Dearest mama Somalia,
I love you unconditionally and I hope it remains so for lifetimes to come should there be many. I write this out of love for you so please do not weigh me by the word or a phrase or two, it flows swiftly as a hooyo's milk and it flows as spontaneous as it is being suckled. You of all should know that the essence is essential not the words, nor the phrases, nor the full stop or the comma in the right place, the essence itself.
Hello my precious! Today is your birthday, the day I always long for. Today instead of your kind hands, I ornament my thoughts, more chaotic than your tresses, with a narcissus flower. It has been 21 years since I last saw you or heard your praise sung in your honor in poignant lyrics and soaring vocals. Such was the beauty. Star singers the likes of Tubeec, Samatar (Hoballada waaberi- the dawn troupe) showered you with songs about your greatness. I left as a kid when I could barely comprehend the situation but nonetheless those faint memories have stayed with me and become more vivid by the day.
Remember that all vestiges of home in the land of my birth had been stolen by the strange and wicked ones. Wicked ones that made you bleed. Your own sons colluded with the enemy to rape your honor and chastity. Sorry I didn't mean to remind you of all the bad things that happened to you. My heart is heavy as yours. They say we tend to appreciate something when it is not there. That is certainly true! I stay with a stepmother that won't hesitate to remind me every minute that I over stayed her welcome. You know stepmother's cruelty is proverbial. I'm personally missing you. I hope this letter will cheer you up. For the time being I console myself with this line from the Sayid's poem ".......Hadaan waayay calan la ii nashiro tan iyo Nairobi. Miyaan waayay nuurkii Alliyo nabiga jaahiisa..........".
But today I wonder which present suits you better,
1)The beauty and the grandeur of the camel- to imbue you with a spirit of independence and self-sufficiency.
2)A poem to help you forget your pain and celebrate your resilience and strength.
"......You loaded your camels and came over to me when they defected to the British generals
And I count on you during the season.
A rosy cloud, a scud of white vapor, precipices of cloud flashing
with lightning,
Resounding thunder, flood water running over the parched earth,
The past night's repeated showers, noisy as the jibin bird
The heavy rain which fell, the longed-for rain of the spring,
Ponds brimming over, old campsites luxuriant,
Thorns become as tall as grass, thick undergrowth crackling-
I shall satisfy your needs as when one pours out salty water for a
she-camel
And I shall entertain you with a poem as precious as a jewel.....".
with lightning,
Resounding thunder, flood water running over the parched earth,
The past night's repeated showers, noisy as the jibin bird
The heavy rain which fell, the longed-for rain of the spring,
Ponds brimming over, old campsites luxuriant,
Thorns become as tall as grass, thick undergrowth crackling-
I shall satisfy your needs as when one pours out salty water for a
she-camel
And I shall entertain you with a poem as precious as a jewel.....".
3)or perhaps a candle to light up our memories.
On such a day, wait for me and wear a dress the color and elegance of the sky. Also wear a necklace of cloves and frankincense, because cloves and frankincense remind me of the scent of women, the scent of immortality, and in one word the scent of you- my country.
Until then, I leave you in the hands of the creator of dew and rain.
Until I return,
I remain yours truly
Abdirahman.
