Once I was a boy

Happy and loved

In my dear Mogadishu.

Now I am a man

Angry and bitter,

Sad and Lonely

In London

Living as a refugee.

I watch the TV to remember my dear home

But the more I watch the less I belong.

Once the streets were busy with love and laughter

Now only fear and death walk through them.

Once the people smiled

Now they only cry.

Once death shocked a community

Now it has become a companion.

Once the mosques were the centre of our communities

Now they have become burial sites.

Once children ran free through the streets

Now their bodies are scattered all over them like rubbish.

I miss my old dear home

I miss belonging.

I dream of love and peace

I dream of my family

I yearn to return.

But for the time been

This is only a dream

A very sad dream.

Written by:

Liban Obsiye

libanbakaa@hotmail.com

Yusuf Salah

ylucknow@hotmail.com

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