If I must die
If I must die,
you must live
to tell my story
to sell my things
to buy a piece of cloth
and some strings,
(make it white with a long tail)
so that a child, somewhere in Gaza
while looking heaven in the eye
awaiting his dad who left in a blaze–
and bid no one farewell
not even to his flesh
not even to himself–
sees the kite, my kite you made, flying up above
and thinks for a moment an angel is there
bringing back love
If I must die
let it bring hope
let it be a tale
By Refaat Alareer (1979 – 2023)
From an interview in October 2023:
“There is no way out of Gaza. What should we do… drown? Commit mass suicide? Is this what Israel wants? And we’re not going to do that… I am an academic, Probably the toughest thing I have at home is an Expo Marker. But if the Israelis invade us, If they barge at us, open door to door to massacre us, I am going to use that Marker, Throw it at the Israeli soldiers, even if that is the last thing that I will be able to do. And this is the feeling of everybody in Palestine. We are helpless and we have nothing to lose”
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