Hirsi
   the oppressed deceived      hobbled from behind
   screened off enclosed         absent perpetually dangling
   disowned killed buried           stick thin destitute
   slaughtered for those       without compassion
   astray saddled for greed empty of the grace of God
   neglected bound up      for the bitterness of the aloe
   from resentment sitting       head and hands on knees
   the water trough’s absent   even from the well good sense;                                                is refused
   the ratatat and bomb booming     calls for the lost
   compliantly igniting troubles and provocation  
my bull elephant
  people sheltering       engaged ever betrothed
  to mucus and weakness        of all diseases
  malaria tuberculosis
  they’re led astray by killing’s admirers  son of Barre and his                                                                            lot
  in ignorance following      the mistaken animal haired humans
  for my people        with wickedness poured into them
  i pass you this message        alliterating in ‘d’

to ring to pour forth harmony        forging the path
setting to rights      easing the poem’s affirmation
to spread loyal honesty     i summon you ring it
be it perhaps God willing       a balm accepted
at dawn recite it       if truth only heals
press it into those stubborn ones      that they descend
from mindlessness

                                and you will say:
deranged people     a huge hole is screened from you
gulleys and eroded water tracts      obstruct descent
paths set with hidden mines        disturbing the eye
traps scattered for you     intending your misery
as you suddenly topple into them     this is not in your interest
clashing together is success      soothing fat
to satan and his injustice
the professed law of God      and religion states
when a murder is committed       and the blame is clear
it is to be tried in law         blood money and hanging
will settle but before         the accusation is made
the discussion conducted          the acacia watered
for the gifted and wise       he enters – peace-refuser
evil brings things         sweet to his saddle

the gun and the ratatat of its bullets    this is not in your interest
denying the search for truth        this is not in your interest
these good young men of yours dead       this is not in your                                                                            interest
that women wear again and again the mourning scarf this is
                                                            not in your interest
your cow bears each time a donkey     this is not in your                                                                            interest
sheep suffer from worms and bloating          this is not in your                                                                            interest
cholera kills you one and all         this is not in your interest
the typhoon trawls you down to the ocean    this is not in your
                                                                           interest
your bodies float away on the floods     go’e this is not in your
                                                                           interest
dizzyness a world cracking your knees     go’e this is not in                                                                            your interest
your loved ones stabbed and stabbed by spears     go’e this is                                                             not in your interest
with strife and sorrow from all sides     stinging you naïve                                                                                           person
go’e this is not in your interest

staggering exhausted       you lack the camel’s back
skin carrier fell from       all that harms him and died
to Daabbad trained       for the bristly blanket and halter
that you no longer say       he’s gone and get up
this is not to your advantage or interest
sharing the fireside       with worries that weaken you
this is not to your advantage or interest
all that i tell you      in my testament and that
which through luck passed you by      and the trials that i
have yet to point out       to you as i say
calm down      go’e this is not in your interest

a sky has dropped rain     for Daylo and the lamb
the times of spring       Awl Daydad Dirirad
have shed showers covering       the whole land
the goodness for the season      of Dayr and there where
the people are spread      the herds are grazed
the communal encampment         the hawd’s pastures
the place where all points          to milk full udders
the meadowland views unspoilt           clumps of grass
dihi in fresh growth        the plant life and verdure
the mossy shoots         with roots reaching deep
the branches the duur tree          stretches out
all livestock grazed       on abundant lushness
where encampments old and new    know nothing of parasites
dividing up this whole country       go’e it’s not in your interest

poverty prevents      the production of milk
the naked now       are hollow cheeked
the throat and belly        fail to function
the gullet is grilled
searching in strange lands        dejected in the desert
living with infidels        begging from foreigners
oh naïve one      it’s not in your interest

the children attend school       for learning’s light
let them reap its rewards    is society’s unhitching
the hobble of poverty
grinding knowledge into the grave      it’s not in your interest
ready only for himself      he who acts solely to his own ends
won’t even thread a needle for you       he’s yesterday’s man
the one from before        who held a whip for you
the man who with the dagger        would disembowel                                                                            dependents
plunge it into you you remember       the difficulties he brought
he now refutes you      as he sets to peel
the fibres to make      a rope to tie you up
the lying MP        those satanic elders
the subjugators making signs      secretly known to each other
those calling turn from the path      the breakers and brokers
tearing things apart
that they still sport      the turban you respect
wield a leather whip       as you bow down behind
go’e it’s not in your interest

