If I Must Die
POETRY FORMAT, 11 Dec 2023
Refaat Alareer - TRANSCEND Media Service
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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
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Refaat Alareer (23 Sep 1979 – 7 Dec 2023) was a Palestinian writer, poet, professor, and activist from the Gaza Strip killed by the Israeli invading army. He taught literature and creative writing at the Islamic University of Gaza and co-founded the organization We Are Not Numbers, which matched experienced authors with young writers in Gaza. RIP
Tags: Ethnic Cleansing, Gaza, Genocide, Israel, Massacre, Palestine, Poetry
This article originally appeared on Transcend Media Service (TMS) on 11 Dec 2023.
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