"If I must die" by Refaat Alareer

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

Let it bring hope!

That's all we must do.

On October 7, 2001, the US launched airstrikes in Afghanistan in retaliation for the September 11 attacks in the United States, plunging Afghanistan into chaos that has lasted for more than 20 years. On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a large-scale attack on Israel, and in retaliation, Israel has continued attacks in Gaza that could be called genocide, and is still expanding the battlefield, plunging the Middle East into chaos.

Hear the voices from all around the world for a ceasefire and make the US stop providing Israel with weapons used in Gaza.

Gather voices of

"No War" all over the world

Tie them to balloons

Fly the balloons in the sky

Let them wrap up the White House

反戦の声風船に結びつけ

ホワイトハウスを覆ってしまえ

Hansen no koe Huusen ni Musubi tsuke

White House wo Ootte shimae

The tanka poems and drawing from "Flowers and Bombs: Stop the Violence of the War Now!" by

Kaoru Kobashi

https://hanabaku.blogspot.com/

 I have been raising money for children in Afghanistan and Iraq for 20 years through my tanka poems and charity events. Twenty years ago today, I made the first donation, and today I made the 21st donation. What I do can't change the world, but I hope it has given and will give some strength to children suffering a lot because of the violence of the war.

Director Makhmalbaf

Is filming for the children

Dying of hunger

With a prayer that falling

Bombs change into seeds of wheat

降り注ぐ爆弾麦に変われよと

マフマルバフはカメラを回す

Hurisosogu Bakudan mugi ni Kaware yo to

Mahumarubahu wa Kamera wo mawasu

The first edition of Flowers and Bombs

WAR! WAR! WAR!

The USA is roaring 

In a tempestuous rage

Just like a wounded lion 

Searching for the enemies

WAR! WAR! WAR!　手負いの獅子かアメリカは

敵を探して荒ぶり叫ぶ

WAR! WAR! WAR! Teoi no shishi ka America wa

Teki wo sagashi te Araburi sakebu

The tanka poem is about the USA after the attack of 911 in 2001. I was so scared where its rage would lead the world. See what have happened and are happening even now all around the world. I have been asking by tanka poems since 2001. 

Why can't we stop killing people in the name of war?

Kaoru Kobashi

https://hanabaku.blogspot.com/

Collect warheads of                                     

Nuclear missiles on the earth              

Send them to Jupiter

'Cause peach trees will be blooming

Next spring on the brown planet

核弾頭を集めて送ろう木星に

春には桃の花が咲くから

Kakudanto wo Atsumete okuro Mokuseini

Haru hina momo no Hana ga saku kara

Bun Hashizume, 93 Years Old Atomic Bomb Survivor Tells Her Story

The tanka poems and drawing from "Flowers and Bombs: Stop the Violence of the War Now!" by Kaoru Kobashi https://hanabaku.blogspot.com/

 I encountered  

Michael Jackson Super Bowl 1993 Performance,

and I really feel that we need MJ now to heal the world. 

Hoping for the swift restoration of Palestine’s dignity, they held a poetry reading event from the Palestinian Poetry Anthology: Listening to the Voices of Resistance.

The poems were read by an actor who has been reading poems written by Hibakusha. The event was held by famous journalists and scholars. They are all outstanding figures working for dignity for people in Japan and anywhere in the world.

The event was in Japanese, but youtube translation function to English works well enough.  

I post this video in solidarity for people in Gaza.