Youth Against Violence

May 2, 2008

A Poem In Memory of Abdullahi Awil
Abdi

There are so many walls and barriers built between the youth,
Colliding and clashing,
Police lights flashing,
They say life is short but not quite short enough,
To place your life at risk, just to seem tough.
No pretty got ugly, and ugly got pretty,
Sex,drugs and gang banging ways,
Seems to be the agenda of my fellow youth now days
So let me reopen your eyes to the truth,
It really doesn’t mean “In God We Trust”,
It means make that money at any cost,
Even if it means a life is lost,
And its faith tossed.
So now here I am trying to figure out,
How our imaan decreased to the point we don’t
Know what tawheed is all about, Muslims by mouth,
But really empty in the heart,
Diseased,destroyed, destruct and at miserable state,
Smoking,drinking and pregnant without a mate,
Fuel for the fire are the wretched what a disgraced fate.
After all of that, we are overcome
By TV, internet and Cosmo girl magazines,
Rappers and tappers trying to turn us into thieves
the glitters of this life they want us to appreciate
So beneath us they can truly deviate
I see and hear my brothers and sister killed and slain
taking away their life beam,
Parents want to blame it all on the youth
But have they no part in the theme?
A young man lost his life without just purpose
And I am sickened,
To see this problem thicken
Two young shot and killed at point-blank-range
Have we no future of any hope for change?
We seem to be locked up in solitude
Imprisoned by our own neighborhoods
With shot guns and bad attitudes
To my fellow youth,
You know you reap what you sow
When you place your finger on the trigger
And wait for it to blow
Whatever happen to the justice and unity?
About helping the world overcome poverty
And freeing our communities from tragedy
Our families from fatality
Our children from misery
Someone please answer me
Cause these thugs are reaching havoc
Invading lives like savages
Encouraging nothing but blasphemy
So much bloodshed in our community
This question is to my brothers and sister who think
It’s worth dying for this life,
How can you be so deranged?
Killing your brother blindly and in vain
I know my words spoken cannot begin to explain
The pain that these families feel
So they keep constantly telling themselves that this can’t be real
Another life lost
And really at what cost?
Do you not fear the akhirah and a
Great punishment ahead,
Murdering your brother just because of words said
Do you not realize that the youth were once Kings and Queens
Sitting on high thrones, like Salahudeen Ayubi
But rather my brothers want to go to a corner and smoke a dubi
They call it that purple haze,
It’s an element that subdues the mind
that subjugates the pure soul
that eradicates one’s life goals
that weakens one’s role
One thing guaranteed to you my dear brothers and sister
is not riches and fame, but rather your last breath
do you no fear your Creator who promised you this death?
But you’d rather act rough and tough
and put on a great bluff
so pull out your A.K. 47
but know that isn’t the weapon that will get you to heaven
know that your homeboys won’t go with you in your grave
neither will they answer for your questions
on the Day of Judgment and say “Damn dat nigga was brave”
They won’t go with you in your grave?
Or answer for your actions?
Is that what you call homeboys or what you call clicks?
who won’t encourage you of the good and tell you of this,
cherish life for a moment for there will be no time to reminisce
that truly is sick.
One advise to my community,
it is our job to promote justice, unity and harmony to all,
so invite humanity to this PEACE call….