Spare A Moment

Dear Somalis

In the diaspora

Dear sisters

Dear brothers

When celebrating Eid

When sauntering in Christmas

Spare a moment

When showering gifts

On your lucky children

Spare a moment

When you heap them

With new clothes

In Nike shoes

Spare a moment

When admiring their smiles

In peaceful lands

In beautiful parks

Spare a moment

When you spoil them

With happiness

With electronic games

With garnished foods

Spare a moment

When you drive your families

In lush boulevards

Dinning with them

In glamorous eateries

Aimlessly strolling

Aimlessly buying

In designer stores

Spare a moment

For the hangury

For the homeless

For the hopeless mothers

Hugging dead children

Back in Mogadishu

Spare a moment

When your children Splash ice cream

On the kitchen floor

Spare a moment

When they fret and frown

Over food at home

Crying for deliveries

From fast food outlets

Craving for French fries

For hamburgers

For hefty MacDonalds

When you relent

And render the order

Spare a moment

For mothers in Mogadishu

Hugging and holdingHungry children

Hollow-eyed babies

Hanging to life

Spare a moment

When you stroll to hotels

To Sunday evening Parties

Prim and piffy

Spare a moment

When you toast a drink

And toss down a draft

When you mumble

In mesmerizing music

Spare a moment

For children in Mogadishu

In feeding jons

Spare a moment

For mothers shivering in cold

For elders cursing their age

For the ruins of Mogadishu

Spare a moment

When you ensconce

In comfy sofas

In heated homs

Spare a moment

When you turn on Your television sets

And swap channels

On sleek screens

Admiring your children

Excited and starry-eyed

Over latest gadgets

Escaping the luxury

The comfort at home

To virtual violence

To horror movies

Spare a moment

For children in Mogadishu

Roasting in real hell

With limbs maimed

Wading through the bloodOf dead parents

Stumbling on decomposing bodies Of dead siblings

Seeking shelter in squalid cellarsIn bullet-riddled, pockmarked caves

In the lap of agonized mothers

Spare a moment

For an orphan nation

Spare a moment

For a country scorched

Spare a moment

Spare a moment

Spare a moment

By Bashir Goth
Email: bsogoth@yahoo.com
Bashir Goth is a Somali poet, journalist, professional translator, freelance writer, the first Somali blogger and a news website editor. Bashir is the author of numerous cultural, religious and political articles and advocate of community-development projects, particularly in the fields of education and culture. He is also a social activist and staunch supporter of women’s rights. He currently lives in the UAE.