A lonely view stretches from far to near A non-colour grey is all Concrete gardens littered with debris there and here You’d never get up if you were to fall Walking with my head down, I try not to see The dead cats and birds all around Dirt and brown leaves are all that greet me I walk on a pitifully dry ground A peaceful morning is wrecked by loud noise A shock and I’m out of my sleep Someone tells me “They break everything, these boys” I nod, hiding my anger so deep Children’s laughter transforms into jeers Hate and anger in every eye “You fake b*tch!” shouted by my peers Briefly I wish I could die I push the pain down inside me Down there it’s easy to cry And none will guess, none will see Because when you look, my eyes are dry Silence of a calm Sunday’s twilight shatters The screams follow the loud bang Children screech with fright as they scatter The knife falls with a quiet clang I fight for every space on which I walk My life dampened, so is my soul I’m hushed when I try to talk I’m broken, never to be whole I smile grimly as I usher my friend inside Away from prying eyes that wish me unwell “Welcome,” I tell her, when within we hide “Welcome to my hell” ~harmonyangel~

L@@@@@@@L....kix kix kix....I must say that made my day. That was deeply funny, Mz-Lexus, especially the BUSH version (*chortles*) keep it coming, sis! ~harmonyangel~

^^^ Blah...blah....blah...blah. Change the record pls. Boys, you heard the lady. Thank you, BARWAAQO! Reading over the (rather heated, I must say) responses I can see that a lot of people have misunderstood the point of the article. If you go back and read through it again, you'll see it has nothing to do with religion, but its rather criticising the corporate world, and its lack of equal rights for women. Yes, its true that we mustn't get too caught up in Western philosophy, but at the end of the day, this is where we live, and the corporate world is what pays our bills and puts bread on the table. You dont have to agree with everything in the Western way, but you can make the choice of accepting certain rights to feed yourself (and your children) or you can commit the bigger sin of being on benefit while you are perfectly capable of working. And please, I dont want to hear that old, tired line of "you've lost your religion" because I damn well haven't, and never will (al'hamdulilaah). I just know when to use my common sense. Quote from Clown: islamically speaking where does it say that women should be in the corprate world let alone having an equal rights with men? Clown, read back through the Quran (properly this time, I suggest) and you'll see that it says that women and men are equal. Women's place is right up in the Kitchen And where's the men's place? On the couch or in the mefrish? Thats the thing that's actually led to the irrevocable step of women seeking work to pay their (and their children's) way. Now y'all are stuck with the consequences. Stop moaning. "Ta." ~harmonyangel~

Thanks Angel! You're welcome, ProudSista. And what I said still stands... Nomadz, reading through the replies here, there is one thing that baffled me. As someone rightly said, most people are acting as if ProudSista is about to be send to participate in a massacre. All she wants to do is experience life to its fullest. Anything wrong with that? I dont think so. The negativity in most replies is rather appalling, I thought we'd grown out of that silliness? I'm sure most of us are intelligent enough to portray the pros and cons of joining the army in a civilised way, rather than biting the poor sister's head off. All she asked for was some inputs, I'm sure she didn't expect most of ya'll to act as disgruntled parents. On top of that, there are many different sides to being in the army, I dont remember ProudSister stating what aspect (or post) of the army she will apply to...can you? So please, lets wish the sisters Good Luck and pray she never ends up in a bad situation. Good Luck, ProudSister and Simple Woman...be cool, proud and may Allah go with you two all the way... Aaaaamiiiin! ~harmonyangel~

Interesting topic, y'all. I think our personality develops as we grow. But this isn’t a cut-and-dry argument. It’s not simply black and white; in fact, it’s rather complex. I believe we are born with our personality as a blank sheet, but with different capabilities. Personally I think everyone is capable of the “bad” things certain people do; it just depends whether the individual lives such a life where she/he has to call upon those abilities (I hope not). It’s a harsh view, but one I believe just. To me, personality develops as a product of the people around us, the environment we live in and just plain good-old common sense. I rightly agree with QoxootiMammi, Social Learning Theory (SLT) plays a large role in everyone’s life. You have to remember that to the average child acceptance is almost everything. Whereas (most) children know their parents will love them unconditionally and always, often children have to earn their peers’ respect before they can take their rightful place among them. Hence, Social Learning Theory takes place. By observing and imitating their peers, reinforcement happens in the form of acceptance. Parents do have a large influence on their children, but not just in the sense of the children striving to be like their parents. Oftentimes a child will strive to be different, simply because by looking at his/her environment, he/she can see that their parents were not adequate in the child’s upbringing. But, all psychology aside, for love and care, I believe we need GOOD parents. If parents will not behave as such, then children have no need for them. Then again, "maternal care" is not just given by the mother or father. An aunt or grandma, or someone who cares, will do just fine. ~harmonyangel~

