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Thursday, February 21, 2008

Valentine Letters



Abdullahi Dahir Mooge
(moogedahas2008@yahoo.com)

Sick of politicking! I understand. Let us sit back and have some rare funny moments. If they are funny at all. I shouldn’t presume!

“When a man loves a woman
Down deep in his soul
She can bring such miseryyyy
If she is playin’ him for a fool
He is the last one to know
Lovin’eyes can never seeeeeee…”

That is Percy Sledge, not Saxardiid. Saxardiid is not a man who is to be fooled by any women. Wuu isu soo jeedaa! He never heard of Percy but even if he does, he will only despise him. His favorite song is Bashir Ali Hussien’s:

‘Jirjiroolo dumaroow Idinka Joogi waynoo
Idinka jiifi waynee Jihadeeden u cararraa
Jirjiroolo dumaroow Raga waxaad ku jebisaan
Adigaan ku jeceloo Kalgacayl aan jirin baad
Waligiin jilaysaan…’

So, when Duniyo, reer Xamar girl from xamarweryne sent him a reply to his previous letter, reading

‘Sharaf badanoow, Shaacirkaygoow
iila shaandhee Jacaylkaa Shoobloow
Shameerkiisa guuroow Shirkoow ii imaaw’

He didn’t understand all of it, but got the message right. Ku jantay bay tidhi soo ma aha, he quizzed and dictated to me what to write. ‘Qor’ he said, as I put pen to paper: (Abdi Tahliil)

‘baabullaha libaaxaan barqankii waraystaa
buuraha shabeeelkaan ila baadh i dhaahdaa
….bakaylaha sidiisaan bur caleenle seexdaa
….Gaaraa-bidhaankaan kugu baadi goobaa’

When I took that letter back to her- I can go to their house by virtue of my friendship to her elder brother; Iikar- She didn’t make out a word of it, so she asked me to translate. I did. But when she got the second letter from him, with a heart and big spear that pierced through it- she was furious. It contained: Jacayl lama moosi karo mindiyo dhiigluu Sitaa, halbawlaha kaa marsha. Why is he trying to kill me?what have I done to him? I don’t want to meet him anymore, I am scared. What is the knife for? Among the questions she uttered in shock. I explained again.

But the biggest laugh was reserved when I took back her ‘I am missing you dearly’ call to him. ‘…Aaaaah! Markaad iga maqnaatidee, aaaah, mugdigii meel xunaan maraayee(Asha Abdow).’ So, she thinks she can intimidate me with going with other boys in darkness! She must be joking. Huh! It is not my type. ‘Qor jawaabtayda’, he said.

‘Eleen doqoni qiiq kama kacdee
Daamankay meermeerisaa…’

There is no specific valentine day here, nor should one be, I think. Why would a particular day be fixed for love as if all the others are for work and hate! When, of course, you can laugh each day if you are lucky enough to play love intermediary!

Life here is tough but never, never dull !



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