Thursday, September 5, 2013

Poem: What I Will

Yesterday I discovered the poet Suheir Hammad through a posting on facebook by Amazing Women Rock.  The events that are unfolding on the international scene led me to her - one good thing, probably the only one, that will come out of all this saber rattling.  I've included the written words and her performance at a TED Talk because both are worth your time.

What I Will
by Suheir Hammad
I will not
dance to your war
drum. I will
not lend my soul nor
my bones to your war
drum. I will
not dance to your
beating. I know that beat.
It is lifeless. I know
intimately that skin
you are hitting. It
was alive once
hunted stolen
stretched. I will
not dance to your drummed
up war. I will not pop
spin break for you. I
will not hate for you or
even hate you. I will
not kill for you. Especially
I will not die
for you. I will not mourn
the dead with murder nor
suicide. I will not side
with you nor dance to bombs
because everyone else is
dancing. Everyone can be
wrong. Life is a right not
collateral or casual. I
will not forget where
I come from. I
will craft my own drum. Gather my beloved
near and our chanting
will be dancing. Our
humming will be drumming. I
will not be played. I
will not lend my name
nor my rhythm to your
beat. I will dance
and resist and dance and
persist and dance. This heart
beat is louder than
death.  Your war drum ain't
louder than this breath.

2 comments:

Teresa Evangeline said...

It feels like everyone in D.C. has gone insane. The smell of money can do that to people, apparently.

Cherie said...

Teresa, It does seem like some of our politicians have lost touch with reality. And I'm sure the government contractors are excited about the prospect - so sad. Hoping that the House will listen to our citizens who are tired of endless war.