Taking oath of my country

Mohamed Ahmed Abdi

Taking oath of my country

I shall walk with sincerity of heart
Within and without my house
Any deed that is dishonesty
I will not entertain before my eyes.

Anyone who insults a neighbor
I will not friend or woe
Anyone who is proud and hates labor
I will beat as a foe.

Anyone who practices deceit
Even if it is luck of receipt
I shall wait at the gates of defeat
And ours shall be a great feat.

Never trust a white man forever

He or she had a leprosy.
He never believes in Allah.
He may affect you.
His main work or aim is to detach from your culture.
He has so many bad characteristics.
He has been cursed by Allah.
He sleeps and eats with wild animals.
If you talk to him you will be in sin.
He tries to imitate Allah.
He is a home for all slimy characters and evils.
His saliva contains or is contaminated with HIV virus.

Happening Now

  • We regret the passing, on April 11, 2024, of the distinguished Romanian author and critic Dan Cristea, who served as the editor in chief of the Luceafărul de Dimineață cultural monthly. In addition to being an alum of the 1985 Fall Residency, Cristea received his PhD in Comparative Literature at the University of Iowa.

  • Our congratulations to 1986 Fall Residency writer Kwame Dawes, who has been named the new poet laureate of Jamaica.

  • Congratulations to our colleagues Jennifer Croft and Aron Aji, who are among those serving as judges for the National Book Awards this year, in their case in the category of translated literature.

  • Ranjit Hoskote’s speech at the 2024 Goa Literary Festival addresses the current situation in Gaza.

  • In NY Times, Bina Shah worries about the state of Pakistani—and American—democracy.

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