Wooooooow, wicked stuff legend! *pleasantly surprised* Well, it is what I expected of a Legend ~harmonyangel~

Congrats to EVERYONE who's done with their exams (including myself LOL) and I hope y'all have the results you're hoping for. BUt MOST of all, I wanna give a BIG SHOUT OUT to QOXOOTIMAMMI, who has worked harder than anyone I have ever seen and managed to do the impossible. Got much love for you gurl, and I KNOW you'll get what you want (insha'allah). Well Done, sis ~harmonyangel~

rudy....bisiinkaaaaaaa....cajaaaib!!!!!This world is going MAD. :eek: :eek: :eek: ~harmonyangel~

Harmony u don't need to change ur whole image, because in every person's eye they see different things. St-paul's chick...to qoute pyromaniac pixie.... I get the feeling she was just kidding I rather get the feeling I was kidding aswell... ~harmonyangel~

Nomadz, Nomadz, why all the negativity? :eek: :eek: :eek: All she asked was a little peace and info, not macabre tales of horror...let the girl be. ProudSister, you wanna go in the army? Then go for it, gurl and GOOD LUCK...just look after yourself! peace n love ~harmonyangel~

Marriage as a Goal??? :confused: :confused: :confused: Of course, I can't speak for everyone, but in my oppinion, marriage is most definitely NOT a goal. Marriage should be a marker along the journey of your life, not the ultimate stop. Of course, if I find the right person, then yeah, bring it on. But the fact of the matter is that most Somalis take part in marriage for the sake of "being married" because otherwise you'll get a lot of slack from the folks, and there is a grave sense of "wrongness" associated with every un-married sister as soon as she hits her 20s. Now, if we are talking about contrast and comparison, I believe children and your devotion to Islam should come out higher than marriage. This is because most marriages dont succeed, failing if not officially, then emotionally. Its always nice to have the priorities straight... So for me, working out a niche in the world for myself is more important at the moment than marriage. And being true to Allah... ~harmonyangel~

mz-alpha-soup...booooo....rah man everyone down ere is missing you gal-like mad...wa'gwan wif you anyway? Like the ting with the so solid imitation....shouldn't it be..."twenty-one mijiin qaad to go"....loooooool....thats what you hear in bare maafrish across bare manors...loool...anyway, gal...dont be a stranger...me missing you too...keep in touch wif your cris, tick-looking self... ~harmonyangel~

Harmonyangel Wow what a nick you have ! I like that. You are welcome also sister. Why tannag yuu too, Positive! Have a great time in the forums... ~harmonyangel~

After living in London for a good few years, I've recently moved to a very crap, very SMALL-in London standards-very boooooring city... So, I guess what I'm trying to say is I DONT LIKE MY CITY But I'm back and forth to London all tha time, cos I'm MISSING my city....so BIG UP to all my London crew, the place is nuff heavy (as the faraxs woould say ) ~harmonyangel~

Hey Positive, well...check my name and you'll feel the harmony chasing you already...LOL.... WLC anyway, nomad... ~harmonyangel~

I am as old as the amount of sand grains in the Sahara Desert, minus the amount of water droplets in the Pacific Ocean, multiplied by the amount of snow crystals that will drop this December in Antartica...add 1... ~harmonyangel~

Why was the question restricted to just "to my people"? :eek: Why not "to my aliens" or here's another "to my dameer"? I just think the aliens and the dameero deserve a look-in... Welcome, barbie, I wonder, where's Ken? ~harmonyangel~

Change something? Dont you mean change everything??? Here's a list: 1. Starting with my toes, I'd actually like to make my 'big' toe, my biggest, as they are all different sizes...here's a rough example of how they look set in a row: o00o0o 2.Next, I'd like to make my ankles smaller than my upper legs, as I think this is making me look slightly...weird (although that is a harsh word) 3. Thirdly, I was thinking that it might be nice if my both my bum-cheecks were the same size...but it was just a suggestion 4.Then, I'd like it if one of my boobs weren't half the size of the other one...*grimace* yea, it is kinda weird, huh? 5.Next, I dont like it that I have ilkoo dhadheer, which kinda looks like a seperate growth now... 6.Finally, I (and this is hard for me to admit) have bidhaar loof, and I'd like hair follicle inplants just to sort this problem... Istaqfurullah... ~harmonyangel~