those who together milk their camels       Deleb Diirran and                                                                            Doorran
those who produce the fruits of the farms       in community by
                                                                           the rivers
the trapper and arrow hunter     of little means
the person beyond borrowing    even one thing
the sailor of seafaring boats      setting the mast
the owner of tall buildings        trading from them
those flowing back to the bush       and the neighbours of the                                                                            town
one people sharing       creating no problems
to face away from each other     is sulking and resentment
walls separating society      screens blocking them off
delineation of nature      splitting up grazing
closing off this region     enclosing that with strict borders
hobbling folding up     separating in hate of their skin
dispersing them and setting out      individual spaces
leaving everything behind      sending apart
dismantling agreements     each aiming their own way a very
                                             long time
piercing peeling back then putting in     watering each other’s
                                                            spite and jealousy
bringing people to hate     such that fire is not held for another
making them sleep by the side     of badness unblamed
that they scatter apart you’ll say to them      it’s not in your                                                                            interest
the killing happens     the destruction of the lands
creation’s burial     refugees’ flight from the country
as outlaws pass     among the people long suffering
weak wretches
they enter the shade      of the dead wood
the forest’s been destroyed     by scorching sand
rotten brush      dense dead thicket
silvered tree stumps      calls of help help
somebody help the women     the children the frail
licked by the red hot spears
the tank with lust to launch     at even unpeopled places
the playful gun sight      the hollow stocked gun
the kalashnikov the bomb     the shortened jeep
the rolling mortars     descending from the sky
napalm peeling stripping      your burnt skin
the anti tank p10       ricocheting ring
the rpg7       the smaller bazooka
and the ammunition belt at the ready
the aloes with their troubles      and painful injury
standing unmilked        and drinking their fill
ready for destruction sent by death
and guns and gunpowder of satan      it’s not in your interest

show-offs boasting     sidling into a position
to metamorphose     into meat eating animals
slaughtering people     brings no revulsion to them
seeing the corpse’s limbs
searching for fat from the butchered     and eliminating the                                                                            weak
peeling flesh and skin      from the slayed women
and this blood flood in the river beds     this is not in your                                                                                           interest
feeling no nausea     at the oozing water at the well
the sloppy mud      and this wrongful matter
swallow the worm don’t look at the core
come down like wild animals and every time
do not refuse the snot and slime
hold things in contempt and eat
dead leaves and innards not good meat
this was the testament then     of Koofil and Doofil
the ones I sent to hell     and whose orders I refused
the lackey dogs
and those of their ilk saying     here boy
you countered the contempt     of their fathers with
it will not be tried on me
that they now drag you down from there     go’e it’s not in                                                                            your interest

if you fail to help the birth     of a noble person
you might encourage     with their first steps
if you fail to sympathise     with the mother saying
the waterer she’s tired
if you don’t adorn      the acacia tree
for the beautiful girl      of good taste
if you fail to tease her     and her husband with
have fun on the honeymoon mat
then rather than the groom of choice      she’s there for an old                                                                            man
the celebrations the stamping feet       the drumming the                                                                            supplicating
the prayerful songs       the accept us everlasting one
the waved spring flowers       the weariness from clapping
saying may he be exalted      oh God save the king
will all be for him
in ignorance all that comes from you is      a crook always                                                                            marries me
as do taboo fools of hell      you marry the flunkeys
and the others ones equal      in age and principles
clawing compulsively up      disreputable vagabonds
parasites crawling     among the crowds
providing them shelter      is your stupidity
giving them the milking responsibility      it’s not in your                                                                            interest

these lines in ‘d’      wisdom swelling
the poem with milk
Chosen Outstanding Support      born of the finest camel                                                                            colour
my gilded words      a shawl of fine thread
honey from Yemen      this poem of God everlasting
whose generosity has placed it in me
that i cannot forget      until i lie in the grave
my poetic engagement      the verse long lasting
that will remain       whose ink i befriended
i mastered plaiting it      as a wicker basket
with its lid and holder
the one awarded a degree      and even a doctorate
whose every metaphoric hole      i learnt to stitch
i’ve not made it public      these last few days
but now today and ‘d’
and these sounds which seem      strong support
for those astray      this poetic argument
a religious warning to me      Hirsi
their responsibility      i entrust to you

you will ring it and say      go’e it’s not in your interest
chewing your bottom lip once more      go’e it’s not in your                                                                            interest
your enemy adding insult to injury once more      go’e it’s not                                                             in your interest
what is worst worsening for you      it’s no good and not in                                                                            your interest
carrion from a carcass is prepared for you      go’e it’s not in                                                                            your interest
but if God the victorious      leaves you in this life
longer than the allotted span saying
simply enjoy existence
then this is mere borrowed time      you soft person
like donkeys you’re kicking      the pliable containers
this milking period      is your colostrum
beware of spills

you are ignorant this time
of thoughts demanding      considered contemplation
you are ignorant this time
of a sharp piercing      poetic testament
you are ignorant this time
of my unswerving      indispensable composition
you are ignorant this time
of this peremptory      seeker of virtue
you are ignorant this time
of this companion      to what future remains
you are ignorant this time
of this emissary of honesty      set on a solution
and you are ignorant this time
of a body in a death twitch      with a choice of good or bad
which you give up on      you just pass by

who tells you movement      is made unawares
to malevolent nuisance
as you fall then dust down      rise once more
who winnows away from you      the choicest of dreams
who brings you distracting advice      making you faint
returning once more      to tormenting mistakes
go’e this is not in your interest

returning once more      to tormenting mistakes
go’e this is not in your interest
returning once more      to tormenting mistakes
go’e this is not in your interest
returning once more      to tormenting mistakes
go’e this is not in your interest