POEM: IF I MUST DIE

by contemplativeinquiry

If I must die,

you must live

to tell my story

to sell my things

to buy a 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

let it bring hope

let it be a tale.

Refaat Alareer (23 September 1979 – 7 December 2023)

NOTE: Refaat Alareer was a native of Gaza City who from 2007 taught world literature, comparative literature, and both fiction and non-fiction creative writing at the Islamic University of Gaza. He had an MA in Comparative Literature from University College London and a PhD in English Literature at the Universiti Putra in Malaysia. He was one of a group of Palestinian poets who wrote in the English language. He was killed at home, together with his family, in an Israeli bombing raid on 7 December. The University in which he worked has been completely destroyed.

For me this is an extraordinary example of a poet bearing witness, acting as a voice for his culture in the most extreme conditions – yet retaining a light touch and a certain gentleness even when doing so.

See also American Friends* Service Committee website at: https://afsc.org/author/refaat-alareer

*Friends = Quaker