I think physically...by that I mean, I can actually see my thoughts exiting my brains... I think a lot of "What if's"...such as "What if Hitler had won WW2?" or there is "What if the world really was flat?" my personal favourite is..."What if we were all blue-skinned, yellow-haired and orange-eyed?Would *aliens* be drawn as we are now?" Continuing your line of SIGNS, Instinct-Poet, what the hell is up with that sign that says "DONT WALK ON THE GRASS"...why the hell not? Grass is part of the ground, isn't it? Its softer, more fragrant (some of the time) and nicer to sit on. So why cant I walk on it? YOu dont see me saying "DONT WALK ON THE SIDEWALK, YOU MIGHT MAKE IT DIRTY" Isn't it weird that we drink milk, stuff designed to nourish baby cows? How did THAT happen? Did some cattleman once say, "Oh, man, I can't wait till them calves are done so I can get ME a hit of that stuff, When you really think about it, we're "drinking" digested grass, thats been through some cow's four stomachs :eek: . Dont you find it weird how mass-accepted names for objects are? I mean, what if the computer was called wall: "Hey, man, let me get on the wall so I can get on the Internet." Also, the Internet used to be called the Apernet...weird huh? The English language has 'stolen' so many words and incorparated them into the every day language so that now people dont even think about it anymore...for instance "lager" which is (to me) a very cockney word, is actually French... :eek: Finally, dont you agree that Mother Earth is claiming the world back? More and more you hear about volcanoes, hurricanes, earthquakes and global warming, that all serve to cover a portion of land with earth or water. With all our technology, a simple tsunami wave could wipe us out...so watch out and recycle, otherwise Mother Earth Is Coming To Get You! ~harmonyangel~

check this out....kkkkkkkkkkkkkkk.... Binladen With a Twist and Take Two British Queen like you've never seen her before!! Ma UK peepz will get ma drift.... ~harmonyangel~

Idil, thank you greatly for your kind words, they are much appreciated and much obliged... ~harmonyangel~

My favourite pet is my baranbaroo iyo dirxii ...they're named Shankaroon iyo Hanii...I love it when they chase eachother....pure entertainment, man... ~harmonyangel~

nice game, sweet-gal...thanks for bringing it to our attention...me myself I'd LOVE to make an anthology of my poems...hopefully some day "A Smile" A smile you threw my way When I met you on that fateful day I couldn't believe the sparkle that seemed to shine Right then I knew, I wanted you to be mine A smile you gave unto me Your love you showed so freely When you said "I love you" I cried When you said "Goodbye" I died All because of another...yes "A smile" He said "come in, only for a while" A while lasted longer, I didn't see it didn't feel right When I spend with another, what was supposed to be our night My tears dried when you said "Its over" You left with "A smile", and I had no cover For the pain that hurts me even to this day Yet I know, I myself threw it all away... Next title -----> "The Chase" ~harmonyangel~

Muslim Sis, thanks for the compliments, but its not a personal experience...just my thoughts that spilled onto paper... But thanks anyway, ~harmonyangel~

Once a joyful place Now there are tears on an old face Lined by wrinkles, weather and pain Settle down and let me tell you my story again Once the smiles he threw my way The way he called to say “good day?” All of his love, that once was mine It all faded, eroded by time Once the hugs we shared The way he showed me he cared The hott-hott fire, the ground-shaking kissing All the lovemaking is what I’m missing The tears and laughter he brought into my life The tender way he asked me to be his wife The look in his eyes, that was no surprise I had to breathe and count to five... You never know what you have until its lost Simple suspicion broke years of trust “Yeah, its true, but I did it for you!” “I loved you! Why’d you do it, boo?” It’s hard to regain, what once was lost The price too high, un-payable the cost The tears came and then they went I tried to plead, but his will didn’t bend Oh, It’s not hard to see exactly why He always told me, he hated the lie But I didn’t listen and now I cry Struggling to forget, the day he said goodbye I still remember the look on his face Disbelief. Anguished surprise. Pain and hurt....Anger The smiles and laughter died within and turned old With agony I remember the day he turned cold The pain cuts, more than what I did The pain of knowing what I hid I couldn’t tell him the story right away, understandably I couldn’t tell him straight after...I killed our unborn baby... ~harmonyangel~