The following haiku poem grieves the unending plight of the Somali people. Life is however stronger than any misery, and the poem had to end with a note of defiance, embracing the resilience and strength of the human spirit.

Eyes Frozen To Sky*

War in my country
No rain to wash the blood
- weeping in winter

***
Bang, bang, bang
Bullets, bullets and bullets
No one hears the wind

***
Peace is far away
Blinking stars in the night
- dark clouds gather in spring
***
Mother holds dead child
Husband under her feet
- eyes frozen to sky
***
Bare bones everywhere
Carcass smell in summer
- lonely bird above
***
Last whistle not blown
Buds sprouting everywhere
- bees out in spring.

-Bashir Goth,

*I wrote the first four stanzas of the poem on October 8, 2007 and I ended it with the last two stanzas on Aug. 18, 2011. It seems time is frozen in Somalia.