THE VOICE OF WISDOM
by Mahamud Siad Togane
(For Jamila Aman & her coworkers)
It is held that sorrow makes us wise. — Tennyson
Then how come we sad and sorrowful Somalis are still so stupid?
— Togane
Because
The fear of Allah is the beginning of wisdom: but
fools despise wisdom and instruction.
(The Proverbs, 1: 7)
I am not a he
I am a she
I am Hagia Sophia
I am wisdom
That leads you all to Paradise
That lies under the feet of mothers
On every day that dawns
With my tears
I water the flowers of the nations
I reach
I teach
I preach
I repeat
I reiterate
I am peace
I please
I tease
I ease
I release
You all
From all your ignorance
From all your arrogance
I am not a he
I am a she
I am Hagia Sophia
I am wisdom
That leads you all to Paradise
That lies under the feet of mothers
My ways are all the ways of pleasantness
My ways are all the paths of peace
I am the voice crying out in the wilderness
Prepare ye
The way of the Lord
The way of the Prince of Peace
I cry out in the streets
Against all the folly that governs the world
I cry out in the streets:
I am wisdom
I am it
I am above the Yankee dullard dollar
I am the principal thing
Therefore
Go to it
Go for it
Go for real
Go for broke
Go get me
Go get Hagia Sophia
Go get wisdom
And with all thy going
And with all thy getting
Go get understanding
I am not a he
I am a she
I am Hagia Sophia
I am wisdom
That leads you all to Paradise
That lies under the feet of mothers
I am not
That evil greedy fugly big blind ninny of a mouth
That shied away
That fell asleep
Because
He had feasted on the carcass of the Somali nation
I do not hem
I do not haw
I do not heehaw
Like my Dirty donkey
I do not shirk
I do not shrink
I do not just shrug my shoulders
I do not just shoot off my mouth
I do not just shoot from the hip
I do not just shoot from the lip
I cannot be hushed
I cannot be shushed
I do not shilly-shally
I do not willy-wally
I cannot be waylaid
I shall not be moved
Till together we storm the gates of heaven
With this our prayer
With this our song
I shall not be moved
Till God heals us all
With peace beyond all our fears
With peace beyond all our tears
I shall not be moved
Till God heals us all
With hope beyond our clannish hate
With hope beyond our measureless melancholy
I shall not be moved
Till God Himself lifts up our heavy hearts
Till God Himself fills our mouths with laughter
Till God Himself makes our tongues ring with singing
I am not a he
I am a she
I am Hagia Sophia
I am wisdom
That leads you all to Paradise
That lies under the feet of mothers
I am your teacher
Repeat after me
Repeat after our teacher
Repeat after our own Canadian F. R. Scott:
“The world is my country
The human race is my race
The spirit of man is my God
The future of man is my heaven.”
References:
1. Frank Scott: For more than half a century F.R. Scott — poet, lawyer and social philosopher — has helped to form the Canada we know today.
See http://www.uwo.ca/english/canadianpoetry/cpjrn/vol04/djwa.htm
2. Hagia Sophia: (Greek) Holy wisdom.
3. A saying of Prophet Muhammad : “Paradise lies under the feet of mothers.”
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