" I am From Somalia"

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.

By Ilham Abukar Dahir

8th Grade Student

KC