Iftiin Baa Ii Soo Baxay – Ibrahim Hirsi Awel horuu nagu dhacay cudurkuu, oodda nagu rogayeKedis buu ahaa isbeddelkuu, iyo lama filaaneAlla muxuu na oof jabiyey oo, aakhiro noo jeediyey Abaaroow guriga gegida haddaa, argagax taalaayeKala seegtay hooyo iyo ilmo, aqalku waa yaabeDunidiyo arliga baa rogan waa, xaal aduuneed’e Maxaa ab iyo tagay hooyo iyo, odayo waaweeyne Maxaa dhalin agoomoobay iyo, cunug ababin weliyeMaxaa uurkutaallo lala go’ay, iilo lagu buuxmay Aduunku xumbo daadeed weeye, gees walba abbaaraKuwii oomanaa shalay haddaa, afka u buuxdaayeGarangar orodo iyo waxay tahay, aalad socotaaye Noo soo baxay iftiin cusub iyo, hawo udgooneed’eAlaladu way macaantahayoo, iyo ayaamahane Listen to the poem here Artistic Statement The poem I have written is called ‘Abaarow guriga’, or ‘The Homes Have Become Drought Stricken’. When first writing the piece, the responses I had collated from the archive to write about were all full of grief and sadness. Not wanting to erase this important aspect of the Covid experience, yet also wanting to bring a bit of hope and light to the piece, I went through the archive again and picked out hopeful and joyful quotes as well. The first part of the poem illustrates change: the change in psyche, in space and in experience. The second part then tackles the idea of hope, and how things can change. The final part brings in the joy and hope-filled aspect, showing people’s happiness with the vaccine. The poem was my way of trying to weave in personal experiences, yet also try to evoke a sense of hope in a way that the Somali community would be able to resonate with. Artist Bio Ibrahim Hirsi is a student, writer and peer researcher for the Centre for Mental Health. A digital Somali cultural archivist and independent researcher, he is also the co-founder of WaaberiPhone. His work has been performed as part of the Bedlam Mental Health Festival, been part of the DearAyeeyo roundhouse exhibition and in the Creative but Confined exhibition. Read the other poems here: Survive(d) – Hanna Ali Of Partings & Preludes – Momtaza Mehri ধন্যবাদ – Nazneen Ahmed MementoUs – Keisha Thompson Now এই সময় – Eeshita Azad Iftiin Baa Ii Soo Baxay – Ibrahim Hirsi The Crick – Will Harris Purgatory – Fathima Zahra Crick Institute Vaccination Centre Poem – John Hegley Cibaaro | Phenomenon – Mohamed 'Haykal' Abdi A Mnemonic Device – Clare Pollard চাবি | The Key – Shamim Azad Back to the project overview