia- the Nation of Poets (Group poem 1)” and is written by Ismail Mohamed, Zana Haji Hashi, Idil Ahmed Mahamed and Halima Ali Ahmed
Somalia - TNP unites us in scripture
We all can paint a perfect picture
Like a mirror it helps us reflect
Bringing forth our greater intellect
Somalia TNP is vital , just like an umbilical cord
Convincing us that the pen is mightier then the sword
By Ismail Mohamed
With the pen, I write with fire and flames
Words like glowing passion
Heat flowing through the paper
Aphrodisiac in my pen
I embrace you in lust
The feeling is indescribable
You feel the desire and yearn for it
Like a drug I set up word that is poisoning you
Words to the effect of causing an end.
Zana Haji Hashi
And, to what seems like the end, it all started when the rules were bending.
And down deep the burial ground of the people aren’t buried well.
Our heroes took their lives to mend things for our wealth.
Playing tricks were the reasoning for such pain.
And that gun shots sadly are used for being heard.
And singing birds aren’t recognized at all and seeing green and true beauty of nature, seems like our mind and imagination is playing games.
But remember it won’t and that it can’t be the end now.
Keeping in faith seems too hard to keep a grip holding tight and holding tears, seems so hard to not break at all.
Idil Ahmed Mahamed
But, Somalia is the unbreakable nation for it is all about:
Our land, our pride, our home,
Our poems, our literature, our arts,
Our beauty, our culture, our nomadic traditions,
Our families, our values, our religion.
We are the land of poets,
The land that still persists,
The land that still prevails,
And the land that still yearns for peace,
For peace will surely knock at our doorsteps, saying “Honey, I am home”
We are the poets, of today and tomorrow.
Somalia- The Nation of poets
aims to protect this tradition,
celebrate it with the world,
and inspire the youth to remember,
remember that our adults communicated
through poetic verses with golden glints.
And we aim to celebrate and embrace that!
Somalia ha noolato. {Halima Ali Ahmed}
I invite WardheerNews readers to check out the blog at www.somalipoets.blogspot.com and also look us up at Facebook Somalia- The Nation of Poets. Also, feel free to send your poems to somalipoets@gmail.com. The purpose of Somalia-TNP is not to find the best poem but rather someone who can paint their emotions in the best way possible and share it with everyone. Almost all poems are accepted, expect for the ones that glorify the destructive, evil and horrendous thing that destroyed our nation- tribe.
Halima Ali Ahmed
Email: halimaahmedd@gmail.com
Somalia- TNP
Founder.
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